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Toomas Leius

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Toomas Leius
Willem Maris and Toomas Leius (r.) (1959)
Country (sports) Soviet Union
Born (1941-08-28) 28 August 1941 (age 83)
Tallinn, Estonia[1]
Singles
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1969)
French OpenQF (1965)
Wimbledon3R (1960, 1963)
US Open2R (1962)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1969)
WimbledonQF (1963)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open1R (1969)
French OpenF (1971)
Wimbledon3R (1967)
Team competitions
Davis CupFEu (1967, 1969, 1970)
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Men's Tennis
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1970 Turin Mixed Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1965 Budapest Men's Singles
Silver medal – second place 1965 Budapest Men's Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1965 Budapest Mixed Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1970 Turin Men's Singles
Silver medal – second place 1970 Turin Men's Doubles

Toomas Leius (born 28 August 1941) is a former tennis player from Estonia who competed for the Soviet Union.[2]

Career

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Leius was the boys' singles champion at the 1959 Wimbledon Championships. He won the Soviet Championships in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1968. He also won the Moscow International Indoor Championships five times from 1961 to 1963, 1965, 1969. Other good performances during his career include reaching the final of the 1964 Queen's Club Championships, which he lost to Roy Emerson, and taking Rod Laver to five sets at the 1969 Heineken Open. He was a gold medalist in the mixed doubles at the 1970 Summer Universiade in Turin, with Tiiu Parmas.

His best performance in the singles draw of a Grand Slam tournament came at the 1965 French Championships, where he made the quarter-finals.[3] He was due to face South African player Cliff Drysdale in the quarter-final but the Soviet delegation made him forfeit the match, in protest against apartheid. Leius and Winnie Shaw were mixed doubles runners-up at the 1971 French Open.

He was a regular fixture in the Soviet Davis Cup team during the 1960s and appeared in a total of 20 ties, from which he managed 23 wins, 17 of them in singles.[4]

Murder conviction and prison

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On 13 May 1974, Toomas Leius strangled his wife Ene Leius (née Visnapuu) to death after finding her in bed with another man. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and was released after serving five years for good behavior.[5][6]

Coaching

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Leius worked as a tennis coach after leaving prison and spent some time as captain of the Estonia Fed Cup team.[7]

Grand Slam finals

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Mixed doubles: 1 (0–1)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1971 French Open Clay United Kingdom Winnie Shaw France Françoise Dürr
France Jean-Claude Barclay
2–6, 4–6

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ ATP World Tour: Toomas Leius
  2. ^ ITF Tennis: Toomas Leius
  3. ^ Tennis Archives: Toomas Karlovich Lejus
  4. ^ Davis Cup: Tomas Leius
  5. ^ Brown, Cameron (2005). Wimbledon Facts, Figures & Fun. AAPPL.
  6. ^ Gennady Fyodorov (23 September 1997). "Former Soviet Soccer Star Arrested for Killing Woman". The Moscow Times.
  7. ^ Fed Cup - Tie details - 2000 - Estonia v Madagascar
[edit]
Awards
Preceded by Estonian Sportspersonality of the Year
1961
Succeeded by
Preceded by Estonian Sportspersonality of the Year
1963
Succeeded by
Preceded by Estonian Sportspersonality of the Year
1965
Succeeded by