Bueno was born in
São Paulo. Her elder brother Pedro was also a tennis player. She was 15 when she won her country's women's singles championship. Joining the international circuit in 1958, Bueno won the singles title at the
Italian Championships. The same year she gained the first of her
Grand Slam titles, winning the women's doubles at
Wimbledon with
Althea Gibson. The following year, Bueno won her first singles title at Wimbledon, defeating
Darlene Hard in the final. She also won the singles title at the
U.S. Championships after a straight-sets victory in the final against
Christine Truman, earning the World No. 1 ranking for 1959 and the
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award. Bueno was the first non-North-American woman to win both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships in the same calendar year. In her native Brazil, she returned as a national heroine, honored by the country's president and given a ticker-tape parade on the streets of São Paulo. According to
Lance Tingay of the
Daily Telegraph and the
Daily Mail and
Bud Collins, Bueno was ranked in the world top ten from 1958 through 1960 and from 1962 through 1968, reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings in 1959 and 1960. The
International Tennis Hall of Fame also lists her as the top ranked player in 1964 (after losing the final at the French Championships and winning both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships) and 1966. after the
1960 Wimbledon Championships final Bueno won the singles title at Wimbledon three times and at the U.S. Championships four times. in 1964 Her playing career was affected by various arm and leg injuries. Her playing style was described as bold and aggressive; she had a hard
serve, was a strong
volleyer, and often came into the net. The American player
Billie Jean King acknowledged her as an influence. She was also known for her on-court style, wearing tennis dresses designed by
Ted Tinling. ==Later career==