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Kerry Melville

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Kerry Reid
Full nameKerry Melville Reid
Country (sports) Australia
Born (1947-08-07) August 7, 1947 (age 77)
Mosman, New South Wales
Retired1979
Singles
Career record236–104
Highest ranking5
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1977)
French OpenSF (1967)
WimbledonSF (1974)
US OpenF (1972)
Doubles
Career record172–64
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1968, 1977)
WimbledonW (1978)
US OpenF (1978)

Kerry Melville Reid, MBE, (born 7 August 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)[citation needed]. 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.

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 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 Mandlíková (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).

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 Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979.

Grand Slam singles finals: 3 finals (1 title, 2 runner-ups)

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

Grand Slam women's doubles finals

Wins (3)

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

Runner-ups (5)

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

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

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

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.

See also

References

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