Darlene Hard - American Tennis Champion

Darlene Hard congratulating Althea Gibson

With eight different partners, she won a total of 13 doubles titles in Grand Slam tournaments. Her last doubles title, at the age of 33 at the 1969 U.S. Open, came six years after she had retired from serious competition to become a tennis instructor.

Hard also played the U.S. Open singles tournament in 1969, losing in the second round to Francoise Durr 6–3, 6–3.

Hard was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1973.

Hard once said, "I was the last of the amateurs. In our day, I won Forest Hills and got my airfare from New York to Los Angeles. Whoopee." But, she added, "I was happy. I loved it. I loved tennis."

Hard has worked for the University of Southern California since 1981.

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (3)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1960 French Championships Yola Ramνrez Ochoa 6–3, 6–4
1960 U.S. Championships Maria Bueno 6–4, 10-12, 6–4
1961 U.S. Championships Ann Haydon-Jones 6–3, 6–4

Runner-ups (4)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1957 Wimbledon Althea Gibson 6–3, 6–2
1958 U.S. Championships Althea Gibson 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
1959 Wimbledon Maria Bueno 6–4, 6–3
1962 U.S. Championships Margaret Court 9–7, 6–4

Go to the List of Male and Female Tennis Players


Source of this Darlene Hard article: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia