But tennis was her main sport, and she proved it later in life when she won the women’s city singles title seven times, more than any other woman. Those championships came between 1941 and 1951, the last of which was when she was 41 years old.

During that span, Duval never lost a match and rarely lost a set. She was the undisputed queen of the courts for that decade.

Duval was still very competitive in her twilight years playing against men half her age at the Country Club of Virginia.

Hall of Famers Bobby Bayliss and Bitsy Harrison reports that she didn’t want them to give her points when they played sets.

“She would get mad if she thought you were letting her win a point,” said Harrison.

“If she was losing, she was upset,” said Bayliss. “If she was doing well, but thought I was easing up on her and letting her win, she would get upset with me. I was 23 and she was in her 60s. She still had that fire in her belly.”

Duval is the younger sister of Penelope Anderson McBride, a member of the Hall of Fame who made a name for herself on the national and international circuits. The annual Anderson Cup competition between four state clubs is named for them.

While Duval is no longer with us — she passed away in 1992 at the age of 82 and is buried in Hollywood Cemetery — she and her sister will always be considered perhaps the best ladies’ players to ever grace the courts of Richmond.

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