Kim Kessaris

Kimberly Lynn Kessaris (born March 27, 1973) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.

Kim Kessaris
Full nameKimberly Lynn Kessaris
Country (sports) United States
Born (1973-03-27) March 27, 1973
Prize money$41,101
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 124 (July 17, 1989)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open3R (1989)
Wimbledon2R (1989)
US Open1R (1989)
Doubles
Highest rankingNo. 381 (October 24, 1988)

Biography

Early life

Kessaris grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina, the daughter of Jim and Peggy. Her father, a dentist by profession, got her started in tennis when she was five. She attended the local Heritage Hall school.[1]

Considered a tennis prodigy, she was a top ranked junior and trained at Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida.[2]

Tennis career

Kessaris made her WTA Tour debut at Charleston in 1987, just days after her 14th birthday.

In 1988 she was beaten by Steffi Graf in only 32-minutes at a tournament in Mahwah.[3]

At the 1989 Australian Open she defeated Andrea Farley in the girls' singles final to become the first American to win an Australian Open junior title.[4][5] She also qualified for the main draw of the women's singles and made the third round.

Her best performance on the WTA Tour was a quarter-final appearance at the 1989 Virginia Slims of Houston as a lucky loser and that July she reached her highest ranking of 124 in the world.[6]

Following the 1990 Australian Open she left professional tennis, aged 16.

References
  1. Robb, Sharon (August 11, 1985). "Kessaris Overpowering In Girls` 12s Title Match". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  2. Arias, Ron (October 20, 1986). "At Nick Bollettieri's Florida Boot Camp, Tennis Is Played Only One Way—to Win". People. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. "Tennis". The Washington Post. August 15, 1989. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  4. "Girls Singles". Reno Gazette-Journal. January 30, 1989. p. 11. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  5. "U.S. contingent ready for Australian Open juniors". USA Today. January 17, 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. "Evert Reaches Semis". The Oklahoman. April 29, 1989. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
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