Yola Ramírez

Yola Ramírez
Full name Yolanda Ramírez Ochoa
Country  Mexico
Born March 1, 1935
Mexico, DF, Mexico
Plays Right–handed
Singles
Highest ranking No. 6 (1961)
Grand Slam Singles results
French Open F (1960, 1961)
Wimbledon QF (1959, 1961)
US Open QF (1961, 1963)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open W (1958)
Wimbledon SF (1957, 1958, 1959)
US Open F (1961)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open SF (1962)
French Open W (1958)
Wimbledon SF (1959)

Yolanda 'Yola' Ramírez (born March 1, 1935 in Teziutlán, Puebla, Mexico) was an internationally renowned tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s.

Career

Ramírez was a singles finalist at the French Championships in 1960 and 1961. She lost the 1960 final to Darlene Hard and the 1961 final to Ann Haydon Jones, both International Tennis Hall of Fame enshrinees. She also was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1959 and 1961, a quarterfinalist at the 1961 and 1963 U.S. Championships, a semifinalist at the 1962 Australian Championships, a semifinalist at the 1959 Italian Championships, and a finalist in Monte Carlo in 1959. Ochoa won the German Championships in 1957 and was a finalist in 1961.

Yola teamed with Rosie Reyes to win the women's doubles title at the 1958 French Championships and to reach the final at the 1957 and 1959 French Championships. Ochoa teamed with Billy Knight to win the mixed doubles title at the 1959 French Championships. With Edda Buding, Ochoa reached the women's doubles final at the 1961 U.S. Championships. She also won the women's doubles titles at the Italian Championships and in Monte Carlo, both in 1960.

At the tournament in Cincinnati, Ochoa won the singles title in 1956 and the doubles title (with Sara Mae Turber) in 1955. Ochoa was a doubles finalist in 1956.

Ramírez won the singles titles at the 1960 Mexico National Championships and the 1961 Caribbean Lawn Tennis Championship.

During her career, Ramírez had wins over International Tennis Hall of Fame enshrinees Billie Jean King (in the second round of Wimbledon in 1961, which was King's first appearance at the tournament), Jones, and Christine Truman Janes.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Ramírez was ranked in the world top ten in 1957 and from 1959 through 1961, reaching a career high of World No. 6 in those rankings in 1961.[1]

Grand Slam finals

Singles

Runner-ups (2)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score
1960 French Championships United States Darlene Hard 6–3, 6–4
1961 French Championships United Kingdom Ann Haydon Jones 6–2, 6–1

Doubles

Titles (1)
Year Championship Partner Opponent in Final Score
1958 French Championships Mexico Rosie Reyes Australia Mary Bevis Hawton
Australia Thelma Coyne Long 		6–4, 7–5
Finalis (3)
Year Championship Partner Opponent in Final Score
1957 French Championships Mexico Rosie Reyes United Kingdom Shirley Bloomer
United States Darlene Hard 		7–5, 4–6, 7–5
1959 French Championships Mexico Rosie Reyes South Africa Sandra Reynolds
South Africa Renee Schuurman 		2–6, 6–0, 6–1
1961 US Open West Germany Edda Buding United States Darlene Hard
Australia Lesley Turner 		6–4, 5–7, 6–0

Mixed doubles

Titles (1)
Year Championship Partner Opponent in Final Score
1959 French Championships United Kingdom Billy Knight Australia Rod Laver
South Africa Renee Schuurman 		6–4, 6–4

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 Career SR
Australian Championships A A A A A A A SF A 0 / 1
French Championships A A 3R 4R 4R F F A 2R 0 / 6
Wimbledon A A 2R 3R QF 3R QF A 1R 0 / 6
U.S. Championships 3R 1R A A A A QF A QF 0 / 4
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 17

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.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.