Kathy May

Kathy May Fritz (born June 18, 1956) is an American former professional tennis player.[2] She reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, once at the US Open in 1978 and twice at the French Open in 1977 and 1978. She won seven WTA singles titles during her career, and achieved a career-high ranking of world no. 10 in 1977.

Kathy May
Full nameKathy May Fritz
Country (sports) United States
Born (1956-06-18) June 18, 1956
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [1]
PlaysRight-handed [1]
Singles
Career record56–50
Career titles7
Highest rankingNo. 10 (July 3, 1977)
Grand Slam Singles results
French OpenQF (1977, 1978)
Wimbledon4R (1977)
US OpenQF (1978)
Doubles
Career record36–49
Career titles4
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open2R (1977)
Wimbledon3R (1974)
US OpenQF (1978, 1979)

She also competed under the names Kathy May Teacher after her marriage in 1979 to tennis player Brian Teacher, and Kathy May-Paben. Her son Taylor Fritz is also a professional tennis player, and he was the 2015 ITF Junior World Champion.

Early and personal life

May was born and grew up in Beverly Hills, California.[3] She is the great-granddaughter of David May, founder of The May Department Stores Company[3] (now Macy's).

In 1979, she married fellow Californian player Brian Teacher, also a top 10 tennis player and the 1980 Australian Open champion; they subsequently divorced.[4] She married fireman Don Paben in 1981 with whom she had two sons, and subsequently divorced.[5][6] She later married Guy Fritz, her third husband, and had her third son Taylor Fritz.[7][8]

Tennis career

She reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, once at the US Open in 1978 and twice at the French Open in 1977 and 1978. She won seven |WTA singles titles during her career, and achieved a career-high ranking of world no. 10 in 1977.

She was coached by Tony Trabert.[9]

WTA Tour finals

Singles: 7 (7–0)
Winner - Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (7–0)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–0)
Grass (1–0)
Clay (3–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. September 17, 1973 Los Angeles Hard Lea Antonoplis 5–7, 6–1, 6–2
Winner 2. April 22, 1974 Ojai Tennis Tournament Hard Susan Hagey 2–6, 6–0, 6–1
Winner 3. May 6, 1974 Los Angeles Hard Lindsay Morse 6–4, 7–6
Winner 4. August 19, 1974 Haverford Grass Barbara Jordan 6–3, 7–5
Winner 5. March 17, 1975 Pensacola Clay Ilana Kloss 5–7, 6–4, 7–6
Winner 6. January 19, 1976 Fort Myers Clay Ann Kiyomura 5–7, 6–3, 6–1
Winner 7. September 8, 1976 Indianapolis Clay Brigitte Cuypers 6–4, 4–6, 6–2

Doubles: 7 (4–3)
Winner - Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (4–3)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (1–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. May 7, 1973 Los Angeles Hard Marita Redondo Lindsay Morse
Jean Nachand		 6–4, 6–0
Winner 2. September 17, 1973 Los Angeles Hard Marita Redondo Laurie Tenney
Robin Tenney		 6–3, 7–5
Runner-up 1. May 6, 1974 Los Angeles Hard Maricaye Christenson Lea Antonoplis
Susan Hagey		 6–3, 6–4
Winner 3. July 8, 1974 Raleigh Clay Rayni Fox Lindsay Morse
JoAnne Russell		 5–7, 6–4, 6–2
Winner 4. September 16, 1974 Los Angeles Hard Susan Hagey Dodo Cheney
Cynthia-Ann Thomas		 6–2, 6–4
Runner-up 2. August 18, 1975 South Orange Clay Kathleen Harter Kristien Shaw
Greer Stevens		 w/o
Runner-up 3. November 21, 1978 Tokyo Hard (i) Tracy Austin Martina Navratilova
Betty Stöve		 6–4, 6–7, 3–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
Tournament19731974197519761977197819791980Career SR
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0
French Open A A A 3R QF QF 2R A 0 / 4
Wimbledon A 2R 3R 2R 4R 3R 3R 2R 0 / 7
US Open 1R A 3R 2R 1R QF 4R 2R 0 / 7
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 18
Year-end ranking 57 19 21 15 19 130
  • Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

See also

References
  1. Bostic, Stephanie, ed. (1979). USTA Player Records 1978. United States Tennis Association (USTA). p. 220.
  2. Jim Bainbridge (1978). 1978 Colgate Series Media Guide. New York: H.O. Zimman Inc. p. 88.
  3. The Making of America's Next Great Tennis Talent
  4. "The Australian Open Champion Who Almost Wasn't - Book Excerpt From 'The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time,'" World Tennis Magazine.
  5. Katherine May - Free Marriage & Vital Records
  6. World Tennis
  7. "Dad at 19: A young tennis star turning heads, raising eyebrows," The Economic Times.
  8. Is Taylor Fritz The Next American Tennis Star?
  9. "Kathy May Hands Wade Upset Loss". Spokane Daily Chronicle. AP. January 5, 1978. p. 34.
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