Laura duPont

Laura duPont

Country	United States
Born	(1949-05-04)May 4, 1949 Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Died	February 20, 2002(2002-02-20) (aged 52) Durham, North Carolina, USA
Singles
Career record	79-122
Highest ranking	No.9
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon	4R (1972, 1979)
US Open	QF (1971)
Doubles
Career record	117-119
Career titles	5
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (1975)
Wimbledon	QF (1973, 1976)
US Open	QF (1976)

Laura duPont (May 4, 1949 – February 20, 2002) is a retired female American tennis player. She is the first woman to win a national title in any sport for the University of North Carolina,^[1] as well as being the first female All-American^[2] at the school. During her pro career, she was ranked as high as ninth in the world.^[3] She is unrelated to the multiple grand slam title winning player Margaret Osborne duPont.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Laura became acquainted with tennis by practicing on the city's public courts. In her adolescent years, Laura moved to North Carolina, where she showed promise competing in junior tennis championships.

Laura attended the University of North Carolina where she was thrice named Mid-Atlantic Singles Collegiate Champion. Laura was singles champion in the years 1968, 1970, and 1971. In 1970 she also secured doubles champion. Aside from her tennis accolades at the school, she also played varsity basketball. In 1970, Laura was named North Carolina AAU Athlete of the Year.^[1] In 1972, Laura graduated with a B.A. and joined the tennis inter-national circuit soon after. She won the Canadian (1979), Argentine, New Zealand (singles as well as doubles) and German singles and by 1977 she was ranked 10th worldwide in women's singles tennis.

Laura's success continued, becoming the South African doubles champion in 1976, and a doubles and singles finalist in 1975. She won the U.S. clay courts singles in 1977, as well as being a doubles finalist in 1976. In 1984, Laura won the U.S. Open 35 and over singles championship.

Between the years of 1975 and 1981 Laura was on the Women's Tennis Association, also serving as its treasurer.

Laura duPont was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Charlotte Catholic High School Hall of Fame in 2000.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Laura moved back to North Carolina in 1997. She died at Duke University Medical Center in Durham on February 20, 2002.^[3]

WTA Tour finals

Doubles 10 (5-5)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	September 17, 1978	San Antonio, Texas, USA	Hard	Françoise Dürr	Ilana Kloss Marise Kruger	1-6, 4-6
Runner-up	2.	November 5, 1978	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Clay	Regina Maršiková	Françoise Dürr Valerie Ziegenfuss	6-1, 4-6, 3-6
Runner-up	3.	November 25, 1979	Brighton, England	Carpet	Ilana Kloss	Ann Kiyomura Anne Smith	2-6, 1-6
Winner	4.	January 13, 1980	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA	Carpet	Pam Shriver	Mima Jaušovec Ann Kiyomura	6-3, 6-3
Runner-up	5.	January 20, 1980	Kansas City, Missouri, USA	Carpet	Pam Shriver	Billie Jean King Martina Navrátilová	3-6, 1-6
Winner	6.	March 28, 1980	Carlsbad, California, USA	Hard	Pam Shriver	Rosie Casals JoAnne Russell	6-7, 6-4, 6-1
Winner	7.	September 27, 1981	Atlanta, Georgia, USA	Hard	Betsy Nagelsen	Rosie Casals Candy Reynolds	6-4, 7-5
Runner-up	8.	October 18, 1982	Tokyo, Japan	Hard	Barbara Jordan	Naoko Sato Brenda Remilton	6-2, 3-6, 3-6
Winner	9.	October 24, 1982	Tokyo, Japan	Hard	Barbara Jordan	Naoko Sato Brenda Remilton	6-2, 6-7, 6-1
Winner	10.	November 6, 1982	Hong Kong	Clay	Alycia Moulton	Jennifer Mundel Yvonne Vermaak	6-2, 4-6, 7-5

References

• ITF site

External links

• Inventory of the Office of the Women's Tennis Coach of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1976–1999, in the University Archives, UNC-Chapel Hill.