Bernard Mitton
Bernard Mitton (9 November 1954 – 5 May 2017[1]) was a professional tennis player from South Africa.
| Country (sports) | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa |
|---|---|
| Residence | Irvine, California, U.S. |
| Born | 11 September 1954 Vryburg, South Africa |
| Died | 5 May 2017 (aged 62) |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1973 |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 199–218 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 54 (15 December 1975) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1978, 1982) |
| French Open | 3R (1977) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1973, 1976) |
| US Open | 4R (1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 210–191 |
| Career titles | 9 |
| Highest ranking | No. 20 (25 June 1984) |
Mitton reached his highest singles ranking of world No. 51 on 15 December 1975, and his highest doubles ranking of 20 on 25 June 1984. His career record in singles on the ATP Tour was 199–218, winning two titles - at Newport, Rhode Island in 1978 and San Jose, California in 1979. He was the runner-up in three other tournaments: San Jose (1978), Adelaide (1979) and Johannesburg (1981).
His doubles record was 210–191, and he won nine titles: Auckland (1979); Stowe, Vermont and Cologne (1980); Richmond WCT (1981); Johannesburg (1981); Tampa (1981); Columbus, Ohio (1982); Ferrara (1983); and La Quinta, California (1984). He was the runner-up in eight tournaments: Sarasota, Florida (1978); North Conway, New Hampshire (1978); Rotterdam (1979); Maui, Hawaii (1982); Ancona (1982); Toulouse (1983); Florence (1984); and Queen's Club (1984).
Mitton had career wins over John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Arthur Ashe in singles. He reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament on three occasions. In his first Grand Slam tournament in 1973, he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, then lost to Connors in straight sets. In 1976, he again reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, defeating former champion John Newcombe in the third round beforeg losing to Raúl Ramírez in four sets. He reached the fourth round at the 1980 US Open, defeating José Luis Clerc in the first round, then lost to Connors.
Mitton retired from the tour in 1984 due to injuries and joined the Newport Beach Tennis Club as director of tennis. From 2000 to 2003, he was at Rancho San Clemente. He taught until his death at the Racket Club of Irvine, California.[2]
Career finals
| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam |
| ATP Masters Series |
| ATP Tour |
| Challengers |
| Futures |
Singles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runner-ups)
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Apr 1978 | San Jose, U.S. | Carpet (i) |  Arthur Ashe |
7–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Jul 1978 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} John James |
6–1, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | Mar 1979 | San José, Costa Rica | Hard | Tom Gorman |
6–4, 6–1, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Dec 1979 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Kim Warwick |
6–7(3–7), 4–6 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Apr 1981 | Johannesburg, Australia | Hard | Kevin Curren |
4–6, 4–6 |
Doubles: 17 (9 titles, 8 runner-ups)
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 1978 | Sarasota, U.S. | Carpet | Byron Bertram |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Colin Dowdeswell Geoff Masters |
6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Aug 1978 | North Conway, U.S. | Clay | Mike Fishbach |
 Robin Drysdale Van Winitsky |
6–4, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Jan 1979 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Kim Warwick |
Andrew Jarrett Jonathan Smith |
6–3, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Apr 1979 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | Heinz Günthardt |
Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–3 | Aug 1980 | Stowe, U.S. | Hard | Bob Lutz |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ilie Năstase Ferdi Taygan |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–3 | Oct 1980 | Cologne, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Andrew Pattison |
 Jan Kodeš Tomáš Šmíd |
6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 4–3 | Feb 1981 | Richmond, U.S. | Hard | Tim Gullikson |
Brian Gottfried  Raúl Ramírez |
3–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 5–3 | Mar 1981 | Tampa, U.S. | Hard | Butch Walts |
David Carter Paul Kronk |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 6–3 | Apr 1981 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Ray Moore |
 Shlomo Glickstein David Schneider |
7–5, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 7–3 | Aug 1981 | Columbus, U.S. | Hard | Tim Gullikson |
Victor Amaya Hank Pfister |
4–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 7–4 | Oct 1982 | Maui, U.S. | Hard |  Francisco González |
Mike Cahill Eliot Teltscher |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 7–5 | Nov 1982 | Ancona, Italy | Carpet (i) | Tim Gullikson |
 Anders Järryd Hans Simonsson |
6–4, 3–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 8–5 | Nov 1983 | Ferrara, Italy | Carpet (i) | Butch Walts |
Stanislav Birner Stefan Simonsson |
7–6, 0–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 8–6 | Nov 1983 | Toulouse, France | Carpet (i) | Butch Walts |
Heinz Günthardt Pavel Složil |
7–5, 5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 9–6 | Feb 1984 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | Butch Walts |
Scott Davis Ferdi Taygan |
5–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 9–7 | May 1984 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Butch Walts |
Mark Dickson Chip Hooper |
6–7, 6–4, 5–7 |
| Loss | 9–8 | Jun 1984 | Queen's Club, UK | Grass | Butch Walts |
Pat Cash Paul McNamee |
4–6, 3–6 |
References
- "Remembering Bernie Mitton, Former Top 50 Player". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). 9 May 2017.
- Ricky Buwalda (October 2015). "A welcome return home" (PDF). International Club South Africa. pp. 3–4.