The Match: Althea Gibson & Angela Buxton: How Two Outsiders–One Black, the Other Jewish–Forged a Friendship and Made Sports History

Althea Gibson first met Angela Buxton at an exhibition match in India. On the surface, the two women could not have been more different. The daughter of sharecroppers, Gibson was born in the American South and grew up in Harlem. Angela Buxton, the granddaughter of Russian Jews, was raised in England, where her father ran a successful business. But both women encountered prejudice, particularly on the tennis circuit, where they were excluded from tournaments and clubs because of race and religion.

Despite their athletic prowess, both Gibson and Buxton were shunned by the other female players at Wimbledon in 1956 and found themselves without doubles partners. Undaunted, they chose to play together and ultimately triumphed. In The Match, Bruce Schoenfeld delivers not only the little-known history of Gibson’s life but also the inspiring story of two underdogs who refused to let bigotry stop them — on the court and off. Here, too, is an homage to a remarkable friendship.