Teimuraz Kakulia

Teimuraz Irakleivich Kakuliya (Georgian: თეიმურაზ კაკულია, romanized: teimuraz k'ak'ulia, pronounced [tʰeimuɾaz kʼakʼulia]; 26 April 1947, Tbilisi, Georgian SSR — 25 August 2006, Tbilisi, Georgia) was a Soviet tennis player and Soviet/Georgian tennis coach.

Teimuraz Kakulia
Full nameTeimuraz Irakleivich Kakuliya
Country (sports) Soviet Union
Born(1947-04-26)26 April 1947
Tbilisi, Georgian SSR
Died25 August 2006(2006-08-25) (aged 59)
Tbilisi, Georgia
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro1966
Retired1978
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record31–36
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 91 (April 8, 1975)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1973)
French Open2R (1970, 1971, 1974)
Wimbledon3R (1972, 1976)
US Open4R (1976)
Doubles
Career record12–29
Career titles0
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1973)
French Open2R (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975)
Wimbledon2R (1974)
US Open2R (1974, 1976)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon2R (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975)
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place1973 MoscowSingles
Gold medal – first place1973 MoscowDoubles
Gold medal – first place1973 MoscowMixed Doubles

Tennis career

Teimuraz Kakulia started playing tennis at the age of 11. For the most part of his tennis career, he remained in the shadow of his colleague and friend Alex Metreveli, losing to him five times in the singles finals of the USSR tennis championships. Together they took five men's doubles titles at the Soviet championships, and Kakulia won the tournament once with Marina Chuvyrina in mixed doubles.[1]

Other highlights of Kakulia's career were winning bronze medals in the mixed doubles exhibition event at the 1968 Olympic Games at the age of 21; winning the tennis tournament at the 1973 Summer Universiade in singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles; and reaching 1972 Australian Open semifinals in men's doubles (with Metreveli). In singles, his best achievements were reaching the fourth round at the 1976 US Open as well as victories over Eddie Dibbs and Mark Edmondson. He also won the Wimbledon Plate.

In addition, Kakulia has played an integral part in the Soviet Davis Cup team victories at the Europe Zone in 1974 and 1976 after which the team advanced to the Inter-Zonal stage. As a team member, Kakulia was also a four-time European amateur champion.

In 1977, Teimuraz Kakulia was awarded the Distinguished Master of Sport of the USSR rank, the highest in the Soviet sports classification. He was only the second Soviet tennis player to join WCT, with Metreveli's being the first.

After finishing his active playing career, Kakulia focused on coaching. He was a member of the Soviet national team coaching group. Leila Meskhi, bronze medalist at the 1992 Olympics, was the most successful among his trainees. During the last 10 years of his life, illness prevented from coaching.

Grand Slam singles performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament1967196819691970197119721973197419751976
Australian OpenAAAAAA3RAA2R
French OpenAAA2R2R1R[lower-alpha 1]1R2R1RA
WimbledonQ2AAAA3R1R2R1R3R
US OpenAAAAA1RA2RA4R
  1. The 1972 French Open had two preliminary rounds.[2] After qualifying, Kakulia won in both to enter the main draw. These wins do not count as main draw wins.

References
  1. (in Russian) Individual USSR Championships at the Encyclopedia of Russian Tennis
  2. "1972 French Open draw". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
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