Ellen Hansell

Ellen Forde Hansell Allderdice was one of the well known female tennis players from the United States. She was born September 28, 1869 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died on May 11, 1937. For most people Hansell was the “original female champion of the United States,” winning a title in 1887 while playing in her hometown before she turned 18.

Hansell recalled that as a child, she was on the anemic side, who showed a bit of “enthusiasm and aptitude” for playing tennis. In fact, the family doctor had already advised her mother to remove Hansell from school and simply put allow her to play all day at the tennis court. This is aimed to make her develop a solid build. When Hansell recalls the said time, she could also remember her outfits which consisted of red plaid gingham. It was basically a red felt hat on a tight collared and corseted body plus a blazer of blue and red stripes.

Aside from her obvious statement making outfits, Hansell was indeed known for her prowess on the tennis court. In fact, she had defeated Laura Knight in a 6-1, 6-0 match that was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Unfortunately, there were also some blows that came with the game, and this included a loss against Bertha Townsend a year after defeating Knight. After her loss to Townsend, Hansell was not able to win another match anymore.

Hansell was a right handed player, and was known to serve sidearm, which was common for women during the said time. She died on May 11, 1937 in Pittsburgh, married to Taylor Allderdice. Unfortunately, Hansell was not able to attend her own induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.