Brian Fairlie

Brian Fairlie (born 13 June 1948), is a retired tennis player from New Zealand. During his career from 1968 to 1979, he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei, and 10 singles titles in the Open era (and at least two more in 1967).[1][2]

Brian Fairlie
Country (sports) New Zealand
Born (1948-06-13) 13 June 1948
Christchurch, New Zealand
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro1968 (amateur from 1966)
Retired1979
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record187–186 (Open era)
Career titles2
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1976)
French Open4R (1977)
Wimbledon3R (1977, 1978)
US OpenQF (1970)
Doubles
Career record174–156
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 27 (30 August 1977)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1977Dec, 1978)
French OpenSF (1971)
Wimbledon3R (1969, 1970, 1977)
US Open2R (1972)

Playing career

Juniors

Fairlie was the 1967 Boys' Singles champion of the Australian Championships.[3]

Professional

Fairlie's best result in a Grand Slam was reaching the semi-finals of men's doubles at the French Open in 1971 with partner Frew McMillan. A year earlier, he reached the singles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, losing to Tony Roche.

While his highest ATP singles ranking was World No. 24 (in September 1973), Fairlie was ranked inside the world's Top 20 in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1][4]

In 1969, his first full year on the circuit, he upset former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion John Newcombe in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open in Auckland. The tournament's website describes the atmosphere at the event that year: "There was wild excitement in a packed stadium when Kiwi Brian Fairlie pulled off an upset win over Newcombe in five hard-fought sets. When he went on to face Laver, the gates had to be closed against the huge crowds wanting to get in."[5] In both 1975 and 1976, Fairlie reached the finals of this tournament, losing on both occasions to fellow New Zealander Onny Parun.

In 1976, Fairlie played in an Australian Open match notable for having the 13th oldest combined age in Grand Slam history. His age and the age of Frank Sedgman, his opponent, averaged 37 years, 10 months, and 9 days.[6]

In winning the second of his two singles titles (in Manila, Philippines in 1976), he lost only one set during the entire tournament.[7]

Davis Cup

From 1966 through 1979, he played in 48 Davis Cup matches for New Zealand, winning 13 in singles and seven in doubles.[8]

Team Tennis

In 1974, the inaugural year of World Team Tennis, he became a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms; the team posted the league's best record for the year at 39–5.[9]

Career finals

Singles (2 titles, 4 runner-ups)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jan 1973 London WCT, England Hard (i) United Kingdom Mark Cox 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1–1 Feb 1973 Cologne, West Germany Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš 1–6, 3–6, 1–6
Loss 1–2 Jan 1975 Auckland, New Zealand Grass New Zealand Onny Parun 6–4, 4–6, 4–6, 7–6, 4–6
Loss 1–3 Mar 1975 London, England Carpet (i) United Kingdom Mark Cox 1–6, 5–7
Loss 1–4 Dec 1975 Auckland, New Zealand Grass New Zealand Onny Parun 2–6, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win 2–4 Nov 1976 Manila, Philippines Hard Australia Ray Ruffels 7–5, 6–7, 7–6

Doubles (4 titles, 14 runner-up)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 1971 Auckland, New Zealand Grass South Africa Ray Moore Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Ray Ruffels		 3–6, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Loss 0–2 Sep 1972 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard Egypt Ismail El Shafei United States Pancho Gonzales
United States Jimmy Connors		 3–6, 6–4, 6–7
Loss 0–3 Oct 1972 Alamo WCT, U.S. Hard Egypt Ismail El Shafei Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 6–7, 4–6
Loss 0–4 Nov 1972 Gothenburg, Sweden Carpet (i) Egypt Ismail El Shafei Netherlands Tom Okker
United States Marty Riessen		 2–6, 6–7
Loss 0–5 Mar 1973 Chicago, U.S. Carpet (i) Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		 7–6, 4–6, 2–6
Loss 0–6 Apr 1973 Cleveland, U.S. Carpet (i) Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle		 2–6, 3–6
Loss 0–7 Aug 1973 Tanglewood, U.S. Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Bob Carmichael
South Africa Frew McMillan		 3–6, 4–6
Win 1–7 Apr 1974 St. Louis, U.S. Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Geoff Masters
Australia Ross Case		 7–6, 6–7, 7–6
Loss 1–8 Jan 1975 Auckland, New Zealand Grass Australia Onny Parun Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Ray Ruffels		 6–7, ret.
Loss 1–9 Apr 1975 Charlotte, US Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei Chile Patricio Cornejo
Chile Jaime Fillol 		3–6, 7–5, 4–6
Loss 1–10 Mar 1976 Mexico City, Mexico Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei United States Brian Gottfried
Mexico Raúl Ramírez		 4–6, 6–7
Loss 1–11 Oct 1976 Brisbane, Australia Grass Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Syd Ball
Australia Kim Warwick		 4–6, 4–6
Win 2–11 Oct 1976 Sydney, Australia Hard (i) Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Syd Ball
Australia Kim Warwick		 7–5, 6–7, 7–6
Loss 2–12 Nov 1976 Tokyo, Japan Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei Australia Bob Carmichael
Australia Ken Rosewall		 4–6, 4–6
Win 3–12 Jul 1977 Newport, U.S. Grass Egypt Ismail El Shafei United States Tim Gullikson
United States Tom Gullikson		 6–7, 6–3, 7–6
Win 4–12 Mar 1978 Cairo, Egypt Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei Argentina Lito Álvarez
United States George Hardie		 6–3, 7–5, 6–2
Loss 4–13 Jul 1978 Cincinnati, U.S. Clay Egypt Ismail El Shafei United States Gene Mayer
Mexico Raúl Ramírez		 3–6, 3–6
Loss 4–14 Aug 1978 New Orleans, U.S. Carpet (i) Egypt Ismail El Shafei United States Erik van Dillen
United States Dick Stockton		 6–7, 3–6

References
  1. "ITF Tennis : Brian Fairlie : Players Details". International Tennis Federation (ITF). Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. Barrett, John. "World of Tennis", Year Books 1968–1972.
  3. "Find and share free documents in - Page 0". Docstoc.com. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  4. "Seventies tennis ace Fairlie honoured by club at last - Sport - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  5. Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Age Records of All Slam Matches". Tennis28.com. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  7. "1976 Manila – Singles draw". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  8. "Davis Cup : Brian Fairlie : Results". Daviscup.com. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  9. Collins, Bud; Xander Hollander (1980). Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis. Doubleday & Company, Inc. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-385-13093-7.
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