Aussie Star Ranked No. 1... 31 Years Late

Computer cheated Goolagong Cawley of tennis accolade
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 28, 2007 2:34 PM CST
Aussie Star Ranked No. 1... 31 Years Late
Australian captain Evonne Goolagong Cawley talks with the media during the Official Fed Cup Draw at the Rama Gardens Resort July 8, 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)

Evonne Goolagong Cawley was ranked No. 1 in women's tennis for a couple of weeks in 1976, but no one knew it until now. Goolagong Cawley is now (and, technically, has long been) the first Australian woman to hold the coveted laurel, and just the 16th woman overall to do so, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The error came to light when archivists paging through WTA records noticed that one of the biweekly stat sheets hadn't been entered correctly in the early days of the new computer rankings. The missing weeks fell when Goolagong Cawley briefly overtook Chris Evert in the standings. "It's just a wonderful Christmas present," said the new/old honoree. (More women's tennis stories.)

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