Who won the first Wimbledon ladies' singles title in 1884?

Maud Watson won the first Wimbledon ladies’ singles title in 1884.

Watson was 19 when she won the inaugural women’s singles tournament, defeating her elder sister Lilian Watson in the final 6–8, 6–3, 6–3. The event attracted 13 competitors and was played on grass, as Wimbledon still is today. Her prize was a silver flower basket valued at 20 guineas rather than the modern trophy awarded to champions.

Maud had learned tennis in the family garden and had already played squash racquets. Her 1884 victory was part of an unbeaten season in tournament play. She successfully defended the Wimbledon title in 1885, defeating Blanche Bingley 6–1, 7–5, and became the first woman to win Wimbledon, the Irish Championships and the Northern Championships in the same year.

Charlotte Cooper, Blanche Bingley and Lottie Dod were later Wimbledon champions, which explains why they can be easy to confuse with Watson. Bingley beat Watson in the 1886 final, while Dod went on to win five Wimbledon singles titles. Watson also worked as a nurse during the First World War and was made an MBE.