Kristy Pigeon | Player Stats & More

Kristy Pigeon was a 20-year-old ranked in the US Top 10 when she put her career on the line in Houston in 1970, becoming the youngest member of the Original 9. Her signature on Gladys Heldman’s famous $1 Virginia Slims Invitational contract was an act of faith that helped create the professional tour the young Californian would compete on.

A lefthander who favored grass, Pigeon’s promise was evident early, having won junior Wimbledon and the US girls’ title in 1968. That year, she also reached the round of 16 in the ladies' singles at the All England Club, a feat she repeated the following year for her best results at the majors. Other notable results during this period included capturing the Welsh Championships at Newport in 1968, as well as the Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championships at Haverford ahead of that year's US Open. In doubles, she was a two-time quarterfinalist at the US Open (1968, 1971).

Considered the world's No.1 player in 21 & Under and officially the US No.6 in 1968, Pigeon pursued studies at Mills College, where she engaged with the women’s liberation movement, while traveling to play tennis. After the launch of the Virginia Slims Circuit in 1971, she remained a contender on court while helping to promote the nascent competition to fans across the country.

After she left the Tour in 1975, Pigeon returned to UC Berkeley to complete a BA degree in art and biology. Moving to Idaho, she ran her own facility, the Elkorn Tennis School, for 12 years before building a legacy that extends far beyond match statistics. In 1991, she founded the Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped, which grew into one of the nation’s premier horse-assisted therapy venues – she also met her husband, John Prudden, when he volunteered at the facility. She remains an active environmentalist with a focus on wetlands and habitat restoration.

In 2021, Pigeon's foundational role in the sport’s history was formally honored when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside her fellow members of the Original 9.