Dorothy Head Knode

Alice[1] Dorothy Head Knode (née Head; July 4, 1925[2] – October 25, 2015), also known as Dottie Head Knode, was an American tennis player who reached the women's singles final of the French International Championships in 1955 (losing to Angela Mortimer Barrett in three sets) and 1957 (losing to Shirley Bloomer Brasher in straight sets). She reached the semifinals of six other Grand Slam singles tournaments from 1952 through 1957.

Dorothy Head Knode
Country (sports) United States
Born(1925-07-04)July 4, 1925
Richmond, Contra Costa, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 25, 2015(2015-10-25) (aged 90)
Novato, California, U.S.
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Highest rankingWorld No. 5 (1955, 1957)
Grand Slam Singles results
French OpenF (1955, 1957)
WimbledonSF (1953, 1957)
US OpenSF (1955, 1957)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
French OpenF (1956)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open2R (1967)

In 1948, she won the singles title at the Tri-State Championships after defeating Mercedes Madden Lewis in the final in two straight sets.[3] Knode won the singles title at the German Championships in 1950, 1952, and 1953. She also won the singles title at the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships in 1951, 1955, 1958, and 1960 and the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago.[4] She and partner Darlene Hard were the runners-up in women's doubles at the 1956 French International Championships, losing to the team of Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton 6–8, 8–6, 6–1.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Knode was ranked in the world top 10 in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, and 1958 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 5 in those rankings in 1955 and 1957.[5] Knode was included in the year-end top 10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1956 through 1959. She was the third-ranked United States player in 1957 and 1959.[6]

In October 2008, Knode was still active in international and national senior events. She won the 80-and-over Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in Antalya, Turkey in 2005.{{fsvt

She died in Novato, California in October 2015 at the age of 90[7] after suffering from arthritis and Alzheimer's.[8]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: (2 runner-ups)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1955French ChampionshipsClay Angela Mortimer6–2, 5–7, 8–10
Loss1957French InternationalClay Shirley Bloomer1–6, 3–6

Women's doubles (1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1956French ChampionshipsClay Darlene Hard Angela Buxton
Althea Gibson		8–6, 6–8, 1–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
Tournament19431944194519461194711948194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969Career SR
Australian National Championships NH NH NH A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0
French International Championships R R A A A A A 3R A SF SF A F 3R F QF A A A A A A A 3R 1R A 1R 0 / 10
Wimbledon Championships NH NH NH A A A A 4R A 4R SF A QF 2R SF 2R A 3R A A 3R A A 2R 1R A A 0 / 11
U.S. Championships QF 2R 1R QF QF 3R 2R A 3R A A 1R SF QF SF QF QF A A 4R A A A A A A A 0 / 15
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 36

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation. SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

See also

References
  1. Prominent Women Tennis Players: Basic Facts
  2. "Dorothy KNODE". ITF Tennis. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  3. Phillip S. Smith (2012). "From Club Court to Center Court – The Evolution of Professional Tennis in Cincinnati" (PDF). USTA. p. 23.
  4. "MacKay Wins Net Title". The Victoria Advocate. July 25, 1960.
  5. Bud Collins (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York City: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702–3. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
  6. United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H. O. Zimman, Inc. pp. 260–1.
  7. Ancestry LifeStory: Alice Dorothy Head
  8. Gluten-Free Grateful Thanksgiving
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