Carling Bassett-Seguso

Carling Kathrin Bassett-Seguso (born 9 October 1967) is a former Canadian professional tennis player. Bassett is the daughter of John F. Bassett and Susan Carling, and the granddaughter of media baron John Bassett and politician and brewery executive John Carling. She was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]

Carling Bassett-Seguso
Bassett-Seguso in 1987
Country (sports) Canada
ResidenceBoca Raton, Florida, United States
Born (1967-10-09) 9 October 1967
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned pro3 January 1983
Retired1988
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$643,347
Singles
Career record168–112
Career titles2 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 8 (4 March 1985)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenQF (1983)
French OpenQF (1984, 1986)
Wimbledon4R (1983, 1986)
US OpenSF (1984)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games1R (1988)
Doubles
Career record77–79
Career titles2 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 51 (19 January 1987)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1984)
French Open3R (1987)
Wimbledon2R (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987)
US OpenQF (1985)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic GamesQF (1988)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open2R (1987)
French OpenQF (1983)
Wimbledon3R (1984)
US Open2R (1986, 1988)

Tennis career

In 1981, Bassett won the Canadian junior indoor tennis title. In 1982, she was ranked No. 2 junior player in the world after winning events in Tokyo and Taipei. That year, she also became the youngest winner of the Canadian closed championship at the age of 14. She won the title again in 1983 and in 1986. By age 16, Bassett was Canada's top tennis player. At the same time, she had a successful second career as a fashion model, working for the world-famous Ford modeling agency. She also dabbled in acting, being promoted as one of the stars of a 1982 teen comedy film Spring Fever, and later appearing in a 1984 episode of The Littlest Hobo.

In 1983, Bassett advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and won her first top-level singles titles in Pennsylvania. In 1984, she reached the quarter-finals at the French Open and, in her best performance at a Grand Slam, the semi-finals at the US Open where she defeated Elizabeth Smylie, Pascale Paradis, Mima Jaušovec, Petra Delhees and Hana Mandlíková before losing to Chris Evert. She reached the French Open quarter-finals again in 1986. Bassett won her second top-level singles title in 1987 at Strasbourg.

Bassett was named the WTA's Most Impressive Newcomer in 1983, and Canada's Female Athlete of the Year in 1983 and 1985. During her career, Bassett won a total of two top-level singles titles and two doubles titles.

Personal life

Following her tennis career, Bassett admitted she had struggled for years with the eating disorder bulimia. "It becomes part of your life, like smoking," she told People Magazine in 1992. "Or it's like being an alcoholic. It's so easy to get into and so hard to get out of. I hated myself that I couldn't stop."

Bassett married American tennis player Robert Seguso in 1987.[2] The couple have two sons and three daughters – Holden John Seguso, born 14 March 1988, daughter Carling Jr., born in 1990, Ridley Jack, born in 1993, Lennon Shy on 10 April 2010 and the youngest, Theodora. Holden has played in a handful of Futures tennis tournaments, off and on, since 2005.

On Monday, 13 August 2007, during the Canadian Open Tennis Championships at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, Bassett, along with John McEnroe, was inducted into the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame. After the ceremony, Bassett teamed up with US tennis great Jim Courier for a friendly doubles match against John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova.[3]

WTA Career finals

Singles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runners-up)
Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims (2–4)
Titles by Surface
Hard (0–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (1–1)
Carpet (1–1)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 14 February 1983 Hershey Carpet (I) Sandy Collins 2–6, 6–0, 6–4
Runner-up 1. 28 February 1983 Palm Springs Hard Yvonne Vermaak 3–6, 5–7
Runner-up 2. 11 April 1983 Amelia Island Clay Chris Evert-Lloyd 3–6, 6–2, 5–7
Runner-up 3. 7 November 1983 Honolulu Carpet (I) Kathleen Horvath 6–4, 2–6, 6–7(1–7)
Runner-up 4. 8 October 1984 Tampa Hard Michelle Torres 1–6, 6–7(4–7)
Winner 2. 18 May 1987 Strasbourg Clay Sandra Cecchini 6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)
Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims (2–1)
Titles by Surface
Hard (2–0)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (0–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. 8 October 1984 Tampa Hard Elizabeth Sayers Mary-Lou Daniels
Wendy White		 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 1. 15 April 1985 Amelia Island Clay Chris Evert-Lloyd Rosalyn Fairbank
Hana Mandlíková		 1–6, 6–2, 2–6
Winner 2. 4 November 1985 Tampa Hard Gabriela Sabatini Lisa Bonder
Laura Gildemeister		 6–0, 6–0

Grand Slam singles performance timeline
Tournament198219831984198519861987198819891990Career SR
Australian Open A QF 1R A NH 4R A A A 0 / 3
French Open A 1R QF 4R QF 3R 1R A A 0 / 6
Wimbledon A 4R 3R 2R 4R 1R 1R A A 0 / 6
US Open A 3R SF 4R 1R 2R 3R 1R A 0 / 7
SR 0 / 0 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 22
Career Statistics
Year End Ranking 95 20 11 15 20 31 147 158 157
  • NH = tournament not held.
  • A = did not participate in the tournament.
  • SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

References
  1. "Carling Bassett-Seguso". Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. SPORTS PEOPLE; A Tennis Wedding – New York Times
  3. "Tennis tourney serves up retro aces". Etobicoke Guardian. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
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