Who was the defending champion when Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon singles?
1977 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles illness. She was replaced in the draw by Lucky Loser Chris O'Neil. 1977 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Chris Evert was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Virginia Wade. Wade defeated Betty Stöve in the final, 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 in the final to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships. As of 2017 Wade remains the last British woman to win a Wimbledon singles title. This was the first time Wimbledon seeded more than 8 players for the ladies' championship, increasing the number (for this year only) to twelve players. The number increased
Virginia Wade Virginia Wade Sarah Virginia Wade, (born 10 July 1945) is a former professional tennis player from Great Britain. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships, and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in singles, and No. 1 in the world in doubles. Three times a Grand Slam singles champion, her most famous success was winning Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, the tournament's centenary year, and the year of the Silver Jubilee of