The Open Era
Australia · born Perth, 1967 · Australian girls' champion 1985 · Wimbledon mixed finalist 1989
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3R
Wimbledon singles as an 18-year-old qualifier, 1985
1989
Wimbledon mixed doubles final with Mark Kratzmann
1992
Birmingham final on grass
45
Career-high world singles ranking, May 1989
Born in Perth in 1967, Byrne won the Australian girls' singles and doubles in 1985 and reached the Wimbledon girls' final the same year. She played professionally until 1997, reaching No. 45 in singles in May 1989 and No. 27 in doubles in 1988. In 1989, as a qualifier, she reached the final of the first women's tournament at Indian Wells, beating Pam Shriver and Hana MandlÃková before losing to Manuela Maleeva. She reached the third round at all four majors, the French Open doubles semi-finals in 1987 and the Wimbledon mixed final in 1989. Injuries interrupted her career after 1989; in 1992 she returned to the top 70, played the Barcelona Olympics and was named WTA Comeback Player of the Year. She has lived and coached in New York since 1998.
| Major singles titles | 1: Australian (1985) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon (1985) |
| Major doubles titles | 1: Australian (1985) |
| Junior finals | Australian 1985: beat Louise Field 6-1, 6-3. Wimbledon 1985: lost to Andrea HolÃková 7-5, 6-1 |
| Australian girls' doubles | 1985 with Janine Thompson |
| Wimbledon singles | Third round 1985 as a qualifier: beat Sophie Amiach 6-2, 6-3 and Yvonne Vermaak 6-2, 6-3, lost to the top seed Chris Evert Lloyd 6-2, 6-1 |
| Wimbledon doubles | Quarter-finals 1986 with Janine Thompson, lost to Patty Fendick and Jill Hetherington 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
| Wimbledon mixed | Final 1989 with Mark Kratzmann as 14th seeds; beat the holders Sherwood Stewart and Zina Garrison in the third round, lost to Jim Pugh and Jana Novotná 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 |
| Other grass finals | Birmingham 1992 singles, lost to Brenda Schultz 6-2, 6-2 |
"Definitely my best singles result."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1985
At 18 Byrne came through qualifying for the women's singles, beat Sophie Amiach and Yvonne Vermaak, and met the top seed Chris Evert Lloyd in the third round, losing 6-2, 6-1. In the same fortnight she reached the girls' singles final, where Andrea HolÃková of Czechoslovakia beat her 7-5, 6-1.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1989
Seeded 14th in the mixed doubles with her fellow Australian Mark Kratzmann, Byrne knocked out the defending champions Sherwood Stewart and Zina Garrison in the third round and went on to the final. Jim Pugh and Jana Novotná, the top seeds, beat them 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Source: WikipediaIndian Wells 1989
Byrne won two qualifying matches and four in the main draw, including upsets of Pam Shriver and Hana MandlÃková, to reach the final of the first women's tournament at Indian Wells. Manuela Maleeva beat her there, but she remains the only Australian woman to have reached that final.
Source: Tennis AustraliaBirmingham 1992
Less than a year after she had dropped out of the rankings, Byrne was back in the top 70 and in a tour final on the Birmingham grass, where Brenda Schultz beat her 6-2, 6-2. She also played the Barcelona Olympics and was named the WTA's Comeback Player of the Year.
Source: Tennis AustraliaNew York 1998
Her last major was the 1997 Australian Open. A year later she moved to New York, where she has lived and coached ever since. Looking back on her career, she said she was "proud of my determination and persistence to come back from injuries".
Source: Tennis AustraliaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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