Kerry Melville

Kerry Melville Reid MBE (née Melville; born 7 August 1947) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. During her 17-year career, Reid won one Grand Slam singles title and 26 other singles titles and was the runner-up in 40 singles tournaments. Reid was included in the year-end world top 10 rankings for 12 consecutive years (1968–1979). She won at least one tournament annually from 1966 through 1979, except for 1975. Her career-high ranking was World No. 5 in 1971, behind Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong, and Rosie Casals.

Kerry Melville
MBE
Melville in 1970
Full nameKerry Melville Reid
Country (sports) Australia
Born (1947-08-07) 7 August 1947
Mosman, New South Wales
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Retired1979
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record236–104
Career titles22
Highest rankingNo. 7 (4 July 1976)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenW (1977Jan)
French OpenSF (1967)
WimbledonSF (1974)
US OpenF (1972)
Doubles
Career record172–64
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian OpenW (1968, 1977Dec)
WimbledonW (1978)
US OpenF (1978)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1966)
French OpenQF (1969)
WimbledonQF (1977)
US OpenQF (1966)

Career

Reid began her Grand Slam tennis career in 1963 when she reached the third round of the Australian Championships. In 1966, she reached the semifinals of both the Australian and US Championships, defeating Billie Jean King in the second round of the latter tournament. In 1967, Reid again reached the semifinals of the Australian Championships and reached the semifinals of the French Championships for the first and only time.

Reid was the women's singles runner-up at the 1970 Australian Open, losing to Margaret Court in the final in straight sets.[2] Reid also was the women's singles runner-up at the US Open in 1972, losing to King after defeating Chris Evert in one semifinal 6–4, 6–2.

In 1972, Reid reached the final of the inaugural WTA Tour Championships, where she lost to Evert 7–5, 6–4.[3]

In January 1977, Reid won her only Grand Slam singles title when she defeated fellow Australian Dianne Fromholtz 7–5, 6–2 in the final of the Australian Open. Reid and Fromholtz were the only top 10 players who played the tournament. The previous week, Reid also defeated Fromholtz in the final of the New South Wales Open, where Reid and Fromholtz again were the only top 10 players who entered. On both the Virginia Slims and the Colgate Grand Prix tours in 1977, Reid qualified for the season-ending tournaments (each limited to the top eight players on the respective tour). In World Team Tennis, Reid was undefeated in singles against both Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade, defeating each three times.

Reid capped her last year on the professional tour in 1979 by beating Navratilova for the first time in tournament play. Reid defeated Navratilova in a Family Circle Cup semifinal 6–3, 7–6, then lost to Tracy Austin in the final 7–6, 7–6. Reid also competed in the year-ending WTA Tour Championships (limited to the year's top 8 players).

Reid won the Australian Open women's doubles title twice, outright in 1968 and shared in December 1977. With Wendy Turnbull in 1978, Reid won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon, was the doubles runner-up at the US Open, and won the doubles titles at the Virginia Slims of Seattle, the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, the US Women's Indoor Championships, and the New South Wales Open.

Reid was a member of the Australian team that won the Federation Cup in 1968. She also helped Australia reach four consecutive Federation Cup finals from 1976 through 1979 on a variety of court surfaces. During that run, she beat several top players, including Rosemary Casals (1976 final on carpet), Wade (1977 semifinal on grass in Eastbourne just weeks before Wade's Wimbledon victory), Austin (1978 final in Melbourne on grass) and Hana Mandlíková (1979 semifinal on clay).

Reid defeated Austin the first three times they played, although Austin won their remaining five career matches. Reid also defeated Mandlikova in both of their career matches.

Reid was a member of the "Houston 9", the breakaway group led by Gladys Heldman in 1971 that formed the nucleus of the women's professional tennis tour.[4]

Reid anchored a World Team Tennis team for each season of its inaugural incarnation (Boston Lobsters 1974–1976 and San Diego Friars 1977–1978).

Personal life

She married Grover "Raz" Reid, a Boston Lobsters teammate, on 27 April 1975 in Greenville, South Carolina.[5] Raz retired as a player in 1977 and coached Kerry during the remaining three years of her playing career. The Reids then retired to Raz's home state of South Carolina and raised two daughters.

Honours and awards

Reid was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. In 2014, she was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.[6]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1970Australian OpenGrass Margaret Court3–6, 1–6
Loss1972US OpenGrass Billie Jean King3–6, 5–7
Win1977(J)Australian OpenGrass Dianne Fromholtz7–5, 6–2

Women's doubles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1968Australian ChampionshipsGrass Karen Krantzcke Judy Tegart Dalton
Lesley Turner		6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Loss1970Australian OpenGrass Karen Krantzcke Margaret Court
Judy Tegart Dalton		3–6, 1–6
Loss1973Australian OpenGrass Kerry Harris Margaret Court
Virginia Wade		4–6, 4–6
Loss1974Australian OpenGrass Kerry Harris Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel		5–7, 3–6
Loss1977(J)Australian OpenGrass Betsy Nagelsen Helen Gourlay
Dianne Fromholtz		7–5, 1–6, 4–6
Win1977(D)Australian OpenGrass Mona Guerrant Evonne Goolagong
Helen Gourlay		title shared,
final rained out
Win1978WimbledonGrass Wendy Turnbull Mima Jaušovec
Virginia Ruzici		4–6, 9–8(12–10), 6–3
Loss1978US OpenHard Wendy Turnbull Billie Jean King
Martina Navratilova		6–7, 4–6

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)
Tournament196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977119781979Career SR
Australia 3R 2R 3R SF SF 3R SF F A A SF SF 2R3 1R W SF A A 1 / 14
France A A A 1R SF 4R QF 1R2 2R 4R A A A A A A A 0 / 7
Wimbledon A A A 3R 3R 3R 2R 4R QF 3R QF SF 2R QF QF 4R 4R 0 / 14
United States A A A SF 4R A 1R QF SF F QF QF QF 2R 4R 4R QF 0 / 13
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 1 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 48
Year-end ranking 10 8 10 9 9

1 The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
2,3 Melville did not play. Her opponent got a walkover.

See also

References
  1. Bostic, Stephanie, ed. (1979). USTA Player Records 1978. United States Tennis Association (USTA). p. 235.
  2. "Ashe wins Open". The Canberra Times. 44 (12, 530). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 January 1970. p. 32 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Chris Saves Money For Slims Promoters". The Ledger. Boca Raton, United States. 16 October 1972.
  4. "IWD: A Tribute to the Aussie trailblazers". www.tennis.com.au. Tennis Australia. 8 March 2016.
  5. "For Evonne and Kerry a couple of love matches". The Australian Women's Weekly. 42 (52). Australia. 28 May 1975. pp. 2–3 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Player profiles – Kerry Reid". www.tennis.com.au. Tennis Australia.
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