Sylvia Lance Harper

Sylvia Lance Harper

Sylvia Harper (born October 1895 as Sylvia Lance) was a female tennis player from Australia who won the singles title at the 1924 Australian Championships. She reached the singles final there two other times, in 1927, losing to Esna Boyd Robertson, and in 1930, losing to Daphne Akhurst Cozens.

Harper won the women's doubles title at the Australian Championships three consecutive years. In 1923, her partner was Robertson, and in 1924 and 1925, her partner was Cozens. She reached the final an additional three times with three different partners, in 1927, 1929, and 1930.

Harper won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Championships in 1923 with Horace Rice and was the runner-up in that event in 1925.

According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Harper was ranked World No. 10 in 1924, the only year she was included in those rankings.

Harper competed overseas on two occasions; in 1920 she competed at Wimbledon and, in 1925, captained the first women's tennis team to represent Australia internationally. At Wimbledon, she made the third round of the ladies singles, where she lost to Mary McIlquaham, the ladies doubles, where she partnered Daphne Akhurst and the mixed doubles, where she partnered E. T. Lamb.