Beryl Penrose obit

Vale Beryl Collier, an Australian Tennis Hall of Fame member

Four-time Grand Slam champion Beryl Collier (nee Penrose) is remembered as a quiet achiever and an exceptional player. 

She was not on the list.

Australian tennis is mourning the passing of Beryl Collier (nee Penrose).

At 90 years old, she had been the oldest surviving Australian women’s singles champion.

Collier, who was born in Sydney in 1930, completed a clean sweep of the Australian Championships in 1955. As well as claiming the singles title, she also won the women’s doubles title with Mary Hawton (nee Bevis) and shared the mixed doubles title with Neale Fraser.

A French and Wimbledon singles quarterfinalist in 1955, Collier was one of the world’s best players during the mid-1950s.

Collier competed in seven Grand Slam finals during her career, winning four (also sharing the Australian doubles championships with Hawton in 1954).

Australian tennis is mourning the passing of Beryl Collier (nee Penrose), a 4x Grand Slam champion and Australian Tennis Hall of Fame member. pic.twitter.com/Z8G7AB5G9N

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) June 24, 2021

A trailblazer in a time when opportunities were limited for women, Collier was the ultimate quiet achiever and was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.

Collier’s grandson, world No.88 James Duckworth, has followed in her footsteps in pursuing a tennis career.

The Tennis family extends our condolences to Collier’s loved ones at this time.

In January 1948 she won the Australian girls singles title. In July 1952 she won the singles title at the Welsh Championship.

Her best results came in 1955, aged 24, when in addition to her Australian success, she reached the quarterfinals at the French and Wimbledon Championships. While overseas, Penrose reached four finals including winning the German Championships against Erika Vollmer.

She was rated as high as 5th in the world in the 1955 tennis rankings.

In 1957 she married and retired from her tennis career.

In 2017, she was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. Her grandson, James Duckworth, is an Australian tennis professional.