Community Corner
Aug. 29, 1976: Glendora Teen Competes Against Controversial Transsexual Player
Glendora tennis player Lea Antonpolis, 17, outlasted Renee Richards, 42, during the Tennis Week Open, reported the Aug. 29, 1976 edition of The Press-Courier. Richards underwent a sex change operation and competed as a woman in the tournament.
Glendora teen tennis sensation Lea Antonoplis, 17, won her semifinal match during the 1978 Tennis Week Open in South Orange, N.J. But much of the focus wasn’t on Antonoplis, but her defeated opponent, 42-year-old Renee Richards.
The year before, Richards, an eye surgeon from Newport Beach, Calif., underwent a sex change operation.
Richards’ place in the tournament was controversial, causing 25 players to withdraw from the tournament in protest.
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But the player dubbed Dr. Renee tired throughout the sets, with Antonoplis decisively taking the match at 6-7, 6-3, 6-0.
According to the newspaper, Richards – born Richard Raskind-- threw her racquet down in disgust after she netted the final point.
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Richards was initially denied entry in the 1976 U.S. Open. When Richards disputed the ban, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 1977.
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