Lesley Turner Bowrey Explained

Lesley Turner Bowrey
AM
Itf Name:Lesley Bowrey
Birth Date:Lesley Rosemary Turner
1942 8, df=yes
Birth Place:Trangie, New South Wales, Australia
Plays:Right-handed (1-handed backhand)
Tennishofyear:1997
Tennishofid:lesley-turner-bowrey
Highestsinglesranking:No. 2 (1964)
Australianopenresult:F (1964, 1967)
Frenchopenresult:W (1963, 1965)
Wimbledonresult:SF (1964)
Usopenresult:SF (1967)
Australianopendoublesresult:W (1964, 1965, 1967)
Frenchopendoublesresult:W (1964, 1965)
Wimbledondoublesresult:W (1964)
Usopendoublesresult:W (1961)
Mixed:Yes
Australianopenmixedresult:W (1962, 1967)
Frenchopenmixedresult:F (1962, 1963, 1964)
Wimbledonmixedresult:W (1961, 1964)
Usopenmixedresult:F (1962)
Team:yes
Fedcupresult:W (1964, 1965)

Lesley Rosemary Turner Bowrey, AM (née Turner; born 16 August 1942) is a retired professional tennis player from Australia. Her career spanned two decades from the late 1950s until the late 1970s. Turner Bowrey won the singles title at the French Championships, one of the four Grand Slam events, in 1963 and 1965. In addition she won 11 Grand Slam events in doubles and mixed doubles. Turner Bowrey achieved her highest singles ranking of No. 2 in 1964.

Career

Bowrey won 13 Grand Slam titles during her career: two in singles, seven in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She lost in the finals of 14 other Grand Slam events.

Bowrey twice won the singles title at the French Championships. In 1963, she defeated Ann Haydon-Jones in the final, and in 1965, she defeated Margaret Smith in the final.[1] [2]

Bowrey was the runner-up at four Grand Slam singles tournaments. She lost in the final of the French Championships to Court in 1962 and to Françoise Dürr in 1967. She lost in the final of the Australian Championships to Court in 1964 and to Nancy Richey in 1967.

She was runner-up at the Italian Championships in 1961, 1963 and 1964, and she won the title in 1967 against Maria Bueno and in 1968 against Margaret Court.

Bowrey captained the Australian Fed Cup team from 1994 to 2000.[3]

Honours and awards

Bowrey was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[4] She was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions in 1994. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and received the Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award in 1997.[5] The award is given to the female player who by character, sportsmanship, manners, and spirit of cooperation has contributed to the growth of the game of tennis. In 1998 she was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.[6]

In the Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 Bowrey was appointed as Member of the Order of Australia "for service to tennis as a player, coach and mentor to junior players, and to the community".[7]

She married fellow Australian tennis star Bill Bowrey on 23 February 1968. They are the parents of tennis player Michelle Bowrey.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runners-up)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss 1962 Clay 3–6, 6–3, 5–7
Win 1963 Clay 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss 1964 Grass Margaret Smith 3–6, 2–6
Win 1965 French Championships (2) Clay Margaret Smith 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1967 Australian Championships (2) Grass 1–6, 4–6
Loss 1967 French Championships (3) Clay 6–4, 3–6, 4–6

Doubles: 12 (7 titles, 5 runners-up)

ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win 1961 Grass 6–4, 5–7, 6–0
Win 1964 Grass 6–4, 6–4
Win 1964 Clay 6–3, 6–1
Win 1964 Grass Margaret Smith 7–5, 6–2
Loss 1964 Grass Margaret Smith Billie Jean Moffitt
Karen Hantze Susman
3–6, 6–2, 6–4
Win 1965 Australian Championships (4) Grass Margaret Smith Robyn Ebbern
Billie Jean Moffitt
1–6, 6–2, 6–3
Win 1965 French Championships (2) Clay Margaret Smith 6–3, 6–1
Loss 1966 Australian Championships (3) Grass Margaret Smith 6–4, 7–5
Win 1967 Australian Championships (2) Grass 6–0, 6–2
Loss 1968 Grass Judy Tegart 4–6, 6–3, 2–6
Loss 1976 Grass 1–8
Loss 1978 Grass 5–7, 6–4, 8–6

Mixed doubles: 9 (4 titles, 5 runners-up)

ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win 1961 Grass 11–9, 6–2
Win 1962 Grass Fred Stolle 6–3, 9–4
Loss 1962 Clay Fred Stolle Renée Schuurman
Bob Howe
6–3, 4–6, 4–6
Loss 1962 Grass 5–7, 2–6
Loss 1963 Grass Fred Stolle 5–7, 7–5, 4–6
Loss 1963 Clay Fred Stolle Margaret Smith
Ken Fletcher
1–6, 2–6
Loss 1964 Clay Fred Stolle Margaret Smith
Ken Fletcher
3–6, 6–4, 6–8
Win 1964 Grass Fred Stolle Margaret Smith
Ken Fletcher
6–4, 6–4
Win 1967 Grass 9–7, 6–4

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 Career SR
AustraliaQF2R3RQFSFF3R3RFSF2RA2RA3RA1RQFAA0 / 16
FranceAA4RFWSFWAFASFAQFAAAAAA3R2 / 9
WimbledonAA2RQF4RSFQFAQFQFQFA4RAAAAAA2R0 / 10
United StatesAAQF4RA2RAASFA2RAAA2RAAAAA0 / 6
SR0 / 10 / 10 / 40 / 41 / 30 / 41 / 30 / 10 / 40 / 20 / 40 / 00 / 30 / 00 / 20 / 00 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 22 / 41

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Bowrey participated only in the January edition.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lesley Bowrey super service returned . . 16 August 2009 .
  2. Web site: Aussies at Roland Garros – Lesley Turner 1965 . tennis.com.au . . 17 May 2012.
  3. Web site: Hall of Fame – Lesley (Turner) Bowrey . ausopen.com . Tennis Australia.
  4. Web site: Lesley Bowrey . Sport Australia Hall of Fame . 24 September 2020.
  5. Web site: The Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award . USTA . 24 June 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120621101109/http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/USTA-Awards/112168_The_Sarah_Palfrey_Danzig_Award/ . 21 June 2012.
  6. Web site: Player Profiles – Lesley (Turner) Bowrey . Tennis Australia . 25 June 2012.
  7. Web site: The Queen's Birthday 2009 Honours List . Government House of The Commonwealth of Australia . 31 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181020002023/http://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-lists/queens-birthday-2009-honours-list . 20 October 2018 . dead.