Schalk van der Merwe

Schalk van der Merwe (16 April 1961 – 24 January 2016) was a professional tennis player from South Africa.

For the rugby union player, see Schalk van der Merwe (rugby union).

Schalk van der Merwe
Country (sports) South Africa
Born(1961-04-16)16 April 1961
Robertson, Cape Province
Died24 January 2016(2016-01-24) (aged 54)
Ireland
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record10–20
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 157 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon2R (1982)
US Open3R (1982)
Doubles
Career record23–32
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 81 (3 January 1983)
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open2R (1982)
Wimbledon2R (1981, 1982)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon3R (1982)
US Open1R (1982)

Career

Van der Merwe was a junior quarterfinalist at the 1978 US Open and 1979 Wimbledon Championships.[1]

At the 1982 Wimbledon Championships, van der Merwe lost a marathon second round match to Steve Denton, which had to be stopped due to darkness when the scores were level at 10–10 in the fifth set.[2] Play resumed the following day and Denton finished on top, 13–11.

His best performance in a grand slam tournament was a third round appearance at the 1982 US Open, where he had wins over Derek Tarr and Raúl Ramírez.[3]

Death

While in Ireland, where he was working as a medical doctor, Van der Merwe was found dead in his car. The cause of death is still unknown, although he had apparently suffered from high blood pressure in the time preceding his death.[4]

Career finals

Doubles: 1 (0–1)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1. Jul 1982 Boston, United States Clay Freddie Sauer Steve Meister
Craig Wittus		 2–6, 3–6

Challenger titles

Doubles: (1)
No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. 1982 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard Freddie Sauer Tian Viljoen
Danie Visser		 6–2, 6–1

References
  1. ITF Junior Profile
  2. Lewiston Daily Sun, "King Moves to Quarterfinals", 30 June 1982
  3. "U.S. Open 1982". www.itftennis.com.
  4. Mostert, Herman (26 January 2016). "Former SA tennis pro dies". Sport24. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
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