Betty Rosenquest Pratt

Betty Rosenquest Pratt (April 15, 1925 – January 31, 2016) was an American amateur tennis player who competed in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.[1]

Betty Rosenquest Pratt
Country (sports) United States / Jamaica Jamaica
Born(1925-04-15)April 15, 1925
DiedJanuary 31, 2016(2016-01-31) (aged 90)
Winter Park, Florida, U.S.
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 7 (1954)
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenQF (1950)
WimbledonSF (1954)
US OpenSF (1956)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonSF (1951)
US OpenF (1956)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonQF (1954)

Pratt was a student at Florida's Rollins College[2] where she played collegiate tennis, graduating in 1947.[3] She was ranked in the Top Ten in the U.S. in 1951 (ranked number eight), 1954 (number five) and 1956 (number five).[4] At the Wimbledon Championships, Pratt was a semifinalist in both singles (1954), losing to eventual winner Maureen Connolly, and doubles (1951).[5] At the U.S. Nationals, she was a doubles finalist and singles semifinalist in 1956.[2][6]

At the tournament in Cincinnati, Pratt won the singles title in 1947 (over Betty Hulbert James in the final) and was a doubles finalist (with Margaret Varner) in 1948.

She captained both the U.S. Wightman Cup team and the U.S. Federation Cup Team.[2]

Active in the Caribbean, she also represented Jamaica,[7] and directed the Caribbean Tennis Circuit between 1952 and 1964.[8]

Pratt continued to win titles at seniors events into her 60s and 70s.[5][9] She was a charter member of the Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame (1977),[10] and is a member of the Florida Tennis Association Hall of Fame (1979) and Eastern Tennis Association Hall of Fame (1998).[2][5]

Grand Slam finals

Doubles ( 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1956U.S. National ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Shirley FryUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne		3–6, 0–6

References
  1. "Tennis Groundbreaker, Florida Volunteer and Former World Top 10 Pratt Dies at Age 90". United States Tennis Association. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  2. McShea, Nancy Gill. "Inductees: 1998". USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  3. "Tradition". Rollins College. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  4. "USTA Yearbook – Top 10 U.S. Women's Rankings". United States Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  5. "ITA Women's Hall of Fame – McCormack–Nagelsen Tennis Center: Betty Rosenquest Pratt". The College of William & Mary. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  6. "Australian Duo Wins US Doubles Net Title". The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. 1956-08-27.
  7. "Mrs. Pratt, Unranked, Defeats Miss Bloomer in Essex Tennis". The New York Times. 1956-08-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  8. "BETTY ROSENQUEST PRATT". ITA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  9. Storm, Stephanie (1995-06-15). "Pratt Adds World Title To Her Ongoing Collection". Orlando Sentinel.
  10. "Rollins Hall of Fame". Rollins College. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
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