Sao Paulo: Maria Bueno, the Brazilian tennis great who won seven grand slam titles in the 1950s and 1960s, has died after being treated for cancer at a Sao Paulo hospital. She was 78.

The elegant Bueno, South America’s most successful player, shot to global fame when she claimed her maiden grand slam at Wimbledon in 1959 and her second at the US Nationals two months later.

She successfully defended her Wimbledon crown the following year and claimed back-to-back US. Nationals titles in 1963-64. The 9 de Julho Hospital said she had been admitted for “oncological treatment” and asked for privacy.