Brenda Kirk

Brenda Kirk (11 January 1951 – 6 September 2015) was a South African tennis player.[1]

Brenda Kirk
Country (sports)South Africa South Africa
Born(1951-01-11)11 January 1951
Rhodesia
Died6 September 2015(2015-09-06) (aged 64)
Singles
Career titles0
Grand Slam singles results
French Open1R (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
Wimbledon3R (1971)
US Open1R (1969, 1972)
Doubles
Career titles2
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open3R (1969, 1971)
Wimbledon3R (1971, 1973)
US OpenQF (1972)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open1R (1970)
Wimbledon4R (1970)
US Open3R (1969)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (1972)

Career

Her best singles result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the third round at the 1971 Wimbledon Championships.[2]

In January 1971 she won the singles title of the Natal Sugar Championships.[3] She won two doubles titles during her career; in July 1971 she won the Swiss Open partnering Laura Rossouw and in July 1972 she won the Irish Open with Pat Walkden.

She played for the South African Fed Cup team in 15 ties between 1969 and 1973 comprising a record of 17 wins and 10 losses. She was part of the South African team that won the Federation Cup in 1972 after a victory in the final over Great Britain at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.[4]

Personal life

Kirk married Jimmy Dimitriou in 1975 and the couple had two children.[5] They divorced and she later married Iain Bryson with whom she had one child. Kirk died in her sleep on 6 September 2015.[5]

Career finals

Doubles: 10 (2 titles, 8 runner-ups)
Result W-L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Apr 1971 Johannesburg, South Africa Hard South Africa Laura Rossouw Australia Margaret Smith
Australia Evonne Goolagong		 3–6, 2–6
Win 1–1 Jul 1971 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay South Africa Laura Rossouw France Françoise Dürr
Italy Lea Pericoli		 8–6, 6–3
Loss 1–2 May 1972 Bournemouth, UK Hard Netherlands Betty Stöve Australia Evonne Goolagong
Australia Helen Gourlay		 5–7, 1–6
Loss 1–3 Jun 1972 London (Queens), UK Grass South Africa Pat Walkden United States Rosie Casals
United States Billie Jean King		 7–5, 0–6, 2–6
Win 2–3 Jul 1972 Dublin, Ireland Grass South Africa Pat Walkden Australia Evonne Goolagong
Australia Karen Krantzcke		 6–3, 8–10, 6–2
Loss 2–4 Jul 1972 Hoylake, UK Grass South Africa Pat Walkden Australia Evonne Goolagong
Australia Helen Gourlay		 Prize divided (rain)
Loss 2–5 Aug 1972 Cincinnati, US Clay South Africa Pat Walkden Australia Margaret Court
Australia Evonne Goolagong		 4–6, 1–6
Loss 2–6 Aug 1972 Toronto, Canada Clay South Africa Pat Walkden Australia Margaret Court
Australia Evonne Goolagong		 6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss 2–7 Aug 1972 Haverford (Merion), US Grass South Africa Pat Walkden United Kingdom Virginia Wade
United States Sharon Walsh		 6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Loss 2–8 Nov 1972 Torquay, UK Carpet United States Sharon Walsh Australia Margaret Court
United Kingdom Virginia Wade		 4–6, 4–6

References
  1. "WTA – Player profile". WTA.
  2. "Wimbledon players archive – Brenda Kirk". AELTC.
  3. Russell Eldridge, ed. (1977). Tennis : The South African Story. Owen Williams. p. 111. OCLC 86066820.
  4. "S. Africa Takes Federations Cup". The New York Times. 26 March 1972.
  5. "Brenda Kirk, one of South Africa's great tennis legends". www.tennissa.co.za. Tennis South Africa. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
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