May Sutton became the first overseas winner of a Wimbledon championship in 1905.
The American defeated defending champion Dorothea Douglass in the ladies’ singles final, winning 6–3, 6–4. Sutton was born in Plymouth, England, but moved with her family to California as a child and competed for the United States. Her victory broke the early Wimbledon championships’ long run of British singles champions.
Sutton’s achievement was especially notable because international travel was difficult and expensive compared with today, limiting the number of overseas competitors able to enter Wimbledon. She returned to win the ladies’ singles title again in 1907, making her one of the tournament’s earliest repeat champions.
The wording can cause confusion because “first overseas winner” refers to any Wimbledon championship, not specifically the gentlemen’s singles title. Norman Brookes of Australia became the first overseas gentlemen’s singles champion in 1907. Sutton also won the U.S. National Championships, now known as the US Open, and was later inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.