Craig Edwards (tennis)

Craig Edwards (born May 19, 1955) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.

Craig Edwards
Full nameCraig Edwards
Country (sports) United States
Born (1955-05-19) May 19, 1955
Los Angeles, California
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record2–8
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 258 (3 January, 1983)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (1982)
US Open1R (1981)
Doubles
Career record29–32
Career titles1
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1980)
French Open3R (1981)
Wimbledon2R (1980, 1982)
US Open1R (1981)

Biography

Edwards, a relative late comer to tennis, changed his approach to the sport after attending a basketball camp run by John Wooden, which he attended to learn things that he could put towards his tennis.[1] He was the No. 1 player at Ventura High School for two and a half years, then in 1974 began as a freshman at the University of Redlands.[1][2] An All-American at Redlands in 1973-74 and 1974-75, he later went to Pepperdine University.[3]

During the 1980s, Edwards competed professionally on the Grand Prix tennis circuit, primarily in doubles events. His regular partner was Eddie Edwards, a South African player of no relation, who played with him at Pepperdine. They won a Grand Prix title at Bournemouth in 1980 and were runners-up in a further two Grand Prix tournaments, at Adelaide and Stuttgart the following year. In Grand Slam competition, the pair made the semi-finals of the 1980 Australian Open and lost a match deciding tiebreak to top seeds Peter McNamara and Paul McNamee to miss out on a spot in the final.[4] They earned seedings at subsequent Grand Slam tournaments, including the 1981 Wimbledon Championships.[5] The pair performed well again at the 1981 Australian Open and were quarter-finalists. In singles, Edwards competed in the main draw at the 1981 US Open (first round loss to Roscoe Tanner) and 1982 Australian Open (first round loss to David Pate).[6]

A family friend of the Bryan brothers, Edwards was a travelling coach for Bob and Mike Bryan in their early years on tour.[7][8]

Grand Prix career finals

Doubles: 3 (1–2)
Result W-L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. Sep 1980 Bournemouth, United Kingdom Clay South Africa Eddie Edwards United Kingdom Andrew Jarrett
United Kingdom Jonathan Smith		 6–3, 6–7, 8–6
Loss 2. Jan 1981 Adelaide, Australia Grass South Africa Eddie Edwards Australia Colin Dibley
Australia John James		 3–6, 4–6
Loss 3. Mar 1981 Stuttgart, West Germany Hard South Africa Eddie Edwards United Kingdom Buster Mottram
United States Nick Saviano		 6–3, 1–6, 2–6

Challenger titles

Doubles: (1)
No. Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
1. 1980 Brussels, Belgium Clay South Africa Eddie Edwards United States Doug Adler
Australia Chris Johnstone		 6–1, 6–2

References
  1. "Redlands". The San Bernardino County Sun. April 11, 1974. p. 54. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  2. "Sport". Redlands Daily Facts. February 19, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  3. "ITA All-Americans (since 1954) - Redlands". goredlands.com. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  4. Yallop, Richard (January 5, 1981). "Nice present for Teacher". The Age. p. 22. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  5. "ITF Tennis - Pro Circuit - Wimbledon - 22 June - 04 July 1981". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  6. "Tennis". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 3, 1981. p. 2.1. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  7. Ashok, Kalyan (March 2, 2002). "The Bryan brothers band is a hot one". Sportstar. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  8. Peterson, Lauren (August 26, 2001). "Bryan Twins Hit Their Stride at the Right Time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
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