How it unfolded
Suzanne Lenglen, 26, and Helen Wills, 20, had built near-unbeaten records in Europe and America respectively but had never met. Word that they would face each other in a small Riviera club final moved all of southern France. Tickets traded at multiples of face value; those without seats climbed neighbouring roofs and trees; press coverage exceeded any previous women's sporting event. Lenglen took the first set 6-3; the second tightened. At 6-5, 40-15, a spectator shouted that a Wills shot was out; Lenglen walked to the net for flowers, believing the match over — but the umpire had not called it out, the point was replayed, and play resumed. Wills won the next two games to lead 7-6, then Lenglen took the final two for 8-6. Lenglen collapsed from exhaustion afterward. They never played again; Lenglen turned professional later that year and was banned from amateur events permanently.
Why it still matters
The match proved women's sport could be a standalone international commercial event. Press called it the "Match of the Century"; ticket scalping and global coverage became the template for tennis promotion. Lenglen's professional turn months later exposed amateurism's contradictions and cracked the door toward the Open Era 42 years later.