Ken Flach
Kenneth Eliot Flach (May 24, 1963 – March 12, 2018)[1][2] was a professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won four Grand Slam men's doubles titles (two Wimbledon and two US Open), and two mixed doubles titles (Wimbledon and French Open). He also won the men's doubles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, partnering Robert Seguso.[3] Flach reached the world No. 1 doubles ranking in 1985.
| Country (sports) |  | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence | Novato, California | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 24, 1963 St. Louis, Missouri | |||||||||||||
| Died | March 12, 2018 (aged 54) San Francisco, California | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1983 | |||||||||||||
| Retired | 1996 (brief periods of activity after retiring, incl. winning two Senior Wimbledon titles with Robert Seguso) | |||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | |||||||||||||
| Prize money | $2,064,571 | |||||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 52-80 | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 56 (December 9, 1985) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Singles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 3R (1983, 1987) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | 1R (1986, 1988) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 3R (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | 4R (1987) | |||||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||||
| Career record | 443-215 | |||||||||||||
| Career titles | 34 | |||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (October 14, 1985) | |||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Doubles results | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | SF (1987) | |||||||||||||
| French Open | QF (1985, 1986, 1988) | |||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1987, 1988) | |||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1985, 1993) | |||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | F (1987, 1991) | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Kenneth Eliot Flach was born on May 24, 1963, in St. Louis[4] and grew up in nearby Kirkwood, Missouri.[5]
Before turning professional, Flach played tennis for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he won the NCAA Division II singles championships in 1981, 1982 and 1983, and teamed with Seguso to reach the 1983 Division I doubles final.[6]
Flach married his first wife, model Sandra Freeman, in September 1986 and had four children together.[5]
Career
Flach played doubles on the US Davis Cup team from 1985–1991, compiling an 11–2 record. He was also a member of the US team which won the World Team Cup in 1985.
During his career, Flach won 36 doubles titles (34 men's doubles and 2 mixed doubles). His final career title was won in 1994 at Scottsdale, Arizona.
Following his retirement from the professional tour in 1996, Flach devoted himself to coaching. He guided Vanderbilt University to its first NCAA tournament berth in 1999. In 2003, he led the team to Vanderbilt's first NCAA championship finals appearance in any sport. He had also played in seniors events, and won the Wimbledon 35-and-over men's doubles title in 1999 and 2000.[4]
In 2010, after moving to California, he married makeup entrepreneur Christina Friedman, and became the director of tennis at Novato's Rolling Hills Club.[7][8][9]
Death
In early March 2018, Flach became ill with bronchitis after playing 36 holes of golf. According to his widow, his doctors at Kaiser Permanente failed to act with urgency allowing the infection to turn life-threatening. Christina Flach claims that rather than have Ken come in for an appointment, an advice nurse spent time assessing his health in a telephone conversation.
She claims that when Ken Flach began vomiting blood, he sent a desperate email to his doctor at Kaiser Permanente before the pair rushed to the emergency room, where he was intubated. He was later transferred to University of California San Francisco Medical Center with his organs failing.
Ken Flach was removed from life support and died of sepsis several days later, on March 12.[10]
Christina Flach is now a volunteer with Sepsis Alliance working to educate others about the condition that killed her husband.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Men's doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1985 | US Open | Hard | |  | 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–1), 7–6(8–6), 6–0 |
| Winner | 1987 | Wimbledon | Grass | |  | 3–6, 6–7(6–8), 7–6(7–3), 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1987 | US Open | Hard | |  | 6–7(1–7), 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–7(2–7) |
| Winner | 1988 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | | .svg.png){kind=small} | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–3) |
| Runner-up | 1989 | US Open | Hard | | | 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 1993 | US Open (2) | Hard | |  | 6–7(3–7), 6–4, 6–2 |
Mixed doubles: 2 (2 titles)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1986 | French Open | Clay | | .svg.png){kind=small} | 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–3 |
| Winner | 1986 | Wimbledon | Grass | |  | 6–3, 7–6(9–7) |
Olympic men's doubles final
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1988 | Seoul Olympics | Hard | |
|
6–3, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(1–7), 9–7 |
Doubles finals (58)
Wins (34)
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | December 12, 1983 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | |
|
6–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1. | June 11, 1984 | Rome, Italy | Clay | |
|
3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | July 16, 1984 | Newport, United States | Grass | |
|
4–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 2. | July 23, 1984 | Boston, United States | Clay | |
 |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 3. | August 13, 1984 | Indianapolis, United States | Clay | |
 |
7–6, 7–5 |
| Winner | 4. | September 17, 1984 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard | |
 |
4–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 5. | October 29, 1984 | Hong Kong | Hard | |
|
6–7, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Winner | 6. | November 6, 1984 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | |
|
6–1, 6–7, 6–2 |
| Winner | 7. | January 6, 1985 | Masters Doubles WCT, London | Carpet (i) | |
|
6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 3. | February 25, 1985 | La Quinta, United States | Hard | |
|
6–3, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Winner | 8. | April 1, 1985 | Fort Myers, United States | Hard | |
|
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 4. | April 8, 1985 | Chicago, United States | Carpet (i) | |
|
6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 9. | May 13, 1985 | Forest Hills, United States | Clay | |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | May 20, 1985 | Rome, Italy | Clay | |
|
6–4, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 10. | June 17, 1985 | Queen's Club, England | Grass | |
|
3–6, 6–3, 16–14 |
| Winner | 11. | July 29, 1985 | Indianapolis, United States | Clay | |
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 6. | August 12, 1985 | Stratton Mountain, United States | Hard | |
|
6–3, 6–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 12. | August 19, 1985 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | |
|
5–7, 7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 13. | September 9, 1985 | US Open, New York | Hard | |
|
6–7, 7–6, 7–6, 6–0 |
| Winner | 14. | October 28, 1985 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet (i) | |
|
4–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
| Winner | 15. | February 10, 1986 | Memphis, United States | Carpet (i) | |
|
6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 16. | March 31, 1986 | Chicago, United States | Carpet (i) | |
 |
6–0, 7–5 |
| Winner | 17. | October 20, 1986 | Tokyo Outdoor, Japan | Carpet | |
|
6–2, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 7. | March 9, 1987 | Miami, United States | Hard | |
|
2–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | April 27, 1987 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | |
|
7–6, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 18. | July 6, 1987 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | |
|
3–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 9. | July 20, 1987 | Livingston, United States | Hard | |
|
6–7, 3–6 |
| Winner | 19. | August 24, 1987 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | |
|
7–5, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 10. | September 14, 1987 | US Open, New York | Hard | |
|
6–7, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 11. | November 16, 1987 | Wembley, England | Carpet (i) | |
|
5–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | December 13, 1987 | Masters Doubles, London | Carpet (i) | |
|
4–6, 5–7, 7–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 13. | March 28, 1988 | Miami, United States | Hard | |
|
6–7, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 20. | June 13, 1988 | Queen's Club, England | Grass | |
|
6–2, 7–6 |
| Winner | 21. | July 4, 1988 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | |
|
6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 14. | August 2, 1988 | Indianapolis, United States | Hard | |
|
4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 22. | August 15, 1988 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | |
 |
7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 23. | September 26, 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard | |
|
6–3, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7 |
| Winner | 24. | November 14, 1988 | Wembley, England | Carpet (i) | |
|
7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 15. | November 21, 1988 | Detroit, United States | Carpet (i) | |
|
4–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 25. | April 24, 1989 | Tokyo Outdoor, Japan | Hard | |
|
7–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 26. | August 21, 1989 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | |
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 16. | September 11, 1989 | US Open, New York | Hard | |
|
4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 17. | October 9, 1989 | Orlando, United States | Hard | |
|
5–7, 7–5, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 18. | March 25, 1991 | Miami, United States | Hard | |
|
7–5, 6–7, 2–6 |
| Winner | 27. | May 6, 1991 | Tampa, United States | Clay | |
|
6–7, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 19. | July 22, 1991 | Washington, D.C., United States | Hard | |
|
4–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 28. | August 12, 1991 | Cincinnati, United States | Hard | |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
6–7, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Winner | 29. | August 19, 1991 | Indianapolis, United States | Hard | |
|
7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 20. | November 24, 1991 | Doubles Championships, Johannesburg | Hard (i) | |
|
4–6, 4–6, 6–2, 4–6 |
| Winner | 30. | March 23, 1992 | Miami, United States | Hard | |
|
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 21. | July 20, 1992 | Washington, D.C., United States | Hard | |
|
2–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 31. | April 12, 1993 | Tokyo Outdoor, Japan | Hard | |
|
2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 32. | June 21, 1993 | Manchester, England | Grass | |
|
6–4, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 22. | August 23, 1993 | Indianapolis, United States | Hard | |
|
4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 33. | September 13, 1993 | US Open, New York | Hard | |
|
6–7, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 34. | February 28, 1994 | Scottsdale, United States | Hard | |
|
6–0, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 23. | May 16, 1994 | Coral Springs, United States | Clay | |
 |
3–6, 5–7 |
| Runner-up | 24. | May 13, 1996 | Pinehurst, United States | Clay | |
|
2–6, 3–6 |
Doubles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Career SR | Career Win-Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 3R | 2R | A | NH | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | 1R | 0 / 5 | 8–5 |
| French Open | A | 1R | QF | QF | A | QF | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 11 | 13–11 |
| Wimbledon | A | 3R | 1R | QF | W | W | SF | QF | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2 / 13 | 30–11 |
| U.S. Open | 1R | 2R | W | A | F | SF | F | 3R | SF | 2R | W | 1R | QF | 1R | 2 / 13 | 37–10 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 4 / 42 | N/A |
| Annual Win-Loss | 2–2 | 3–4 | 9–2 | 6–2 | 14–2 | 13–2 | 9–2 | 6–2 | 7–3 | 4–3 | 8–2 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 0–4 | N/A | 88–37 |
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | These Tournaments Were Not Masters Series Events Before 1990 |
2R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 6 | 4–6 | ||||||
| Miami | 2R | F | W | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 1 / 6 | 12–5 | |||||||
| Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Canada | 1R | SF | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 4 | 3–4 | |||||||
| Cincinnati | 2R | W | QF | 2R | 2R | A | A | 1 / 5 | 10–4 | |||||||
| Stuttgart (Stockholm) | A | 2R | A | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||
| Paris | A | SF | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | |||||||
| Masters Series SR | N/A | 0 / 4 | 1 / 6 | 1 / 5 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 2 / 26 | N/A | ||||||
| Annual Win-Loss | N/A | 2–4 | 16–5 | 8–4 | 3–5 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | N/A | 32–24 | ||||||
| Year-end ranking | 103 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 76 | 5 | 60 | 23 | 90 | 121 | 141 | N/A | |
A = did not attend tournament
NH = tournament not held
References
- Samulski, Michal. "Doubles legend Ken Flach has passed away at 54 after short illness (pneumonia, septic shock). He has won 6 Grand Slam titles (4 doubles, 2 mixed doubles) and men's doubles Gold Medal at 1988 Olympic Games. He reached the World No.1 doubles ranking in 1985.pic.twitter.com/wWk7v2Vbth".
- Press, Associated (March 13, 2018). "Ken Flach, owner of 6 Grand Slam doubles titles, dead at 54" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- "Olympic results". Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
- Press, The Associated (March 14, 2018). "Ken Flach, Who Won Six Grand Slam Doubles Titles, Dies at 54". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- Mason, Joe (March 17, 2018). "Remembering Ken Flach: Tennis great, St. Louis native, rock star". www.stlmag.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- "Ken Flach, owner of six Grand Slam doubles titles, dies at 54". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- "Ken Flach of Mill Valley - Marin Magazine - June 2011 - Marin County, California". www.marinmagazine.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Tennis: Former Olympic doubles champion Flach dies, aged 54". Reuters. March 13, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- Resch, Colin. "After Ex-Tennis Star Dies, Wife Aims to Raise Awareness". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- Hein, Alexandria (September 25, 2018). "Wimbledon champ Ken Flach's widow speaks out on tennis great's sepsis death". Fox News. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
External links
- Ken Flach at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Ken Flach at the International Tennis Federation
- Ken Flach at the Davis Cup
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