WHM - Greef Harris Shined in 1930s

Did you know one of the best players in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s came from the Kansas City area? 

Mary Greef Harris played tennis at a time when the sport for most in the United States  was solely a summertime venture. While indoor tennis courts had been invented (circa 1913) the idea hadn’t quite taken off. To be competitive with players who could play year-round was a remarkable feat. 

She took to the sport growing up in Kansas City almost immediately upon picking up a racket. Her talents earned her a scholarship to the University of Southern California, where her skills blossomed even further - winning singles and doubles in the National Intercollegiate Women Championships  in 1931 - what we know as the NCAA championship today.

Even before capturing that title, Greef was a member of the five-player British Wightman Cup tennis team in 1930, competing in the United States and Europe with a tennis tour de force of Edith Cross., Helen Jacobs, Helen Wills Moody and Sarah Palfrey.

She also saw tremendous success at the US National (what is now the US Open), reaching the quarterfinals in 1929, 1930 and 1932. 

Greef Harris was an extremely intelligent player - knowing just when to come to the net, knowing where to place a critical second serve.  She was also a tremendous net player. 

In 2018 was inducted into the USTA Heart of America Hall of Fame.