Brenda Kirk Explained

Brenda Kirk
Country: South Africa
Birth Date:1951 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Rhodesia
Singlestitles:0
Frenchopenresult:1R (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
Wimbledonresult:3R (1971)
Usopenresult:1R (1969, 1972)
Doublestitles:2
Frenchopendoublesresult:3R (1969, 1971)
Wimbledondoublesresult:3R (1971, 1973)
Usopendoublesresult:QF (1972)
Frenchopenmixedresult:1R (1970)
Wimbledonmixedresult:4R (1970)
Usopenmixedresult:3R (1969)
Team:yes
Fedcupresult:W (1972)

Brenda Kirk (11 January 1951 – 6 September 2015) was a South African tennis player.[1]

Career

Her best singles result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the third round at the 1971 Wimbledon Championships.[2]

In January 1971 she won the singles title of the Natal Sugar Championships.[3] She won two doubles titles during her career; in July 1971 she won the Swiss Open partnering Laura Rossouw and in July 1972 she won the Irish Open with Pat Walkden.

She played for the South African Fed Cup team in 15 ties between 1969 and 1973 comprising a record of 17 wins and 10 losses. She was part of the South African team that won the Federation Cup in 1972 after a victory in the final over Great Britain at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.[4]

Personal life

Kirk married Jimmy Dimitriou in 1975 and the couple had two children.[5] They divorced and she later married Iain Bryson with whom she had one child. Kirk died in her sleep on 6 September 2015.[5]

Career finals

Doubles: 10 (2 titles, 8 runner-ups)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Apr 1971Johannesburg, South AfricaHard Margaret Smith
3–6, 2–6
Win1–1Jul 1971Gstaad, SwitzerlandClay Laura Rossouw Françoise Dürr
Lea Pericoli
8–6, 6–3
Loss1–2May 1972Bournemouth, UKHard Betty Stöve Evonne Goolagong
Helen Gourlay
5–7, 1–6
Loss1–3Jun 1972London (Queens), UKGrass Pat Walkden Rosie Casals
Billie Jean King
7–5, 0–6, 2–6
Win2–3Jul 1972Dublin, IrelandGrass Pat Walkden Evonne Goolagong
Karen Krantzcke
6–3, 8–10, 6–2
Loss2–4Jul 1972Hoylake, UKGrass Pat Walkden Evonne Goolagong
Helen Gourlay
Prize divided (rain)
Loss2–5Aug 1972Cincinnati, USClay Pat Walkden Margaret Court
Evonne Goolagong
4–6, 1–6
Loss2–6Aug 1972Toronto, CanadaClay Pat Walkden Margaret Court
Evonne Goolagong
6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss2–7Aug 1972Haverford (Merion), USGrass Pat Walkden Virginia Wade
Sharon Walsh
6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss2–8Nov 1972Torquay, UKCarpet Sharon Walsh Margaret Court
Virginia Wade
4–6, 4–6

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WTA – Player profile. WTA.
  2. Web site: Wimbledon players archive – Brenda Kirk. AELTC.
  3. Book: Tennis : The South African Story. 1977. Owen Williams. 86066820. 111. Russell Eldridge.
  4. News: S. Africa Takes Federations Cup. The New York Times. 26 March 1972.
  5. Web site: Brenda Kirk, one of South Africa's great tennis legends. tennissa.co.za. Tennis South Africa. 8 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308125409/http://www.tennissa.co.za/news/brenda-kirk-one-south-africas-great-tennis-legends. 8 March 2016. dead.