Kerry Reid

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Kerry Melville Reid, MBE, (born August 7, 1947, in Mosman, New South Wales) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tournaments. Reid was included in the year-end world top ten rankings for 12 consecutive years (1968-1979). She won at least one tournament annually from 1966 through 1979, except for 1975. Her career-high ranking was World No. 5 from 1971 through 1974, behind Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and Chris Evert.

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[edit] Career

Reid began her Grand Slam tennis career in 1963 when she reached the third round of the Australian Championships. In 1966, she reached the semifinals of both the Australian and U.S. Championships (defeating Billie Jean King, the defending champion, in the second round of the latter tournament). In 1967, Reid again reached the semifinals of the Australian Championships and reached the semifinals of the French Championships for the first and only time.

Reid was the women's singles runner-up at the 1970 Australian Open, losing to Margaret Court. Reid also was the women's singles runner-up at the U.S. Open in 1972, losing to King after defeating Chris Evert in a semifinal 6–4, 6–2.

In 1972, Reid reached the final of the inaugural WTA Tour Championships, where she lost to Evert 7–5, 6–4.

In January 1977, Reid won her only Grand Slam singles title when she defeated fellow Australian Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat 7–5, 6–2 in the final of the Australian Open. Reid and Balestrat were the only top 10 players who played the tournament. The previous week, Reid also defeated Balestrat in the final of the New South Wales Open, where Reid and Balestrat again were the only top 10 players who entered. On both the Virginia Slims and the Colgate Grand Prix tours in 1977, Reid qualified for the season-ending tournaments (each limited to the top eight players on the respective tour). And in World Team Tennis, Reid was undefeated in singles against both Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade, defeating each three times.[citation needed]

Reid capped her last year on the professional tour in 1979 by beating Navratilova for the first time in tournament play. Reid defeated Navratilova in a Family Circle Cup semifinal 6–3, 7–6 before losing to Tracy Austin in the final 7–6, 7–6. Reid also competed in the year-ending WTA Tour Championships (limited to the year's top 8 players).

Reid won the Australian Open women's doubles title twice, outright in 1968 and shared in December 1977. With Wendy Turnbull in 1978, Reid won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon, was the doubles runner-up at the U.S. Open, and won the doubles titles at the Virginia Slims of Seattle, the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, the U.S. Women's Indoor Championships, and the New South Wales Open.

Reid was a member of the Australian team that won the Federation Cup in 1968. She also helped Australia reach four consecutive Federation Cup finals from 1976 through 1979 on a variety of court surfaces. During that run, she beat several top players, including Rosemary Casals (1976 final on carpet 1–6, 6–3, 7–5), Wade (1977 semifinal on grass 6–4, 6–4 in Eastbourne just weeks before Wade's Wimbledon victory), Austin (1978 final in Melbourne on grass 6–3, 6–3) and Hana Mandlikova (1979 semifinal on clay 6–4, 6–3).

Reid defeated Austin the first three times they played, although Austin won their remaining five career matches.[1] Reid also defeated Mandlikova in both of their career matches.[2]

Reid was a member of the "Houston 9," the breakaway group led by Gladys Heldman in 1971 that formed the nucleus of the women's professional tennis tour.

Reid anchored a World Team Tennis team for each season of its inaugural incarnation (Boston Lobsters 1974-1976 and San Diego Friars 1977-1978).

[edit] Personal life

Reid married Grover "Raz" Reid, a Boston Lobsters teammate, in 1975. Raz retired as a player in 1977 and coached Kerry during the remaining three years of her playing career. The Reids then retired to Raz's home state of South Carolina and raised two daughters.

Reid was made a Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979.

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Win (1)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1977 Australian Open Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat 7–5, 6–2

[edit] Runner-ups (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1970 Australian Open Margaret Court 6–3, 6–1
1972 U.S. Open Billie Jean King 6–3, 7–5

[edit] Grand Slam women's doubles finals

[edit] Wins (3)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score/Final
1968 Australian Championships Flag of Australia Karen Krantzcke Flag of Australia Judy Tegart Dalton
Flag of Australia Lesley Turner Bowrey
6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1977 (Dec.) Australian Open Flag of the United States Mona Schallau Guerrant Flag of Australia Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Flag of Australia Helen Gourlay Cawley
title shared,
final rained out
1978 Wimbledon Flag of Australia Wendy Turnbull Flag of Yugoslavia Mima Jausovec
Flag of Romania Virginia Ruzici
4–6, 9–8(10), 6–3

[edit] Runner-ups (5)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score/Final
1970 Australian Open Flag of Australia Karen Krantzcke Flag of Australia Margaret Court
Flag of Australia Judy Tegart Dalton
6–3, 6–1
1973 Australian Open Flag of Australia Kerry Harris Flag of Australia Margaret Court
Flag of the United Kingdom Virginia Wade
6–4, 6–4
1974 Australian Open Flag of Australia Kerry Harris Flag of Australia Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Flag of the United States Peggy Michel
7–5, 6–3
1977 (Jan.) Australian Open Flag of the United States Betsy Nagelsen Flag of Australia Helen Gourlay Cawley
Flag of Australia Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat
5–7, 6–1, 6–4
1978 U.S. Open Flag of Australia Wendy Turnbull Flag of the United States Billie Jean King
Flag of Czechoslovakia Martina Navratilova
7–6, 6–4

[edit] Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1977 (Dec.) 1978 1979 Career SR
Australia 3R 2R 3R SF SF 3R SF F A A SF SF 2R 1R W SF A A 1 / 14
France A A A 1R SF 4R A 1R 2R 4R A A A A A - A A 0 / 6
Wimbledon A A A 3R 3R 3R 2R 4R QF 3R QF SF 2R QF QF - 4R 4R 0 / 14
United States A A A SF 4R A 1R QF SF F QF QF QF 2R 4R - 4R QF 0 / 13
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 47

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links