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#3,861 · (Edited by Moderator)
MOOR, PENNY
Great Britain
Born 07 July 1951 Clyst St George Devon England
Married Geoffrey E. Tyler Exeter in September 2005
[Active 1970-1980]

Played singles US Championships 1972, French 1974, Wimbledon 1973 (reached last 32) and 1974.

Coached at Wake Forest 1980. In 1983 she was living at Greensboro North Carolina.

Devon Life magazine 21st September 2007 reported that she had returned to Devon to renovate mother's bungalow.
Described as tennis pro/event organiser/agent for bespoke accessories for the furniture trade.

Played in British Vets closed grass court championships at Wimbledon August 2011.

Sources:

International Tennis Who's Who 1983
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,862 · (Edited by Moderator)
BLACKWELL, PHYLLIS
United States
Born 26 March 1957 Washington DC
[Active from 1980 to 1984]

Originally from Mobile, Alabama. Educated at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Phyllis held a world ranking of 125 and and competed at Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open. She played singles 1983 US Championships as a lucky loser when Tracy Austin withdrew. A New York Times article vividly illustrates the tough times a woman ranked outside the top 100 had surviving on the circuit.

''People think it's so glamorous,'' she said. ''It's really not. It's like any other job. It has its good points and its bad points. It's really good if you're up there, in the top 50. If you're not, it's hard. It's like being a peon.''--Blackwell on being on the circuit.
Click to expand...
An ankle injury suffered from sledding contributed to her leaving the circuit in 1984.

Tennis director at Lakeridge Tennis Club in Reno, Nevada. Active in ITF senior events.

Sources:

1983 International Tennis Who's Who
Tennis Pros | Lakeridge Tennis Club

"One Loser Wears A Winner's Badge", by Malcolm Moran. The New York Times, 01 September 1983.
See article at: http://www.tennisforum.com/67591617-post448.html

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,863 · (Edited by Moderator)
BOSTROM, "PAT" (Patricia L. Bostrom)
United States
Born 25 November 1950 in Seattle, Washington
Name variant: "Trish"
[Active 1970 to 1980]

Started tennis at the age of 7. Pat favored a serve and volley game.

Played singles in 12 Grand Slams from French 1973 to Australia 1978 winning 6 matches. Reached last 16 French singles 1973.

Attended University of Washington in 1972, where she threatened to sue in order to try out for the men's team, which had better opportunities and expenses for travel. Bostrom lost a match to make it on the men's team.

A 2014 article in the Seattle Times stated she is now "a Seattle attorney who lives on Mercer Island."

Image


Jacket Bostrom played for the Cascades, a World Team Tennis team

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At the US Open

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Sources:

International Who's Who in Tennis 1983 which has a detailed biography.
Trish Bostrom was pushing the limits at UW before Title IX changed the sports landscape for female athletes | Sports | The Seattle Times
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Bostrom
http://www.bostromlaw.org/ (website for her law firm)
Sharon Walsh et Pat Bostrom - Le blog des archives du tennis feminin

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,864 · (Edited by Moderator)
MOLESWORTH, CORINNE (nee Carinne Rowlinson)
Great Britian
Born 18 June 1949 in Brixham, Devon
Married Colin Boyd January 1984 in Market Harborough, Leicestershire
[Active 1966-1979]

Played singles in 16 Grand Slams from 1967 to 1977. Played singles at Wimbledon 11 successive years 1967 to 1977. Highlight was to win 4 matches at French Championships 1972 to reach quarter finals losing to Evonne Goolagong. Best performance at Wimbledon was last 32 in 1976 losing again to Evonne Goolagong.

French junior singles champion 1967.

Played singles 1972 Wightman Cup.

Reference to www.ancestry.co.uk shows that at birth she was registered as Corinne Rowlinson with her mothers maiden name being Hannaford.
Millicent Lydia Hannaford married Leonard Rowlinson in the first quarter of 1942 in Nottingham . Sadly he was killed on the 17th June 1942 on war service. She married Harry W.J.G. Molesworth in the 3rd quarter of 1952 at Totnes. Thus at some point Corinne took her stepfather's name.

If our dates and information are correct Leonard Rowlinson could not be her father.

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Sources:

Various World of Tennis Annuals.
More detailed biography in International Who's Who of Tennis 1983
Birth and marriage details from www.ancestry.co.uk

Corinne Molesworth et Anthea Cooper - Le blog des archives du tennis feminin

The Championships, Wimbledon 2018 - Official Site by IBM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinne_Molesworth?redirect=no

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,865 · (Edited by Moderator)
BRUMMER, MARIANNE (or Marianna)
South Africa
Born 24 November 1949 in Pretoria, South Africa.
Married Botha ??-divorced ??
[Active from at least 1969 to 1973]

Played in 3 Grand Slam singles reaching 3rd Round of Wimbledon in both 1969 (losing to Billie-Jean King) and 1970 (losing to Kerry Melville).

Played Fed Cup for South Africa.

By November 1973 she played in South Africa Championships as Mrs Botha. However 1983 biography makes no mention of married name.

Later a teacher and Professional coach in Pretoria. As of 2015 she is a member of the Brooklyn Club in Pretoria.

Sources:

International Who's Who in Tennis 1983 (uses Marianna)
Archive - Draws Archive : Marianne Brummer - 2015 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

https://www.facebook.com/brooklynUn...os/pb.1602955109973039.-2207520000.1453783119./1638626259739257/?type=3&theater

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,866 · (Edited by Moderator)
BRUNING, "BUNNY" (Anna-Marie Bruning, nee Margarete)
United States
Born 05 September 1957 in Bremerhaven, Germany
Married Marla Frantum
[Active 1974-1980 then doubles only from 1982 to 1983]

California Naturalization Records 1887- 1991 reveal that she was adopted by the Bruning family and her real first name is Margarete. Her first name was then changed to Anna-Marie.

Played in 8 Grand Slam Championships between Wimbledon 1976 and US Open 1978 winning 2 matches.

Her USPTA profile declares, "As a player, her highest singles ranking was 41 and her highest doubles ranking was 11."

Has worked as tennis director at the Wakondaclub at Des Moines Iowa since 1983.

Sources:

International Tennis Who's Who 1983
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
Wakonda Club - Bunny Bruning
On google IOWA'S Bunny Bruning earns Master Professional Distinction
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scor...GB/scores/draws/archive/players/b776a837-7761-4e5a-a424-f4c12a8ea4dc/index.html
http://bunnyb.usptapro.com/default....fault.aspx/MenuItemID/351/MenuGroup/ProHome06.htm?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,867 · (Edited by Moderator)
KNIGHT, PEGGY (nee Peggy Astill)
Great Britain
Born 17 November 1905 in Wandsworth, London, England
Died 05 November 1993 in Hastings, England

Married Percy G. Knight (1902-1982) in Q2 (April to June) 1932 in Lewisham, England.
[Active 1935-1952 and 1955]

3 times in the Wimbledon main draw in singles (1938, 1946 and 1947); she spent the majority of her time in at the Championships in qualifying.

Sources:

Dates of birth from 1939 Register within www.ancestry.co.uk
Death from www.ancestry.co.uk

Archive - Draws Archive : Peggy Knight - 2015 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,868 · (Edited by Moderator)
DODGE, ELEANOR
Canadian
Married Peter Constable 01 September 1962 at Hampstead, Canada.
[Active 1956-1967]

Player Singles US Championships 1958,59 and 1960 and French and Wimbledon 1961.

Montreal Gazette 4th June 1962 says wedding day will be 1st September 1962. Montreal Gazette 22nd September 1962 reports recent wedding. Dodge was a native of Montreal.

Ranked in Canadaian top ten singles 1956 to 1963 and 1966 to 1967.

Source: 1991 Tennis Canada Yearbook

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,869 · (Edited by Moderator)
FILDES, ELAINE (Elaine Anna Fildes)
Canada
Born 31 August 1926, in Montreal, Canada
Still alive and living in Kingston as of 2013.
Married Bryans
[Active 1944-1950]

[From the McGill website]

Elaine Anna Fildes was born in Montreal on Aug. 31, 1926 and graduated from McGill in 1948 with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in physical education. An intercollegiate tennis champion from 1944 to 1947, she also played varsity basketball and badminton.

She was the No.1-ranked female tennis player in Canada in 1947 and the No.2 ranked singles player in both 1949 and 1950. Fildes, who also teamed-up with Pat Macken to become the top-ranked doubles team in the country, qualified for the U.S. national championships three straight years beginning in 1947.

Fildes served as manager of the McGill tennis team in 1944 and head coach in 1950 and coached the women's basketball squad in 1947-48. She later taught at the University of Alberta, where she coached the women's tennis team and currently resides in Kingston, Ont.

Elaine Anna Fildes was born in Kingston, Ont., on Aug. 31, 1926 and graduated from McGill in 1948 with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in physical education. An intercollegiate tennis champion from 1944 to 1947, she also played varsity basketball and badminton. She was the No.1-ranked female tennis player in Canada in 1947 and the No.2 ranked singles player in both 1949 and 1950. Fildes, who also teamed-up with Pat Macken to become the top-ranked doubles team in the country, qualified for the U.S.A. national championships for three straight years beginning in 1947. Fildes served as manager of the McGill tennis team in 1944 and head coach in 1950 and coached the women’s basketball squad in 1947-48. She later taught at the University of Alberta, where she coached the women’s tennis team.


Played singles US Championships 1947 and 1948 but did not win a match.

Graduated McGill University with a degree in PE. Later taught at University of Alberta.

Inducted into McGill Athletics & Recreation Hall of Fame 2006.
2006 living in Kingston Ontario.

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Sources:

McGill Athletics website
McGill Athletics & Recreation - Hall of Fame

http://www.kingstontennisclub.com/News&Ads/Newsletter2013July.pdf

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,870 · (Edited by Moderator)
MECHEL, RENATE (Renate Margarete Mechel)
Netherlands
Born 20 August 1917
Died 10 March 2005
Married Gérard Maria Antoine Raaymaakers circa 1948
[Active from at least 1937-1946]

Renate Mechel was one of the top Dutch tennis players of the late 1930s/early 1940s.

Entered Wimbledon in 1946.

Dutch Rankings (when known)

1937: #4
1938: #4
1939: #2
1940: #4

[Thanks to Newmark and Rollo for this information]
 
#3,872 · (Edited by Moderator)
ESTRELLA, VALENZUELA
Argentina
Born circa 1949
Died July 2013
Married Molina

She once told the Gazette that she had learned to play tennis with a paddle, because access a racket was not available to everyone. It was 1954. "I started with my father. He stood up at and made us run down the path to the river, then to breakfast and school," recalled Valenzuela Estrella de Molina. From the ancient courts of the Lawn Tennis Concepcion she jumped to the courts around the country, becoming nationally ranked in the 1960s- times where tennis was an adventure for the few. Tucuman will always remember her.

For a long time she represented the River Plate, the club honored when Estrella achieved international recognition. It was on the veterans circuit, and twice. In 1977, in Sweden, he won the team title in a group that included, among others, Margaret Zavalía Bunge of Tucuman. And in September 1981 she was the first World Champion of Veterans FIT, in São Paulo (Brazil), defeating in the final of the Nancy Reed of the US 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

She was proud of her drive and recounted amazing stories. For example using the hitting bag in boxing to teach her more punch on her shots.
El tenis perdió a una luchadora - LG Deportiva

Image


[Thanks to Jimbo for this information]
 
#3,873 · (Edited by Moderator)
MACKEN, "PAT" (Patricia Macken)
Canada
Born 05 July 1927 in Montreal, Canada
Married Elden Smart II 28 December 1954 in Westmount . Later divorced.
Died 29 January 2005 in Victoria B.C, Canada of emphysema.
[Active from at least 1946 to 1953]

Played singles US Championships from 1946 to 194949 but did not win a match.

Pat won the Canadian International in 1948. Babas Lewis of the US blitzed her the next year in the final 6-0 6-1.

Ranked #4 in Canada for 1953, she dropped off the list the next year.

Brother Brendan and Jim played Davis Cup for Canada.

Sources:

Quebec,Vital and Church Records(Drouin Collection) within Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk

Who's Who in Canadian Sport 2005.

N.B. Year of birth is given as 1928 in the above book and 1929 in International Who's Who of Tennis 1983 but think handwritten Quebec record is correct

Lewiston Evening Standard 20th December 1954
Montreal Gazette 10th December 1954

legacy.com/obituaries

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,874 · (Edited by Moderator)
#3,875 · (Edited by Moderator)
SPENCE, DEBBIE
United States
Born 9 August 1967
Married Nasim between 1989 and by 1992
[Active 1983-1989]

Started tennis at the age of 4.

Showing much promise in her youth, she turned pro in 1984 at the age of 17. That SAme year Spence won the Ginny Championships of San Diego.

The double handed Californian stalled in 1986 and never recovered her tennis ranking.

A 4R result at the 1985 French Open was her best result in a major.

Karen Stabinger's book Courting Fame chronicled Spence's battles to rise above the cutthroat junior tennis world and break into the pro ranks, covering diverse issues as dealing with expectations, weight issues, and being snubbed by sponsor's in favor of more "marketable" players such as Melissa Gurney. Spence later expressed dismay at the way she was portrayed in the book.


"I lot of relatives wanted to read it, but I said, 'Please, no. I'm not that rude, I'm not that bad, I'm not that mean. It makes me look like I'm the worst person in the tour, and that's not tennis-wise.'
"But then I stopped to realize that when you're sort of in public life, you're open to that type of thing. Chris (Evert Lloyd) and Martina (Navratilova) have to deal with it even more. I guess when you write a book, it has to be controversial or it won't sell. It made it interesting.
"People say, 'You must hate (Stabiner). You must be so mad.' But what can I do? I said I'd participate in the book."--Spence on the book Courting Fame.

As of 2007 she was a realtor with two teen-aged children.
Click to expand...
Singles record

59 won, 54 lost

WTA Computer Year-End ranking

1988: #375
1987: #152
1986: #76
1985: #37
1984: #47

Career High: #35 on 06-January-1986

Image


Sources:

Courting Fame: The Perilous Road to Women's Tennis Stardom, by Karen Stabinger. 1986. [Spence gets a lot of coverage in this book on junior girls tennis]

Courting Fame (a Blast Thread about the book)
http://www.tennisforum.com/59-blast-past/32703-courting-fame-does-anyone-remember-book.html

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-12/sports/sp-18723_1_debbie-spence

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/02/magazine/a-courtship-with-fame.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://archivesdutennisfeminin.over-blog.com/2013/11/barbara-potter-et-debbie-spence.html

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/20070729-9999-1s29acura.html
 
#3,877 · (Edited by Moderator)
HARIT, SHIRLEY (nee Shirley ????)
Canada Born 03 December 1932 in Montreal, Quebec.
Died 12 September 2007 in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Married Val Harit (d. 1979) in 1954.
Later long time companion of Jean Bastien.
[Active from at least 1955-1965]

Played singles US Championships 1956 and 1959.

Ranked in top ten Canadian singles 1954 to 1956 and 1959 to 1965. Husband Val Herit was also a prominent player.

[Obituary]

Peacefully, in her sleep, in the palliative ward in Nanaimo General Hospital, Shirley passed away. Born and raised in Montreal, Shirley spent her most memorable moments competing on the tennis courts. She was a Quebec champion for many years and was ranked as high as #2 in Canada. She married Val in 1954, also a top tennis player. She was also a champion bowler and an avid bridge player. She spent many memorable evenings at the Mount Royal Tennis Club in Montreal dining on the outside verandah. Her laughter could be heard all the way to court 6. Her longtime companion, Jean Bastien (2003) was a big part of her life in her later years. She will always be in our hearts. Shirley moved to Nanaimo, British Columbia in 2003 to be with her daughter Debbie and grandchildren Candice (15) and Richie (14) HALL. She loved Nanaimo, her nice condo, the beautiful surroundings and her little dog Susie. Shirley also leaves behind sister Joy (Montreal), sister-in-law Vera (Montreal), and daughter Diane (West Virginia). She will be sadly missed by all of us. We will take care of little Susie for you, Granny, and we love. Please do not send flowers.

Sources 1991Tennis Canada Yearbook
Google Shirley Harit tennis
Montreal Gazette 15th September 2007

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,878 · (Edited by Moderator)
DOWNS, BARBARA
United States
Born 04 March 1954 in Berkeley, Alameda County, California
[Active 1971-1975]

Played singles at US Championships 1971,72,73,74,75, French 1972,73 and Wimbledon 1973 and 1974. Most successful US Championships 1973 reaching last 16 losing to Virginia Wade.

She ended 1975 at #98 on the WTA computer rankings.

Image


Sources:

Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
Barbara Downs et Bunny Brunning - Le blog des archives du tennis feminin
World of Tennis 1975

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information and Binoxial for the photo ]
 
#3,879 · (Edited by Moderator)
FAYTER, JACKIE
Great Britain
Born 10 June 1951 in Exeter, Devon, England
Married Robert G. Hough Apr-June 1980 in Exeter
[Active 1969-1979]

Played in 18 Grand Slam singles from Wimbledon 1970 to US Championships 1978. Her best major was the 3rd round in Australia 1974 and 3rd round US 1976.

Won Rothman's Paddington and North of England (1974); Paddington (1976); Helsinki and Sutton Hard Courts (1977). Ranked #69 in 1976.

After retirement in 1979 she married and qualified as tennis coach in 1980.

Sources:

International Tennis Who's Who 1983
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Fayter-Hough

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#3,880 · (Edited by Moderator)
GANZ, DONNA
United States
Born 09 November 1954 in Miami Beach, Florida
Height: 5' 2"
[Active 1971-1978]

Coached in her youth by Gardner Mulloy and Luis Ayala-both former top ten players.

Played singles at US Championships 1974,75,77,78, French 1975,77,78, Wimbledon 1975 and 1978.

Off the tour for most of 1974 studying criminology at Dade Junior College.

A surprise quarterfinal at the French in 1975 was her career highlight. She lost 6-1 6-1 to Martina Navratilova. In an article by the Lakeland Ledger Ganz expressed a desire to be a detective. Donna was supposed to have to qualify for Roland Garros, but got a spot at the last minute when Ann Kiyomura withdrew. The Floridian, thoroughly at home on clay, upset Dianne Fromholtz 6-3 6-4 to gain the quarters. She ended 1975 ranked #32 in the world.

In 1977 she was RU at Tallahassee and Fort Wayne. Essentially dropping off the the tour in 1978, she entered the Tampa event in 1980.

She lived her post-tennis dream after all, for as of 2004 Lieutenant Ganz was a 17 year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, graduating from the Academy in 1987.

More recently in 2015 she represented Broward (Weston) in the over-55 Florida Tennis League.



Sources:

1972 USTA Yearbook
Google Donna Ganz
Donna Ganz et Stéphanie Tolleson - Le blog des archives du tennis feminin
FHP - Congratulations Lieutenant Donna Ganz!/060904
"Ganz Full of Surprises in French Open Tennis", 10 June 1975, Lakeland Ledger
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...s?nid=1346&dat=19750610&id=Qa8wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1PoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2555,2596998&hl=en

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information and Binoxial for the photo]
 
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