Yvon Petra

Yvon Petra
Full name Yvon Francois Marie Petra
Country  France
Born 8 March 1916
Cholon, French Indochina
Died 12 September 1984 (aged 68)
Paris, France
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Turned pro 1948 (amateur tour from 1935)
Retired 1955
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record 19–4
Highest ranking No. 4 (1946, A. Wallis Myers)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
French Open SF (1946)
Wimbledon W (1946)
US Open 4R (1936, 1937, 1938)
Professional majors
US Pro 1R (1950)
Doubles
Career record 0–1
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open W (1938, 1946)
Wimbledon QF (1947)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open W (1937)
Wimbledon F (1937)

Yvon Petra (French pronunciation: ​[ivɔ̃ petʁa]; 8 March 1916 – 12 September 1984) was a French male tennis player. He was born in Cholon, French Indochina. He is best remembered as the last Frenchman to win the Wimbledon championships men's singles title (in 1946), beating Geoff Brown in five sets in the final. In doubles he won the French championships twice, in 1938 with Bernard Destremau, defeating the best pair in the world Budge-Mako, and in 1946 with Marcel Bernard. He also won two French national titles during World War II. He emigrated to the United States and worked as a tennis pro at the Saddle and Cycle Club in Chicago and a country club in Connecticut towards the end of his life. Petra was ranked World No. 4 for 1946 by A. Wallis Myers and World No. 8 for 1947 by Harry Hopman.[1][2]

He was the last man to wear long trousers in a Wimbledon final.

Grand Slam finals

Singles : 1 title

Result Year Championship Opponent in final Score in final
Winner1946 Wimbledon Australia Geoff Brown 6–2, 6–4, 7–9, 5–7, 6–2

Doubles : 2 titles

Result Year Championship Partner Opponents in final Score in final
Winner1938French ChampionshipsFrance Bernard Destremau United States Don Budge
United States Gene Mako 		3–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–1
Winner1946French ChampionshipsFrance Marcel Bernard Argentina Enrique Morea
Ecuador Pancho Segura 		7–5, 6–3, 0–6, 1–6, 10–8

Mixed doubles : 1 titles

Result Year Championship Partner Opponents in final Score in final
Winner1937French ChampionshipsFrance Simonne Mathieu Germany Marie Luise Horn
France Roland Journu 		7–5, 7–5

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 425.
  2. ↑ "World's Best 10 in Tennis", The Courier-Mail, 3 February 1947.

External links