Mary Sawyer (tennis)

Mary Sawyer
Full name Mary Sawyer
Country (sports)  Australia
Born (1957-06-11) 11 June 1957
Singles
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (1979)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open QF (1978, 1979)
Wimbledon 2R (1977, 1978)
US Open 2R (1979)

Mary Sawyer (born 11 June 1957) is a former professional tennis player from Australia.

Biography

Sawyer comes from Perth and is of Irish descent, with her father an immigrant from Ireland.[1] A two-time winner of the Irish Open, Sawyer beat former Wimbledon and US Open champion Maria Bueno in the 1977 final, then won the event again the following year.[1]

Her most notable performance was a semi-final appearance at the 1979 Australian Open. Previously twice a quarter-finalist, she began the tournament with a first round upset over top seed Virginia Ruzici.[2] This was the first occasion that a number one seed had been beaten in the opening round of the women's singles at a grand slam.[3] She then defeated Naoko Sato and seventh seed Janet Newberry, before exiting in the semi-finals with a loss to Sharon Walsh, who was also making her maiden appearance in the final four of a grand slam.[4]

After the Australia Open, Sawyer took a break from tennis, which she had already planned on before her tournament run. She had announced that she wanted to spend more time at home in Perth, having only been there for three-months out of the last five years.[5] The break turned out to be permanent as she never returned to the tour.

WTA Tour finals

Doubles (0–1)

Result    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss October, 1979 Borden Classic, Japan Colgate Series Carpet Australia Sue Saliba China Chen Chuan
China Yu Li-Qiao		 0–6, 6–7

References

  1. 1 2 "Sawyer beats Bueno in Irish open". The Canberra Times. ACT, Australia. 11 July 1977. p. 11. Retrieved 10 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "Sensationally tedious". The Canberra Times. ACT, Australia. 1 January 1980. p. 14. Retrieved 10 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "The unlikely five: Angelique Kerber joins dubious list of first-round Slam losers". ABC News. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Guillermo Vilas beats Amaya". The Canberra Times. ACT, Australia. 2 January 1980. p. 30. Retrieved 10 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Win or Lose, Mary Wants Rest". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 January 1980. p. 28. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
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