Tennis Forum banner

Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players

654K views 6K replies 43 participants last post by  Peter2003 
#1 · (Edited)
Welcome to the Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players. While this is very much a work in progress, we intend to create an A to Z Encyclopedia of women who have played competitive tennis.

Finding players:

Players are listed from A to Z alphabetically by last name. Thus Daphne Akhurst will be listed alphabetically under "Akhurst".

Daphne also played under her married name of Cozens. Cozens will be redirected to look under "Akhurst".

Example of the entry for Akhurst:

AKHURST, Daphne Jessie (Australia) [22 April 1903-9 Jan 1933] [Mrs. Royston Stuckey Cozens, from 26 Feb 1930] [Active 1919-31]

Last Name, First and Middle names. (Country) [Date of Birth-Date of Death] [other identities] [Years active]

Finding more biographical details,links, and pictures:

Notice the underlined name here: AKHURST, Daphne Jessie. Clicking on the name will work as a hyperlink, and will take you to a fuller biography.

Please enjoy using this as we grow, and don't hesitate to contact us with corrections, suggestions, pictures, or new entries.

Finding names by letter:

[Aa-Al] [Am-Az]
[Ba-Bh]
[Bi-Bo] [Br-Bz]
[Ca-Ch]
[Ci-Co] [Cr-Cz]
[Da-Dn] [Do-Dq] [Dr-Dz]
[E]
[Fa-Fl]
[Fm-Fq] [Fr-Fz]
[Ga-Gl]
[Gm-Gz]
[H-Ha]
[Hb-He] [Hf-Hq]
[Hr-Hz]
[I]
[J]
[Ka-Kh] [Ki-Kz]
[La-Lh]
[Li-Lz]
[Ma]
[Mb-Mi] [Mj-Mz]
[N]
[O]
[Pa]
[Pb-Ph] [Pi-Pz]
[Q]
[Ra-Rg]
[Rh-Ri] [Rj-Rz]
[Sa]
[Sb-Sf] [Sg-Sl] [Sm-Ss] [St] [Su-Sz]
[Ta-Tn]
[To-Tz]

[U]
[Va] [Vb-Vz]
[Wa]
[Wb-Wh] [Wi] [Wj-Wz]
[X]
[Y]
[Z]


In memory of William "Rollo" Rollins (1965-2021), a tennis historian, our friend and co-worker.
 
See less See more
#1,099 ·
PARADIS, PASCALE
France
Born 24 April 1966
Married P Mangon

A French player who came to the women's tour with great expectations, Pascale Paradis had reached the final of all four junior Grand Slam events, winning the French and Wimbledon titles. In her first US Open (1983), she upset Dianne Balestrat and #9 Andrea Temesvari to reach the round of 16. She had an all-court game with a one-handed backhand that she could slice or come over. Her career spanned a decade and she reached #28 in 1984 and #20 in 1988. Her career best Slam result was a QF run at the 1988 Wimbledon which included a win over #6 ranked Manuela Maleeva. Though her career was solid, she never quite fulfilled the promise that she had shown in her junior career.
 
#1,100 ·
MESKER, MARCELLA
Netherlands
Born 23 May 1959

Marcella Mesker was a Dutch #1 whose career spanned 1979-1988. She reached a career high of #31 and won one WTA singles title over Lori McNeil in 1986. She had more success in doubles, winning 6 career titles (3 with Swiss player Christiane Jolissaint). Mesker & Jolissaint reached the US Open semifinals in 1984 beating #2 seeds Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Hana Mandlikove en route. She served on the WTA Board and was awarded the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award in 1986. Since her retirement, she has served as a tennis commentator and tournament director in the Netherlands. She has also written a book Women on the Center Court (2007) in which she tells about loneliness, jealousy, partnerships, setbacks and success, and the search for balance in life.
 
#1,101 ·
MAY, KATHY
UNITED STATES
BORN 18 JUNE 1956

A baseliner from the 70s, Kathy peaked at #10 in July, 1977 and was consistently in the top 20 during the late 70s until her retirement in 1980. Her best Slam showing was a QF finish at the US Open in 1978 where she beat Betty Stove and narrowly lost to Wendy Turnbull. She had two French Open QF appearances and won the US Clay Court Championships in 1976. She defeated Martina Navratilova in the 1st round of the 1977 VS Dallas. She had two quarterfinal runs at the US Open with a young Tracy Austin. Kathy married Brian Teacher in 1979 before he won the 1980 Australian Open. Kathy retired in 1980 at age 24. She has also been married to Paben and is presently married to Guy Fritz.
 
#1,102 ·
PIATEK, MARY LOU
United States
Born 6 August 1961
Married Paul Daniels

Mary Lou Piatek was a junior world champion, reaching the finals of the 1979 French and US Opens and winning the Wimbledon title. She was an All-American at Trinity University in 1980 and then joined the pro circuit full-time. She reached back-to-back Richmond finals in 1980-81, losing to Navratilova and then beating Sylvia Hanika and Sue Barker for the title in the second year. She also won in Denver in 1984. She won seven doubles titles on the WTA tour (interestingly enough partnering all three Whites -Anne, Robin and Wendy- to titles), and played most often with Wendy White. She had poor results in singles in Grand Slam events, but in doubles was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 1982 (with Sharon Walsh), and a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1983 (with Andrea Leand) and the Australian Open 1984 (with Kim Jones Shaeffer). She continued to play successfully on tour past her 30th birthday, reaching the finals of Hilton Head in 1991 defeating Gigi Fernandez and Jana Novotna en route with partner Lise Gregory.
 
#1,103 ·
TAUZIAT, NATHALIE
France
Born 17 October 1967
Married Ramuncho Palaurena, 16 July 2005

Tauziat turned professional in 1984. She won her first singles title in 1990. She had begun her career as a baseliner, but converted to an aggressive net-rushing player when she realized that she didn't have the power game to compete with the Grafs and Sabatinis. She would reach her only Grand Slam singles final at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships, losing to Jana Novotná. Her appearance in this final was the first by a Frenchwoman since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925.

Tauziat was runner-up with partner Kimberly Po in the 2001 US Open women's doubles final, losing to the team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. She was a runner-up in doubles with partner Alexandra Fusai at the 1997 and 1998 Chase Championships. She was part of 1997 French Fed Cup team, which won its first title in the history of the competition.

Tauziat reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 at the age of 32 years and 6 months in the spring of 2000, making her the oldest woman to debut in the top three and the fourth oldest to be ranked in the top three. She retired from the WTA Tour tennis circuit after the 2003 French Open, after having played only doubles in 2002 and 2003. Tauziat won 8 singles titles and 25 doubles titles during her career.

Tauziat wrote a book with the title "Les Dessous du tennis féminin" (published in 2001 in French) in which she gave her insights about life on the women's professional tennis circuit. In 2004, Tauziat received a state honour – le chevalier de la Légion d'honneur – from French President Jacques Chirac for her contributions to international tennis.

Tauziat married Ramuncho Palaurena on 16 July 2005. The couple have three daughters, one born in 2005 and twin girls in June 2009.

Most info copied from Wikipedia.
 
#1,104 ·
TOMANOVA, RENATA
Czechoslovakia
Born 9 December 1954
Married (1) W. R. Roth
Married (2) Paul Vojtischek, 8 January 1990

Played under hyphenated name of Tomanova-Roth after marriage.

Renata Tomanova was a two-time Grand Slam finalist in 1976. However, because the Australian and French tournaments did not field top-class fields at the time, she never broke into the top 20 in the world rankings (peaking at #22). She was a junior champion at Roland Garros in 1972 and won the 1978 Australian doubles title with Betsy Nagelsen. She was also the 1978 mixed champion at the French with Pavel Slozil. In 1975, she and Martina Navratilova led Czechoslavakia to its first Federation Cup title. She won the women's doubles at the 1980 Italian Open with Hana Mandlikova. She was much more successful as a doubles player, especially on clay where she reached the semifinals of the French Open four times.
 
#1,105 · (Edited)
GRAEBNER, CAROLE (nee Carole Ann Caldwell)
United States
Born 24 June 1943
Died 19 November 2008
Married Clark Graebner, 11 July 1964, divorced circa 1974

1964 US Finalist; Australian QF in 1965 and SF in 1966. Won US doubles with Nancy Richey over Billie Jean King and Karen Hantze Susman, and Australian doubles in 1966 with Nancy Richey over Margaret Smith and Lesley Turner. She won the prestigious Pacific Southwest tournament in 1962 and 1965 and was a member of the first US Federation Cup team.

Tribute written by Steve Flink:

Growing up in California, Carole developed a first rate, all court game that enabled her to become one of the finest players of her generation. In 1961, when she was 18, Carole broke into the U.S. top ten at No. 9. From 1962-65, she alternated between No. 3 and No. 4 in her nation, and then in 1967 she was No. 6. She married the distinguished American serve-and-volleyer Clark Graebner on July 10, 1964 (which happened to be the 21st birthday of Arthur Ashe), and the glamorous couple became the first husband-wife duo to reside in the American top ten since Sarah Palfrey Cooke and Elwood Cooke in 1945.

Her foremost achievement was in reaching the final of the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hills in 1964. Seeded 9th at that major event, she fully displayed her innate tenacity as a competitor all through the fortnight. Facing the relatively unknown left-hander Geraldine Houlihan of Ireland in the second round, Graebner narrowly survived a psychologically bruising battle, prevailing 11-9, 5-7, 8-6. In the round of 16, she held back the assertive Argentine Norma Baylon in three sets.

That set the stage for a quarterfinal confrontation with 1961 Wimbledon champion Karen Susman, who had ousted No. 2 seed and all time great Margaret Smith [Court]. Carole took that one 6-4, 6-8, 6-3. Not content with her run to the penultimate round, she then toppled doubles partner Nancy Richey in a stirring clash 2-6, 9-7, 6-4.

The victory over Richey was the single biggest moment of her career. Carole exploited her remarkable all court skills on the grass courts at the fabled West Side Tennis Club, overcoming one of the premier competitors in the world of women's tennis. Richey had taken a 4-2 final set lead, but Graebner was unwavering, capturing four games in a row for a gritty win. As Mary Hardwick wrote in World Tennis Magazine, "Carole Graebner's great victory over Nancy Richey was as much a triumph of mind as it was of court strategy. It was founded on determination and ambition."

Graebner--- severely handicapped by sunburn and second-degree burns to her face, arms, and hands--- lost the championship match to the inimitably graceful and versatile Maria Bueno 6-1, 6-0, winning only 13 points in the opening set and seven more in the second. Although the majestic Bueno was clearly a better player than Graebner, the fact remained that Carole was not entirely herself on that occasion. A year later, the two competitors met again at Forest Hills in the quarterfinals, and Bueno was hard pressed to defeat the American 8-6, 1-6, 9-7.

As formidable as she was in singles, Graebner was a larger figure in doubles. Ever sure of herself in the forecourt, solid and resourceful on the return of serve, always eager to exploit her fine serve, Carole took the 1965 U.S. and 1966 Australian Championships alongside Richey. Graebner distinguished herself considerably--- primarily in doubles--- playing for her country in the Fed and Wightman Cup team competitions from 1963 to 1971. Her Fed Cup record was a stellar 12-1. But Carole's role in representing her country went beyond her playing skills; she held the unique distinction of serving as captain of the American Wightman Cup (U.S. vs. Great Britain), Fed Cup and Bell Cup (U.S. vs. Australia) teams. In that capacity, she demonstrated beyond repute that she was above all else a leader.

Graebner loved that role as captain, and flourished in it. I remember asking Chris Evert in 1973--- who made her Wightman Cup debut in 1971 at 16 with Carole as her captain--- how helpful Graebner had been when Chris first played for her country in those initial years. "We get along very well," answered Evert. "She knows my weaknesses but she didn't go into details, like telling me: "You have a quirk in your forehand.' She would give the players pep talks and say,' O.K. bend and think low.' She has a lot of spirit. She is great."

It was nice for Carole that she was so suited to the captaincy of those American teams. At that stage of her life, as a mother and wife, she simply did not have time to play regular competitive tennis out on the tour. She was a product of the old amateur era and played largely for the love of the game, and yet never was able to exploit the enormous financial opportunities other competitors had in the Open Era, which began in 1968.
 
#1,108 · (Edited)
I checked some names appearing in the most recent results posted by Newmark in the Yearly Results threads and here is what I found:

Evelyn Tomlinson:
Born November 29, 1915 in Carrizozo, New Mexico
Died February 21, 2009 in Cypress, California
Married (1) Diederich (2) Harry E. Couch Sr.
The Arizona State champion in 1936.
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tomlinson-387

Anna Mae Reichert, the Texas State champion'35:
Born 1912
Died Aug. 1, 1999
Married Whitehurst
"Whitehurst won the Women's [Texas] State Tennis Championship a total of eight times in the late 1920s and the early 1930s. She was also the Tri-State Champion and continued to be a strong supporter of the sport until her death."
http://www.caller2.com/1999/august/04/today/local_sp/4057.html

Reba Kirson, the Old Dominion champion'34:
Born
Died May 10, 1980
Married Monness
"She was a former Middle Atlantic States lawn tennis champion, swam, fenced, was at one time a varsity basketball player, and played volleyball, ice and field hockey." (But she was the most prominent as a table tennis player.)
http://216.119.100.169/organization/halloffame/monness.html

Lucy Agnes DeLatte:
Born Dec. 13, 1910, Louisiana, USA
Died Feb. 20, 2010, Texas, USA
Married Alfred Eugene Mouledous
Mrs. Lucy Mouledous was the Louisiana State champion in 1936.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=54334047


and probably Lonny Myers, the New Hampshire State Champion'39:
http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/services/rjd/findingaids/LMeyersf.html
 
#1,112 ·
HELEN TATLOW
Canada
Died 29 or 30 December 1935
Married R.B.Wilson, before July 1933

She died from injuries received by being thrown from a horse, while riding with her husband in the Upland district.
Mrs Wilson was an expert horsewoman. Mr Wilson was riding ahead and when his wife's riderless horse raced past him he returned along the path to find her unconscious.
Mrs Wilson won the Canadian women's doubles championship with Mary Campbell, of Vancouver, in 1933. She was the daughter of R. O. Tatlow, Minister of Finance in former British Columbia Government also killed in a fall while riding.
 
#1,115 ·
Eisenmenger (wholater married Winkler) updated at:
http://www.tennisforum.com/showpost.php?p=25392458&postcount=604


What is the correct date of Joyce Barcley's second marriage: 9 December or 12 September 1973 ? (I guees the first one comes from the Married Names thread, the second one is from her bio)


---I will look into this one-thanks LKK:)
 
#1,120 ·
#1,121 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
Isnard updated at: http://www.tennisforum.com/showpost....&postcount=983




I am confused Jimbo. The link you provided has Isnard (In English) as do our other sources. Are you saying the Russian reads "Isnar?
In that my link there is a photo with a caption that has names in Russian language. Isnar is the first on right, and his surname has only 5 letters, not 6. Letters that, transliterated, give Isnar, not Isnard.
 
#1,124 ·
Info to add to biography of Justina Bricka (if this is too much let me know - I am working on other bios of American players in the 60's and 70's):

St. Louis natives Justina Bricka and Carol Hanks made a name for themselves as teenagers in 1958 and 1959 winning the doubles at the Blue and Gray Championships in Montgomery, AL. At the US Nationals in 1959, Bricka saved 3 matchpoints in a first round win over Billie Jean Moffitt and advanced to the 3rd round as a 16 year old. Bricka/Hanks won tournaments in Atlanta, Chattanooga and Cincinnati and advanced to the finals of the US Clay Court Championships where they lost to Darlene Hard and Moffitt. Also at the USCC, Bricka stunned reigning US and French champion Hard in the first round. At the 1961 Wimbledon, she played the eventual champion Angela Mortimer a close 6-4, 9-7 fourth round match and advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals with Frank Froehling. The same summer, she advanced to the finals in Merion where she lost to Moffitt and was named to the Wightman Cup team and stunned Mortimer in a US win. In 1962, Justina benefitted from Margaret Smith's feud with the Australian tennis authorities. When Smith was not allowed to play doubles with a countrywoman, she teamed with Justina Bricka. The pair won seven tournaments, defeating Moffitt/Susman 3 times and Bueno/Hard twice. She had several quarterfinal and semifinal finishes in singles and was seeded #11 at the French where she lost to #6 Renee Schuurman. She won back to back small tournaments in the US in 1963 and also reached the quarterfinals of the US National Doubles at Longwood with Victoria Palmer. In 1964, she won five doubles tournaments and reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals and the US National semifinals with Carol Hanks. She and Mary Ann Eisel defeated Bueno & Vera Sukova to win the Irish Open doubles that year also. 1964 and 1965 also saw some success in singles. Bricka won the Middle States Grass and Philadelphia Grass tournaments in 1964, defeating Carole Graebner 6-4, 18-16 in the Philly final. In 1965, Bricka won the Phoenix Thunderbird tournament (defeating Richey en route) and had her career best Wimbledon result, with a quarterfinal loss to Smith. She and Eisel won at the Eastern Grass tournament in July, 1965 and she reached the round of 16 at the US Nationals where she again fell to Smith. After marriage, she reached the finals of the 1966 Tulsa Invitational where she and Carol Hanks Aucamp fell to Casals & King 8-6 in the third.
 
#1,126 ·
Posted by Preacherfan Info to add to biography of Justina Bricka (if this is too much let me know - I am working on other bios of American players in the 60's and 70's):
Never worry about too much PF!

I limit bios too 100 lines no matter what-from a Steffi Graf to a nobody.

But if it does go over 100 lines on your part that's fine too-I would create a separate thread in that case, as Mark has done with several of his detailed bios.

It's all good-so keep it coming!
 
Top