She was the first woman to win the Australian Open but only ever played at Wimbledon once

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The Australian Open is fastly approaching, with both ATP and WTA players looking for glory at the first Grand Slam tournament of 2025.

Last year saw Jannik Sinner win his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, kicking off a dominant 2024 season after coming from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.

While in the women’s singles draw, Aryna Sabalenka defended her title without dropping a single set, culminating in a final victory over Qinwen Zheng.

Both players are now the respective WTA and ATP number ones, with Sabalenka and Sinner looking to defend their Australian Open titles later this month.

Sabalenka also has the opportunity to go for history, as she bids to become the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open titles since Martina Hingis in 1999.

Margaret Molesworth: The winner of the first ever Australian Open

The Australian Open has come a long way since its first edition which took place 103 years ago, that was then called the Australasian Championships.

Unlike today where the tournament is played on hard courts in Melbourne, the 1922 Australiasian Championships were held on grass in Sydney.

Another big difference compared to the 21st century is the size of the draw, with the women’s singles event containing just 15 players that were all Australian.

One of those 15 players was Margaret Molesworth, who was playing her first Grand Slam tournament at 27-years-old.

Molesworth had enjoyed previous domestic success away from the major events, having won titles in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

1922 Australian Open

Despite it being her first opportunity for Grand Slam success, Molesworth took it in her stride and won the Australasian Championships title without dropping a single set.

This includes a final victory over Esna Boyd, with the second set containing 18 games as tie-breaks did not exist in 1922.

When looking back on her title victory in 1982, Molesworth reflected on how differently women were treated compared to their male counterparts.

“Women generally had to take a back seat at the time,” Molesworth told Australian Tennis Magazine. “When we played our championship finals, we always went on the court at 12 noon – never in the afternoon. The men were the star attractions.

“I practised and trained as hard as any boy and loved every minute of it.”

1923 Australian Open

Not only did Molesworth win the inaugural Australiasian Championships title, but she returned a year later to defend it.

The 1923 tournament, that was moved to Molesworth’s home of Brisbane, was slightly more challenging, with the defending champion having to come through a tight three-set semi-final against Sylvia Lance.

Molesworth faced Boyd in the final once again, producing the same outcome to win her second Grand Slam title.

Molesworth continued to play at her home major tournament until she was 40-years-old, and reached one more final in 1934.

How did Margaret Molesworth perform at Wimbledon?

Despite her success in Australia, Molesworth was unable to travel overseas until 1934 when she was 39-years-old.

This meant that Molesworth only played at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the latter stages of her career, and never competed at the US Open.

Despite getting the chance to compete at Wimbledon, Molesworth only ever played one match at SW19 after losing in the first round to Dutch player Madzy Couquerque.

How has Margaret Molesworth been honoured since her Australian Open victories?

Molesworth passed away in 1985, aged 90, and the inaugural Australian Open winner has been honored by the tournament since her death.

Two years ago to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first women’s event at the Australian Open, Molesworth was featured on a silver coin that was used for all pre-match tosses at the 2022 tournament.

That same year, Molesworth was also inducted into the prestigious Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Lleyton Hewitt and Rod Laver, the only man in history to complete the Calendar Grand Slam twice.