September 6, 1953: The Finals of tennis' U.S. Open are played at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Tony Trabert wins men's singles. Women's singles is won by Maureen Connolly. She becomes the 1st woman ever to win tennis' "Grand Slam."
Maureen Catherine Connolly was born on September 17, 1934 in San Diego. Her parents divorced when she was 3 years old, and she took up tennis because it was easier for her single mother to afford than her original passion, horseback riding. In 1951, she won the U.S. Open, making her the youngest player to win it up to that time.
In 1952, she won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Plane travel was making it easier to travel long distances relatively quickly. Prior to this era, due to the distance involved, many Australian tennis stars didn't travel to the other major tennis-playing countries, and many players from those countries found the trip to Australia not worth it. But on January 17, 1953, Connolly beat fellow American Julia Sampson, 6-3, 6-2, to win the Australian Open.
On May 31, she beat fellow American Doris Hart, 6-2, 6-4, to win the French Open. She had now won all 4 majors, and all in a row. But no one considered this to be "the Grand Slam": It had to be all 4 in the same calendar year. On July 3, she beat Hart again, 8-6, 7-5, to win Wimbledon.
She reached the Final at Forest Hills on September 6, and Hart stood in her way again. It was no contest: Connolly won, 6-2, 6-4. She had won the Grand Slam.
Her streak of 6 straight majors ended in the 1954 Australian Open, because she stayed home rather than defend her title, but she won the French and Wimbledon that year, giving her 9 majors. There would be no more. She had intended to turn professional after the 1954 U.S. Open, thus making her, under the rules of the time, ineligible for the majors.
But on July 20, 1954, the choice was taken from her: She was riding her horse when a truck spooked horse, throwing her against the truck, breaking her leg. She would never play tennis again, and was only 19. She sued for loss of professional income, and won $95,000.
In 1955, she married a fellow horse-lover, Norman Brinker, a member of the 1952 U.S. Olympic equestrian team. They had 2 daughters, Cindy and Brenda. Living in Norman's hometown of Dallas, Maureen earned a degree from Southern Methodist University. Norman became a restaurant magnate, running Jack in the Box, and founding Steak and Ale, Bennigan's, and Chili's. But Maureen developed ovarian cancer, and died on June 21, 1969. She was only 34 years old. Shortly after her death, Connolly was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 1957, she published an autobiography titled Forehand Drive. She wrote, "I have always believed greatness on a tennis court was my destiny, a dark destiny, at times, where the court became my secret jungle and I a lonely, fear-stricken hunter. I was a strange little girl armed with hate, fear, and a Golden Racket."
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September 6, 1953 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 6-3 at the Polo Grounds. Preacher Roe went the distance for the win. Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson hit home runs for Dem Bums. Alvin Dark and Bobby Thomson hit home runs for the Jints. Not available, due to serving in the Korean War, were Willie Mays of the Giants and Don Newcombe of the Dodgers.
* The Boston Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-4 and 4-0 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Ted Williams, having returned from the Korean War, went 2-for-2 with a home run, 2 walks and an RBI in the 1st game, then got the 2nd game off. Mickey McDermott pitched a 6-hit shutout in that 2nd game.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-2 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
* The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds, 7-6 and 7-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Just 11 days later, Ernie Banks would make his major league debut, as the 1st black player, and maybe the greatest player, in Cub history.
* A doubleheader was played at Milwaukee County Stadium. The Milwaukee Braves won the opener, 3-1. Eddie Mathews hit a home run. Bob Buhl was the winning pitcher, with Warren Spahn notching a save. The nightcap was tied, 3-3 after 8 innings. According to Retrosheet, the game was called due to darkness, but that doesn't make any sense: Already, every ballpark in the major leagues, except for Wrigley Field, had lights. A Sunday curfew, with play having to stop at a specific time, is more likely. Over the 2 games, Stan Musial went 3-for-8 with a solo home run.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-2 at Busch Stadium (formerly Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis.
* And the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators were rained out at Griffith Stadium in Washington. The Yankees were running away with the American League Pennant, and the game was never rescheduled.
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