Billie Jean King the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon and the first of twelve Grand Slam singles titles overall, defeating Court in the semifinals 6–3, 6–3 and Maria Bueno in the final. King credited her semifinal victory to her forehand down the line, a new shot in her repertoire. She also said that the strategy for playing Court is, "Simple. Just chip the ball back at her feet." At the U.S. Championships, an ill King was upset by Kerry Melville Reid in the second round. King successfully defended her title at the South African Tennis Championships in 1967, defeating Maria
1966 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Smith "(Semifinals)" 1966 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Margaret Smith was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Billie Jean King. King defeated Maria Bueno in the final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1966 Wimbledon Championships. The second round match in which Gail Sherriff beat her sister Carol was the second match between sisters in the ladies' singles draw at Wimbledon, the first being in the 1884 Wimbledon Championships when Maud Watson beat Lillian. The next Wimbledon match between sisters in the singles draw was in 2000 between Serena and Venus