Patricia Canning Todd

Patricia Canning Todd

Mary Patricia Canning Todd (born July 22, 1922 in San Francisco, California), was an American tennis player who had her best results just after World War II. In 1947 and 1948, she won a total of four Grand Slam championships: one in singles, two in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles.

Todd probably would have been more successful in Grand Slam women's doubles and mixed doubles events had she not had to play Louise Brough and/or Margaret Osborne duPont. Todd and her partner lost seven times to Brough and duPont in the women's doubles finals of Grand Slam tournaments. Todd's lone victory over the Brough-duPont partnership was in the 1947 Wimbledon final, when Todd teamed with Doris Hart. Todd and her partner lost twice to Brough and her partner in the mixed doubles finals of Grand Slam tournaments.

As for Grand Slam singles tournaments, Todd won the title at the 1947 French Championships and reached the French semifinals in 1948. At the 1947 event, the fourth seeded Todd played top seeded duPont, the defending champion and the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, in a semifinal that took two days to complete. duPont won the first set 6–2. A thunderstorm stopped play for the remainder of the day. The next day, duPont was not the same player and a quick Todd, "producing magnificent backhand shots", won after being 1–3 down in the final set. The crowd was so vocal in backing Todd that a referee reversed a line call to give Todd match point. On winning, she jumped the net to shake hands with duPont. In the final, Hart played her normal attacking game and led 4–3 in the final set, but "she was against a great fighter who was content to retrieve, and on a slow court, defence overcame attack". At the 1948 event, Nelly Adamson Landry became one of only five non-Americans to win the women's singles title at the French Championships, Wimbledon, or the U.S. Championships from 1938 through 1958. Todd, who was the favorite and defending champion, was defaulted by French officials after she refused to move her scheduled center court match to court 2. Todd had complained about being last on center court after having played there only one match previously. When requested to move, she refused because of the late hour and because a full set of linesmen would not be present. "They can scratch me if they like. I am not going to play anywhere but on the center court where my match is scheduled." The officials defaulted her, then changed their minds and gave her Landry's phone number to reschedule. When Landry could not be reached, the default stood. Todd swore never to enter the French again.

But she returned to the French Championships in 1950, after a one year absence, and reached the final where she lost to Hart. Todd went to the hospital after the final for blood poisoning.

During her Grand Slam singles career against Shirley Fry, Hart, du Pont, Pauline Betz, and Brough, Todd won five and lost eleven matches. Todd was 1–0 versus Fry, 2–1 versus Hart, 1–3 against du Pont, 0–1 against Betz, and 1–6 against Brough.

As for tournaments that were not Grand Slam events, Todd won the singles and mixed doubles titles at the South American championships in 1947 and 1948. In 1942 and 1948, she won the U.S. National Indoor Championships. In 1950, she was the singles and doubles titlist at the Asian Championships and the Championships of India. She won both the singles and doubles titles at the tournament in Cincinnati in 1951. She also won the U.S. Hardcourt Championship in 1950 and 1951 and was the doubles champion in 1950, 1955, 1956 and 1957.

According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Todd was ranked in the world top ten from 1946 through 1952 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 4 in those rankings in 1950. Todd was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1942 and from 1944 through 1952, reaching a career high ranking of fourth in 1947 and 1949. She unsuccessfully complained about her sixth place ranking in 1948, especially the placement of Beverly Baker Fleitz, Gertrude Moran, and Hart above her, accusing the USLTA of having no standard ranking rules and of punishing her for refusing to play her semifinal match against Landry at the French Championships.

Todd played doubles on the U.S. Wightman Cup team from 1947 to 1951, compiling a 4–1 win-loss record.

Todd was nominated for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005 but was not selected.

Todd will be inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame on August 28, 2010, at 4:00 PM, at the Balboa Tennis Club at Morley Field.