Janet Newberry
Janet Newberry (born August 6, 1953) is an American former professional tennis player who was active in the 1970s. She is also known by her former married name Janet Newberry-Wright and Janet Wright. She reached the semifinals of the French Open in 1975 and 1977 and the final of the 1973 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles.
| Full name | Janet Newberry Howe |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Residence | St Petersburg, Florida |
| Born | August 6, 1953 Los Angeles, California |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Turned pro | 1971 |
| Retired | 1984 (doubles) 1980 (singles) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 17 |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1974, 1979) |
| French Open | SF (1975, 1977) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1973, 1975, 1978) |
| US Open | 4R (1976) |
| Doubles | |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1974) |
| French Open | 2R (1975, 1977) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1984) |
| US Open | 2R (1973, 1974) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1973) |
| US Open | QF (1971, 1973) |
Personal life
Janet Newberry is a stepdaughter of lawyer Edward A. Turville, a former Davis Cup Captain, President of the USTA and a founder of the Florida Lawn Tennis Association in 1949 who served as its first president for five years. Janet married Frank I. Wright, a horse trainer at Belmont Park, television horse racing commentator for CBS and ESPN and World War II veteran, in 1981 and went by the name Janet Newberry Wright. After Wright's death in 1991, she married Ralph Howe, the national grass court 60 & over singles champion, court tennis champion, Yale intercollegiate squash champion, North American singles squash champion, in 1991 and now is known as Janet Newberry Howe.
Career
In 1968, Newberry won the USLTA 16-and-under championship.[1]
In 1974, she played for the Boston Lobsters of the World Team Tennis league.[2] In 1975, she won the British Hardcourt Championship in Bournemouth, reached the semifinals of the French Open, and played for the United States Federation Cup team in doubles, partnering Julie Heldman.
In 1976, Newberry beat Martina Navratilova in the first round of the US Open 1–6, 6–4, 6–3. Navratilova said, "I still consider that loss the worst of my career, at least in the way I responded to it on and off the court."[3] Newberry was reported as saying that she had never seen anyone so distraught,[4] and she helped Navratilova calm down afterwards.[5]
In 1977, Newberry won the Italian Open after defeating Renáta Tomanová in the final in straight sets,[6] and reached the semifinals of the French Open.
In 1984, Newberry achieved her best Grand Slam women's doubles result, reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon partnering Renee Blount, losing to Kathy Jordan and Anne Smith 6–0, 6–1.
Newberry's highest world ranking was World No. 17.[6]
Later
Newberry was manager of British women's national training.[7] She later worked for the Women's Tennis Association.[8]
In 2004, she opened an antique shop in St Petersburg, Florida based on her collection of tennis memorabilia.[9]
WTA Tour finals
Singles (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| WTA Championships | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 0 |
| Tier III | 0 |
| Tier IV & V | 0 |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | Mar 1973 | Virginia Slims of Richmond, USA | Clay (i) | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Margaret Court |
2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2. | May 1975 | British Hard Court Championships, England | Clay | Terry Holladay |
7–9, 7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 3. | May 1977 | Italian Open, Italy | Clay |  Renáta Tomanová |
6–3, 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 4. | Oct 1977 | Borinquen Classic, Puerto Rico, USA | Hard | Billie Jean King |
1–6, 3–6 |
Doubles 3 (2-1)
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1. | Feb 27, 1977 | Detroit, Michigan, USA | Carpet | JoAnne Russell |
Martina Navratilova  Betty Stöve |
6–4, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | Jun 1978 | Chichester, England | Grass | Pam Shriver |
 Michelle Tyler .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Yvonne Vermaak |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 3. | Jan 1979 | Houston, Texas, US | Carpet | Martina Navratilova |
Pam Shriver Betty Stöve |
4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
Mixed doubles 1
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1. | Jul 1973 | Wimbledon, England | Grass |  Raúl Ramírez |
Owen Davidson Billie Jean King |
3–6, 2–6 |
References
- "Faces In The Crowd". SI Vault. Time Inc. 1968-08-26. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- Gardner, Anne. "Andrea Voikos Dorr". United States Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- "Shape Your Self". Excerpt from: Shape Your Self: My 6-Step Diet and Fitness Plan to Achieve the Best Shape of Your Life by Martina Navratilova. Buzzle. 2006-03-28. Archived from the original on 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- Kettmann, Steve (2000-04-18). "Martina Navratilova". Salon. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- Araton, Harvey (1994-11-16). "Sports of The Times; Martina Exits Smiling". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- Morgan, Nancy (2001-04-04). "Florida is runner-up in intersectional doubles Series: TENNIS". St Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- O'Hagan, Simon (1995-12-03). "Fleming backing Britain". The Independent. Newspaper Publishing PLC. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- "Venus Williams". Interview. ASAP Sports. 2005-07-02. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- Bond, Sharon L. (2004-06-13). "Work to start on presold townhomes". St Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
