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Biographies of Female Tennis Players

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#1 · (Edited)
This thread will feature biographies of women who played tennis at a world class level. Note that the women will be added as we find information, so they will not appear in alphabetical order.

To find women listed in alphabetical order please go to the Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players at http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=497938

The Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players lists women by both their maiden and married names. Under the main listing for a player a link will be provided back to this thread to a biography.
 
#1,806 · (Edited by Moderator)
SLOANE, SUSAN
United States
Born 5 December 1970 in Lexington, Kentucky
Married Duane Lundy, 14 September 1991
[Active 1985-1993]

Susan trained as a youth at Nick Bolletieri's in Florida. Her junior career was so promising Life magazine featured her in March of 1985. By the time she turned pro in 1996 at age 16 her baseline game was solidly formed.

From a piece titled "Star Treatment", written in 1985:

``In Lexington, there are not many people to play with,`` said Sloane, who does not ride a horse or shoot an 18-foot jump shot from the top of the key.
``My coach has been working with Nick, and I decided to move there at the end of September. It`s a lot easier at the academy. Everything is right there, the tennis, Nautilus. In Kentucky, I`d have to go to all these different places.``
Sloane, the daughter of a dry-cleaner, started playing at 6; she is a typical teen-ager off the court. She listens to Duran Duran, reads Danielle Steele and watches Family Ties.
In 1988 she took her only tour level title at Nashville, a short hop from her home state of Kentucky. In 1990 she got to the final at Nashville.

Now tennis pro at Lexington in Kentucky and the proud mother of 2.

Career Singles

Match record 131–109
Career titles 1
Highest ranking No. 19 (July 3, 1989)


Career Doubles

March record 6–25
Career titles 0
Highest ranking No. 202 (October 26, 1987)

Best Grand Slam results


Best Grand Slam (Sloane made the 3R four times)


French Open 3R (1988, 1989)
US Open 3R (1988, 1989)



Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Sloane

`Life` Giving Sloane A Star Treatment in the Orlando Sun-Sentinal, December 11, 1985|By Jim Sarni, Staff Writer
 
#1,809 · (Edited by Moderator)
SMASHNOVA, ANNA
Israel
Born 16 July 1976 in Minsk, Belarus.
Married Claudio Pistolesi (Italian tennis player), 7 December 2002 divorced circa 2004/2005
Height: 5’ 2” (1.57 M)
RH with 1 handed BH.
[Active: 1990-2007]

The tough Isreali has the perfect tennis name.

Singles
Career record 401–304
Career titles 12 WTA, 7 ITF
Highest ranking 15 (February 3, 2003)

She was in 13 finals, and won 12 of them. In addition, she won a junior Grand Slam championship. She speaks three languages: Russian, English, and Hebrew.

Smashnova began playing at the age of 6. She became the number 1 junior in the Soviet Union at the age of 10. She was the top girls' junior player in Russia for four years in the late 1980s, and won the girls' Soviet Union youth championship in 1989 at the age of 14.

Her family moved to Israel in 1990, after Freddy Krivine, one of the founders of the Israel Tennis Centers, invited her to immigrate.

Despite her high rank Anna was able to reach the last 16 of a slam only twice, at the 1995 and 1998 French Championships.

An incident in 2000 cased some controversy when tAnna was not disqualified after smacking a ball in anger that hit a spectator.Smashnova was fined for ball abuse. But she wasn't otherwise penalized and, in fact, won the match against Katalin Morosi-Aracama.
 
#1,810 · (Edited by Moderator)
SMIDT, AUDREY DE
South Africa
Born 03 January 1908 in Capetown, South Africa
Died ????
Married R Allister by 1935
[Active 1926-1936]


Educated: Collegiate School. , Port Elizabeth. Other recreations: hockey. Member of the Wanderer’s Club in Johannesburg.

1926 South African RU. Won event in 1935 as Mrs Allister. Competed at Wimbledon in 1929 and 1936.



[Thanks to Jimbo and Newmark for help with this biography]
 
#1,811 · (Edited by Moderator)
SMITH, CONSTANCE (nee Constance Laura Mary Langley)
United Kingdom
Born 1862
Died 27 October 1934
Married Charles John Chichester Smith, second quarter of 1880
Listed as Mrs CJ Smith

London-born Constance Langley enjoyed a good deal of success in 1882 under her married name of "Mrs CJ Smith". She pushed Maud Watson to 7-5 in the third set in the final of the Cheltenham tournament, held in September of that year.

Constance had four sisters and at least one of them also played tennis, although who exactly this was is not clear. However, a Miss Langley was runner-up to May Langrishe in the women's singles event at the Northern Championships tournament in 1882. This was definitely a sister of Constance. Her sisters' names were Augusta (b 1858),Florence (Flora, b. 1860) Grace, and Marion (b 1866). Constance was easily the best player of the four.

In July 1885, Constance and one of her sisters were runners-up in the doubles at the tournament held in Darlington. In later years Constance Smith had three children, two boys and a girl, also called Constance.
 
#1,813 · (Edited by Moderator)
LAYARD, ANNIE (Annie Jane Layard)
Great Britain
Born 04 August 1858 in Wembley, London, England
Died ????
Married Evelyn Gordon Reeves on 06 September 1881
[Active in 1881]

In 1881, an A. Layard was runner-up to Grace Gibbs in the women's singles event at the inaugural West of England Championships tournament in Bath.

According to the 1871 Census of England, Annie Jane Layard was born in Wembley, London, in 1859. Her parent were Charles and Sarah; the former was a native of Bath. One of Annie's siblings, George (Soames) Layard, was born in Clifton, Bristol (a future venue for the West of England Championships), in 1861. George's name also features in the lists for some early lawn tennis tournaments.

Annie had a son named Evelyn (born 1882) and a daugher named Margaret who was born in 1885.

The couple later lived in Sri Lanka. In 1901 her son drowned in South Africa while fighting in the Boer War.

Sources:

http://www.thepeerage.com/p53314.htm
https://billiongraves.com/grave/Evelyn-Layard-Reeves/7689062
 
#1,816 · (Edited by Moderator)
SMITH, PETER
Australia (Western Australia)
Born circa 1905
Died ????
Married Lawrence (‘Jim’) Nathan (1903-2000) on 20 January 1937 in, Perth, Western Australia
[Active 1925-1935]

Western Australian Champion 1929

From ‘The West Australian’, January 21, 1937:

Weddings – Miss Peter Smith and Mr Jim Nathan

A marriage of interest in tennis circles and to many Perth people took place yesterday afternoon at the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Perth, between Mr Jim Nathan, second son of the late Sir Charles Nathan and Lady Mary Nathan, of West Perth, and Miss Peter Smith, second daughter of Mr and Mrs C.J. smith, of South Perth.

The bride wore a dainty frock of palest ivory stiffened net, hand-worked with coin spots of ivory silk, over ivory taffeta. The bodice was tight-fitting and semi-tailored to the waist, three large pleated silk buttons adorning the bodice on either side, and the skirt falling in soft folds to the ground was banded with a deep hem of stitched taffeta. The wide rolled collar, narrow belt of stitched taffeta, and the short puffed sleeves finished with the same material, lent a distinctive note to her bridal toilet. She wore a large picture hat of emerald green neora straw with a twisted silk cord encircling the crown and green shoes exactly matching. Her early Victorian posy was of stephanotis frilled with rich green leaves, and she wore the gift of the bridegroom, a platinum wrist watch.

Mrs Boyd King [née Mollie McGrath] was matron of honour and wore a tailored suit of dusty pink silk cloque. With this she wore a white, flower-embossed, pleated organdie blouse finished at the neck with an organdie jabot and flower posy of pink geranium petals, and a large brown Leghorn hat with folds of brown cire ribbon round the crown, and she carried a posy of pink gladioli and maidenhair fern. Mr Bernard Nathan was best man.

After the ceremony, Mr and Mrs Smith entertained at a reception in the ballroom at the Hotel Adelphi. Mrs Smith (mother of the bride) wore a frock of cream self-check georgette […] The customary toasts were honoured, and on the third tier of the wedding cake the tennis championship cup which the bride had won had pride of place.

Later the bride and bridegroom left by motor car on a ten-day honeymoon tour of the south-west, after which they will travel to China and Japan for four months. The bride travelled in an American suit of delphinium blue silk cloque, the skirt panels accordion-pleated to match the bodice, and a front of white pique finished at the high neck with a large posy of white flowers. A large white halo hat of chip straw worn right off the face, black shoes and white lacings, gloves and handbag completed an attractive ensemble.

Mr and Mrs J. Nathan will make their home in West Perth.


Sources:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Nathan


For a photograph of Peter Smith and Jim Nathan on their wedding day, see here: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...sortby=dateAsc


[Thanks to GeeTee and Newmark for this information]
 
#1,818 · (Edited by Moderator)
SMYLIE, “LIZ”, (nee Elizabeth Marie Sayers)
Australia
Born 11 April 1963 in Perth
Married Peter David Smylie, 10 November 1984
Played: Right-handed
Height: 5' 7"
[Active 1981-1995 and 1996-1997 when she played doubles only]

4 Grand Slam doubles titles and a 1987 Australian quarterfinal in singles rounded out the resume for this popular Aussie, best in doubles. Grass was her favorite surface. Off the ground her forehand was more potent.

Liz usually was a bridesmaid at the last stage of doubles majors-with 1 win and 4 defeats in ladies doubles finals and 3 wins to 5 defeats in mixed finals.

Winner of 36 doubles titles on the WTA tour, her greatest successes came when winning the Wimbledon doubles title (1985 - with Kathy Jordan) and the US mixed doubles (1983 and 1986 - with John Fitzgerald and 1990 with Todd Woodbridge). She also shared an Olympic bronze medal in 1988 with Wendy Turnbull.

Her 1985 Wimbledon victory with Kathy Jordan was the highlight of her career. In beating #1 seeds Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver 5-7 6-3 6-4 they ended a 109 match win streak.

Her last big doubles title came in 1990 when she won the WTA tour finale with Kathy Jordan. She earned the WTA Award in 1990 as Comeback Player of the Year.

She was coached by her husband Peter and living in Hilton Head in the late 1980s. They have 3 children: Laura, Jordan and Elvis.

Doubles Career record

Matches Won-Lost: 483 – 215 (69.19%)
Career titles 36
Highest ranking #5 (28 March 1988)

Singles Career record

Matches Won-Lost: 181 – 213 (45.93%)
Career titles 3
Highest ranking # 20 (14 September 1987)

Singles Titles

1982-Sardinia
1983-Kansas City
1987-Oklahoma City

WTA Singles Rankings

1982: #115
1983: #70
1984: #36
1985: #43
1986: #80
1987: #27 (highest rank #20 driven by Aussie Open QF)
1988: #172

Sources:

1989 World of Tennis
, page 339

A TV Ad from 1992



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Smylie
 
#1,820 · (Edited)
SNOW, "LOUISE" (Eva Louise Snow)
United States
Born 11 July 11 1926 in Bakersfield, California.
Died 10 February 2007 in Santa Barbara, California.
Married ("secretly" ) J. Francis Isaacs on 15 March 1947 in Las Vegas, Nevada, U. S.
[Active 1944 to 1959]

Californian. Her mother Francis Brown lived to 101 and is buried at Union Avernue Cemetary in Bakersfield, CA. Louise died one year after her mother. Snow grew up playing on the Bakersfield Racquet Club courts. ALT calls her a "tall blonde Californian southpaw who was the fourth ranking girl player in 1944." (p 15 ALT Sept 1 1946).

Louise was ranked #17 in the US for 1947. In the early part of 1947 she wed a Mr Isaacs, and from mid she is listed as Mrs Louise Snow Isaacs. From 1951 to 1955 she was absent from the circuit, only to appear in 1955 as Mrs Snow. By the late 50s the New York Times is calling her Miss Louise Snow. It's not clear if or how a divorce or being widowed affected the changes.

Louise entered singles in the US Nationals from 1944 to 1948, and also in 1950 and 1955. Her record was 5-7. Her best performance was in reaching the 3R in 1955.

Louise entered Wimbledon in 1956 and 1958. Her singes record was 2-2; she won 2 matches in 1956 to reach the 3R. In the late 50s she competed in Europe on a regular basis, winning Cannes in 1959.




Sources:
[Obituary]
SNOW, Eva Louise (BROWN); 80; Santa Barbara CA; Santa Barbara N-P; 2007-2-16.
[Marriage]
Source: "Bakersfield Californian" newspaper, 16 September 1947, page 4.

[Additional info on marriage provided by Austimrunner1]
 
#1,821 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOAMES, “BETTY” (Elizabeth Soames)
Great Britain
Born 25 August 1906 in Bromley, England
Died 28 May 1988 in Chichester, England
Married John Neil Campbell Couper (1909-1959) on 01 February 1936
[Active in 1931 and last played Wimbledon in 1946]

Entered Wimbledon in singles 6 times-never winning a main draw match. She qualified in 1932, afterwards playing in 1933, 1935-37, and 1946.

Won Worthing in 1935 and 1936.

Note her spouse's name was Couper and NOT Cooper.

Sources 1939 Register from findmypast.
Government records.
www.ancestry.co.uk



[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]
 
#1,823 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOISBAULT, ANNIE (Annie Marie Blanche Sousbault)
France
Born 1934 in Paris
Died 18 September 2012
Married Marquis Philippe de Montaigu
Active 1952 to 1956

Danger is my pleasure! (Annie's motto)
The Annie Soisbault Cup, inaugerated in 1956, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2015.

She's the only tennis player to switch from a promising tennis career to a successful one as a rally driver. The Annie Soisbault Cup for junior girls was named after her by her father, Robert, one-time president of the French Tennis Federation.

Soisbault only entered Wimbledon once, in 1954. That very year her interest shifted from tennis to racing cars. One reason she gave was that no money could be made in tennis, making her dependent on her parents for a living.

Soisbault later used her fame to import luxury cars into France, especially the Astin Martin cars made famous by James Bond. She also sold real estate. Her later years were mixing with the jet set crowd she often did business with.


A photo montage








Sources:

Annie Soisbault (1934-2012)
http://www.velocetoday.com/annie-soisbault-1934-2012/

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Soisbault

http://www.turbo.fr/actualite-automo...ault-montaigu/

Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers from 1888 to 1970, by Jean-Françoise Bouzanquet (1988)

[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]
 
#1,824 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOMOZA, NORA (nee Nora Bonifacino)
Argentina
Born 08 August 1930
Died 17 January 2013
Married José Somoza
Nickname: "Norita"

[An English summation of the Spanish site listed as a source]

Nora was number 1 in Argentina in 1956, and from 1959 to 1961, in addition to representing her country in the Fed Cup and Pan American Games.

The following is a summary of his career, courtesy of journalist Eduardo Puppo, co-author with Robert Andersen Trilogy History of Argentine Tennis.

"Norita" won with a lethal combination of "Drive and drop".

Without a doubt Nora was one of the most iconic characters of Argentine tennis. She starred in big moments of national history and held sway between the late 50s and early 60s. In 1956 she occupied the No. 1 spot in her nation, winning, among others, the traditional Open singles Republic. The tranquility of "mission accomplished" with the flag flying proud justified the tennis lessons and trips around the world for Nora Bonifacino Somoza.

Accompanied by her husband, Joseph Somoza, she conveyed the passion that would never leave her penetrating gaze. She became a major pillar of our sports history, who knew feats here and there until she decided to leave behind the competitive game. Thus was born her other weakness: teaching.

"Norita" as she was always called, was started in tennis by the enthusiasm of her father, Alexander, in Coronel Suárez, southwest of the province of Buenos Aires.


O her drop shot she said fervently, "It was my favorite weapon, and it was that hit cramped." Nora was associated with the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club where she met teachers like Soto, Cerdá and Moya.

She debuted at the Republic Open in 1948. This earned her a national ranking, which she would later dominate absolutely. The victories came: the "Autumn", "South of the Republic", "City of Buenos Aires", "River Plate" and the coveted "Republic" which was in her hands twice in singles, one double ladies and three in mixed doubles. Other greats of her era were Enrique Morea, Alexius Russell, Augusto Salvador Soriano or Zappa; Lehmann and colleagues like Elena, Julia Borzone, Margarita Zavalía, Mabel Bove, Ana María Goiter, Graciela Lombardi, June Hanson, and Viola Livetti. Participating at Roland Garros in 1961, she reached the third round where she lost to Australian Mary Reitano for 8-6, 0-6 and 6-2.

Her grand slam debut was in the US National in 1959, where she was eliminated by Janet Hopps.

In 1965 she played Fed Cup with Norma Baylon in Melbourne, Australia. They did not do well on grass, knoced out in the opener by New Zealand. That season was very special to Somoza, because even her prime she decided to retire from competitive tennis.

"You have to know when to quit," she told everyone who asked why. By April of '65 she was teachuing tennis at the Club de Golf Bartolomé Mitre in Migueletes station and found a way to remian immersed in her milieu.

Norita taught until April 2005, at the Club Belgrano Athletic, retiring after a spinal problem. "I fell easily without knowing why, but it never happened to me in a tennis teaching One day I I broke my wrist and decided to stop working. I went to the doctor and found that I had hurt a vertebra.

Her titles include:

Argentine Open
Singles: 1956-1960 champion; Finalist 1957-1959 (shared with Norma Baylon)
Double Shirt: finalist 1950 (Marga Trede de Fitting)
Mixed Double: champion 1956 (Enrique Morea), 1959 (Alejo Russell); runner 1950 (Augusto Zappa)

River Plate Championships
Singles: Champion 1958-1963-1964; finalist 1952-1954-1955-1957-1962
Double Shirt: Champion 1957 (Julia Borzone), 1958 (Elena Lehmann)
Mixed Double: champion 1951 (Salvador Soriano), 1957 (Alejo Russell), 1962 (Oscar Escribano)

Argentine Championships (TCA)
Singles: Champion 1951-1954-1956-1963-1964
Doubles: Champion 1956 (Mabel Bove), 1960 (Margarita Zavalía), 1962 (Elena Lehmann), 1963 (Ana María Goiter)
Mixed Doubles: champion 1951 (José Luis Morea), 1957-1958 (Alejo Russell)

Buenos Aires Championships
Singles: Champion 1956-1960-1963-1964
Double Shirt: champion 1948-1950-1956-1960-1963
Mixed Double: 1954-1956-1959 champion

Source:

http://aatenis.com.ar/es/bel-falleci...-de-nora-b.php (photo on page)

[Thanks to Rosamund for this biography]
 
#1,825 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOMOGYI, KLARA (sometimes listed as Somogy)
Romania/Hungary
Born 1913 in Arad, Romania
Died 1996
Married a Mr Hensch
Career Span: 1928-1945.

She fell in love with tennis at the age of fifteen. She studied in a German school in Sibiu (Szeben). At the age of seventeen she finished third in the second class mixed doubles at Cluj. Meanwhile, the Treaty of Trianon had transferred her region from Hungary to Romania, and she had to move to Budapest in 1938 to further compete for Hungary as she was ethnically Hungarian.

In 1928 she found early success in the Romanian national championships where she finished second in doubles and third in mixed doubles. By 1932 she was already a two-time Romanian national champion. She clinched two more consecutive national mixed doubles titles up to 1937 with the same pair Arnulf Schmidt.After moving to Hungary she was crowned Hungarian National Champion as well in singles in 1938 and 1939 and doubles in 1939 and 1944. Her first international challenge came at the Central Europe Tennis Team Cup, which Hungary grabbed after an overwhelming victory over Italy. Somogyi had an easy match against Wally San Donnino.

On the international individual level her breaktrhough came in the 1937 edition of the German International Championships doubles, a semifinal accomplishment alongside Vittoria Tonolli, which was only spoiled by her opponents Madzy Rollin Couquerque and Hilde Krahwinkel preventing her the final. She was a mixed doubles quarterfinalist at the same event with Hungarian champion partner Ottó Szigeti.

In early 1939 she reached the final of the German Covered Courts tournament in Bremen only being defeated by Gracyn Wheeler. Wheeler and Hamel truimphed over Somogyi and Kovács in the doubles final

The same year she reached the mixed quarterfinals of the Queen's Club Championships teaming with Szigeti but lost to Henner Henkel and Wheeler. Next week at the Wimbledon Championships they were dropped out in the early second round by Cam Malfroy and Betty Nuthall. Somogyi found success though in the Ladies' doubles where she and Wheeler lost only to first-seeded Sarah Fabyan and Alice Marble.

A month later in the German International Championships in Hamburg she was a doubles quarterfinalist and a singles semifinalist. In the latter she met Krahwinkel and lost in straight sets. In August she competed in Båstad where she came short against Wheeler in the singles championship match but were victorious in the doubles partnering her. Still in August she played a final in Ostende losing to eventual champion to Rollin Couquerque in three struggling sets. Somogyi got tired for the third set after Rollin Couquerque broke her baseline gameplan with a smart netplay and forced her to run from corner to corner. She got less lucky in the doubles only reaching the semifinal stage.

She married and had a daughter named Judit. During the Siege of Budapest the family hid in the humid basement to survive the air strikes. Her joints got cold, and as a result of the relating health issues including arthritis, she was unable to play any more and subsequently abandoned tennis. Because of her alleged German affiliation (like participating in the wartime German Championships and having German language knowledge) she was labelled as "untrustworthy", a term used for people who had some sort of German connection by the government of the People's Republic of Hungary. Thus she couldn't find a job and so started a small weaving business. She moved to Velence and got involved in self-supporting agriculture. After her husband's death she went back to Hegyvidék and lived there for the rest of her life.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klára_Somogyi
 
#1,828 · (Edited by Moderator)
SCHREINER, "GERTY" (Gertrude Mary Schreiner)
United States
Born 22 February 1896 in Seattle
Died 2 November 1978 in Los Angeles
Married (1) Sam J. Robinson (d 1965), 15 September 1920
Married (2) Harry McIntyre, 1970

Winner: 1920 Seattle City Championships

She was active until 1923, when her career ended after she was struck by a car.
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm...&file_id=10113

In the first pic she is on left, with Mayme McDonald

 
#1,829 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOUTHCOMBE, “PAM” (Pamela Southcombe)
Australia (VIC)
Born circa 1932
Married Howard Richard Wearne 10 February 1955
[Active 1950-1953]

In 1953 Pam got to the quarterfinals of the Australian Championships. There she fell victim to Maureen Connolly, who steamrolled her 6-0 6-1. Connolly went on to win the Grand Slam that year. This performance sent her to 35 in the Australian rankings for 1952/53 issued on on May 18 1953.

Usually content to play from the baseline, her game later became more attacking in style.


Australian Nationals Record (1950-1953)

Singles: 3-4
Doubles: 4-4 (Semifinals in 1952)


Sources:

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10733.../en_au/event_guide/history/players/20440.html

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/22902655? (photo)
 
#1,830 · (Edited by Moderator)
SOVENSKI, HELEN (Helen A Sovenski)
United States
Born in 1902 in Wisconsin
Died 22 May 1934 in Portland, Oregon
Married Joseph F. McBride on 16 January 1931 (or maybe 1932) in Saint Stanislaus Church in Portland, Oregon
Active circa 1924-32.

Helen (Sovenski) McBride was the daughter of Polish immigrants Anton and Amelia Sovenski. Helen died a year or two after her marriage.
City of Portland champion 5 years running from 1928 to 1932. She won the 1932 event as Mrs McBride. The Oregonian gives us the exact date for her marriage of 16 January. The person who published it in Ancestry gives the year as 1931, yet we know she won the Portland event that year as Miss Sovenski.



Sources:

http://www.irvingtonclub.com/live/portland-city-womens-singles-champions

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73675785&ref=acom

[Thanks to Newmark and Rollo for this information]
 
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