Billy Knight (tennis)
William Arthur Knight (born 12 November 1935) is a former tennis player from Great Britain who competed on the amateur tour in the 1950s and 1960s.
| Full name | William Arthur Knight |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 12 November 1935 Northampton, England |
| Turned pro | 1952 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1968 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 0–0 |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1954, 1957) |
| French Open | QF (1959) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1957, 1959, 1961, 1964) |
| US Open | 4R (1958, 1962) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 1–1 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1957) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1957) |
| French Open | W (1959) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SF (1963) |
Tennis career
Juniors
Before focusing on tennis Knight also played table tennis and won the English singles title in 1951.[1] As a tennis junior he won both the 1953 Wimbledon and 1954 Australian Championships Boys' Singles tournaments.[2][3]
Amateur tour
Knight's best slam performance was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1959 French Championships. He won the mixed doubles at the same tournament, partnering Yola Ramírez.
He won the singles title at the German Championships in Hamburg in 1959.
Knight was a frequent member of the British Davis Cup team between 1955 and 1964, reaching the Inter-Zonal group in 1963.[4]
Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jill Langley | Fay Muller Mal Anderson |
5–7, 6–3, 1–6 |
| Win | 1959 | French Championships | Clay |  Yola Ramírez | Rod Laver.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Renée Schuurman |
6–4, 6–4 |
Junior Grand Slam titles
Singles: 2
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1953 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Ramanathan Krishnan |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 1954 | Australian Open | Grass | Roy Emerson |
6–3, 6–1 |
References
- "History of Northampton Table Tennis League". Northampton Table Tennis League.
- Tournament Profile: Australian Open, ITF Juniors
- "Nerves and Knight beat Emerson". Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954). 2 February 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- Ball, Robert (1963). "Not Quite All Right, Jack", Sports Illustrated, 7 October 1963.
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