Sheila Piercey Summers Explained

Sheila Piercey
Fullname:Sheila Piercey-Summers
Country: South Africa
Birth Date:1919 3, df=yes
Birth Place:Johannesburg, South Africa
Plays:Right–handed
Highestsinglesranking:No.6 (1947)[1]
Frenchopenresult:SF (1949)
Wimbledonresult:SF (1947)
Frenchopendoublesresult:SF (1949)
Wimbledondoublesresult:QF (1947, 1949)
Frenchopenmixedresult:W (1947, 1949)
Wimbledonmixedresult:W (1949)

Sheila Piercey (18 March 1919 – 14 August 2005) was a South African tennis player. She was also known under her married name Sheila Piercey-Summers.

Piercey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. With her compatriot Eric Sturgess, she won three mixed doubles titles: at the French Open in 1947 and 1949 and at Wimbledon in 1949.

In 1947, she became the first South African woman to reach a Wimbledon semifinal in the singles event.[2] She lost the match in straight sets to top-seeded and eventual champion Margaret Osborne.[3] Two years later, in 1949, she again reached the semifinals of the French Championships and again lost to Osborne in straight sets.

Summers won the South African Championships singles title in 1948, 1949 and 1951 and was runner–up in 1939, 1940 and 1947. In August 1947, she won the singles title at the International Swiss Championships at Lausann, defeating Doris Hart in the final in three sets.[4]

After her playing career, she coached the South African Federation Cup team.[2]

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles (3 titles)

ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win 1947French ChampionshipsClay Eric Sturgess Jadwiga Jędrzejowska
Cristea Caralulis
6–0, 6–0
Win 1949French ChampionshipsClay Eric Sturgess Jean Quertier
Gerry Oakley
6–1, 6–1
Win 1949WimbledonGrass Eric Sturgess Louise Brough
John Bromwich
9–7, 9–11, 7–5

Notes and References

  1. Book: Collins, Bud . Bud Collins . 2016 . Ranking Histories . History of tennis . 3 . New Chapter Press . New York . 978-1937559380 . 763.
  2. Web site: SA tennis champion from 1940s dies . Mail & Guardian. South Africa . 15 August 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170215072626if_/http://mg.co.za/article/2005-08-15-sa-tennis-champion-from-1940s-dies . 15 February 2017 . dead.
  3. Web site: Wimbledon player archive – Sheila Summers (Piercey). wimbledon.com. AELTC.
  4. Book: The Dunlop Lawn Tennis Almanack 1948. 1948. Ed. J. Burrow & Co.. London. 201, 201. G.P. Hughes. Pat Hughes (tennis).