Elizma Nortje

Elizma Nortje (born 1 February 1966) is a Namibian tennis coach and former professional player.[1][2] She is the most successful Namibian woman to have played professionally and was the first to be ranked on the WTA Tour.[3][4]

Elizma Nortje
Country (sports) South Africa
 Namibia
Born (1966-02-01) 1 February 1966
Windhoek, South West Africa
Prize money$22,480
Singles
Career record44–99
Highest rankingNo. 447 (18 December 1989)
Doubles
Career record67–83
Career titles2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 280 (7 November 1994)
Grand Slam Doubles results
WimbledonQ3 (1991)

Born in Windhoek in 1966, Nortje represented South Africa as a junior and early in her professional career, before Namibian independence.[5] She played collegiate tennis for United States International University in San Diego, competing in the NCAA Division I Championships.[6] In the early 1990s she made appearances in the doubles qualifying draws at Wimbledon and won two ITF doubles tournaments.[7]

Nortje served as president of the Namibian Tennis Association from 1996 to 1999 and was Namibia's team captain when the country made its Fed Cup debut in 2004. A certified ITF Level 3 coach, she is now the head tennis professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in South Carolina.[8]

ITF finals

Singles: 1 (0–1)
Outcome Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 3 April 1994 Marsa, Malta Clay Caroline Schneider 6–7(2), 4–6

Doubles: 11 (2–9)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. 28 April 1991 Bracknell, United Kingdom Hard Barbara Griffiths Lynn Nabors
Merete Balling-Stockmann		 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 1. 4 August 1991 Haifa, Israel Hard Janine Humphreys Tessa Price
Kirsten Dreyer		 1–6, 0–6
Runner-up 2. 11 August 1991 Ramat HaSharon, Israel Hard Janine Humphreys Ilana Berger
Robyn Field		 0–6, 1–6
Runner-up 3. 5 April 1992 Windhoek, Namibia Hard Louise Venter Cindy Summers
Nicole Simunic		 6–3, 4–6, 3–6
Winner 2. 12 April 1992 Gaborone, Botswana Hard Louise Venter Liezel Horn
Estelle Gevers		 6–0, 6–7(2), 6–4
Runner-up 4. 19 July 1992 Frinton, United Kingdom Grass Robyn Mawdsley Caroline Billingham
Danielle Thomas		 2–6, 6–4, 6–7
Runner-up 5. 6 February 1994 Tipton, United Kingdom Hard Paula Iversen Alison Smith
Sara Tse		 6–4, 4–6, 4–6
Runner-up 6. 3 April 1994 Marsa, Malta Clay Ivana Havrlíková Isabela Listowska
Petra Winzenhöller		 6–7(5), 3–6
Runner-up 7. 24 April 1994 Nottingham, United Kingdom Hard Caroline Stassen Shannon Peters
Nicole Oomens		 5–7, 2–6
Runner-up 8. 30 October 1994 Negril, Jamaica Hard Ximena Rodríguez Kim Grant
Claire Sessions Bailey		 2–6, 7–6(6), 3–6
Runner-up 9. 18 June 1995 Morelia, Mexico Hard Ximena Rodríguez Tracey Hiete
Renata Kolbovic		 3–6, 5–7

References
  1. "Pieters appointed tennis CEO". The Namibian. 24 November 2011.
  2. "Tennis Talente". Allgemeine Zeitung. 14 February 2006.
  3. "Bright opportunities for Namibian tennis". Republikein. 8 February 2006.
  4. Maletsky, Christof (21 December 1994). "Swartz shocks Visser in two straight sets". The Namibian. p. 15.
  5. Ihuhua, Corry (7 August 2007). "Nortje recognised by tennis body". The Namibian.
  6. Cooper, Tony (19 April 1985). "USIU Looks to World's Courts : Like Its Campus, Gulls' Tennis Team Sports Decidedly Foreign Flair". Los Angeles Times.
  7. "Jurgens jaag Wimbledon-droom". Republikein (in Afrikaans). 27 June 2005.
  8. "Namibia: Third PTA Tennis Tourney Served". Namibia Economist. AllAfrica. 22 April 2016.
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