Kerry Melville

Kerry Melville
MBE

Melville at the 1969 Dutch Open
Full name Kerry Melville Reid
Country (sports)  Australia
Born (1947-08-07) 7 August 1947
Mosman, New South Wales
Height 167 cm (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in) [1]
Retired 1979
Plays Right-handed
Singles
Highest ranking No. 7 (4 July 1976)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open W (1977Jan)
French Open SF (1967)
Wimbledon SF (1974)
US Open F (1972)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (1968, 1977)
Wimbledon W (1978)
US Open F (1978)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open QF (1966)
French Open QF (1969)
Wimbledon QF (1977)
US Open QF (1966)

Kerry Melville Reid, MBE, (née Melville; born 7 August 1947) 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 in 1971, behind Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong, and Rosie Casals.

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 US Championships (defeating Billie Jean King, 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 in the final in straight sets.[2] Reid also was the women's singles runner-up at the US Open in 1972, losing to King after defeating Chris Evert in one 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.[3]

In January 1977, Reid won her only Grand Slam singles title when she defeated fellow Australian Dianne Fromholtz 7–5, 6–2 in the final of the Australian Open. Reid and Fromholtz were the only top 10 players who played the tournament. The previous week, Reid also defeated Fromholtz in the final of the New South Wales Open, where Reid and Fromholtz 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.

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 US Open, and won the doubles titles at the Virginia Slims of Seattle, the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, the US 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), Wade (1977 semifinal on gras in Eastbourne just weeks before Wade's Wimbledon victory), Austin (1978 final in Melbourne on grass) and Hana Mandlíková (1979 semifinal on clay).

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

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.[4]

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

Personal life

She married Grover "Raz" Reid, a Boston Lobsters teammate, on 27 April 1975 in Greenville, South Carolina.[5] 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.

Honours and awards

Reid was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. In 2014, she was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.[6]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1970 Australian Open Grass Australia Margaret Court 3–6, 1–6
Runner-up 1972 US Open Grass United States Billie Jean King 3–6, 5–7
Winner 1977(Jan) Australian Open Grass Australia Dianne Fromholtz 7–5, 6–2

Women's doubles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runners-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1968 Australian Championships Grass Australia Karen Krantzcke Australia Judy Tegart Dalton
Australia Lesley Turner 		6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Runner-up 1970 Australian Open GrassAustralia Karen Krantzcke Australia Margaret Court
Australia Judy Tegart Dalton 		3–6, 1–6
Runner-up 1973 Australian Open GrassAustralia Kerry Harris Australia Margaret Court
United Kingdom Virginia Wade 		4–6, 4–6
Runner-up 1974 Australian Open GrassAustralia Kerry Harris Australia Evonne Goolagong
United States Peggy Michel 		5–7, 3–6
Runner-up 1977(Jan) Australian Open GrassUnited States Betsy Nagelsen Australia Helen Gourlay
Australia Dianne Fromholtz 		7–5, 1–6, 4–6
Winner 1977(Dec) Australian Open Grass United States Mona Guerrant Australia Evonne Goolagong
Australia Helen Gourlay 		title shared,
final rained out
Winner 1978 Wimbledon GrassAustralia Wendy Turnbull Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mima Jaušovec
Romania Virginia Ruzici 		4–6, 9–8(12–10), 6–3
Runner-up 1978 US Open HardAustralia Wendy Turnbull United States Billie Jean King
Czechoslovakia Martina Navratilova 		6–7, 4–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held.
Tournament 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 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 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 47
Year-end ranking 10 8 10 9 9

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

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bostic, Stephanie, ed. (1979). USTA Player Records 1978. United States Tennis Association (USTA). p. 235.
  2. ↑ "Ashe wins Open". The Canberra Times. 44, (12,530). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 January 1970. p. 32 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Chris Saves Money For Slims Promoters". The Ledger. Boca Raton, United States. 16 October 1972.
  4. ↑ "IWD: A Tribute to the Aussie trailblazers". www.tennis.com.au. Tennis Australia. 8 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "For Evonne and Kerry a couple of love matches". The Australian Women's Weekly. 42, (52). Australia, Australia. 28 May 1975. pp. 2–3 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Player profiles – Kerry Reid". www.tennis.com.au. Tennis Australia.
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