Marise Kruger

Marise Kruger (born 17 July 1958) is a former South African tennis player who was active in the second half of the 1970s.[2]

Marise Kruger
Country (sports) South Africa
Born (1958-07-17) 17 July 1958
Pretoria, South Africa
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) [1]
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyno value
Singles
Career recordno value
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 12
Grand Slam Singles results
French Open3R (1979)
WimbledonQF (1978)
US Open4R (1977)
Doubles
Career recordno value
Grand Slam Doubles results
French OpenSF (1979)
WimbledonQF (1977, 1978, 1979)
US OpenQF (1979)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon2R (1976, 1977)

Tennis career

Kruger started playing tennis when she was five. She reached the girl's final at the 1976 Wimbledon Championships, won the junior singles title at the 1976 US Open and won the singles title at the junior Orange Bowl tournament in December 1976 after a win in the final against Anne Smith.[3][4]

In June 1976, Kruger was runner-up at the Kent Championships in Beckenham, losing the final in three sets to Olga Morozova.[5] In the preceding weeks, she had won tournament titles in Guildford and Chichester.[5] In August that year she won the South Orange Open singles title after a straight sets victory in the final against Lea Antonoplis. In May 1977, she won the doubles title at the Italian Open, partnering compatriot Brigitte Cuypers, and in August, she was a finalist at Canadian Open in Toronto, losing the final in three sets to Regina Maršíková.[6] She partnered with Dianne Fromholtz to win the 1979 Austrian Open doubles event and together they reached the semifinal of the doubles competition at the 1979 French Open.[7]

In 1978, Kruger was a member of the San Francisco Golden Gaters which played in the World Team Tennis (WTT) league in the United States.[8]

Her best singles result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the quarterfinal at the 1978 Wimbledon Championships, in which she lost to second-seeded and eventual champion Martina Navratilova.[9]

Career finals

Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1. 5 June 1976 Chichester Tennis Tournament, England Grass Bunny Bruning 6–2, 6–2
Loss 2. 12 June 1976 Robertson's Cup Beckenham, England Grass Olga Morozova 5–7, 6–2, 3–6
Win 3. 29 August 1976 Tennis Week Open Orange, USA Clay Lea Antonoplis 6–3, 6–2
Loss 4. 22 August 1977 Canadian Open, Toronto Clay Regina Maršíková 4–6, 6–4, 2–6

Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Win 1. 22 May 1977 Italian Open, Rome Clay Brigitte Cuypers Bunny Bruning
Sharon Walsh		 3–6, 7–5, 6–2

References
  1. Bostic, Stephanie, ed. (1979). USTA Player Records 1978. United States Tennis Association (USTA). p. 212.
  2. "WTA – Player profile". WTA.
  3. John Barrett, ed. (1980). World of Tennis 1980 : a BP yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 322. ISBN 9780362020120. OCLC 237184610.
  4. Garry Kelley (28 December 1976). "South African finds U.S. amateur rules different". The Miami News. p. 4D.
  5. John Barrett, ed. (1977). World of Tennis 1977 : a BP yearbook. London: Macdonald and Janes. p. 259. ISBN 9780354090117.
  6. "Kruger In Finals Of Canadian Open Tennis Tourney". The Hour. UPI. 20 August 1977. p. 18.
  7. "Roland-Garros – Past Tournaments – 1979 Simple dames" (PDF). www.rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT).
  8. Diane Lacey (2 June 1978). "When You're No.2, Try Harder". Lakeland Ledger. p. 3D.
  9. "Wimbledon players archive – Marise Kruger". AELTC.
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