Linda Tuero

Linda Tuero (born October 21, 1950) is an American former amateur and professional tennis player. She won six U.S Junior Titles and three U.S. Women's Titles. She reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1971, and won the singles titles at the Italian Open in 1972. She represented the United States in the Wightman Cup and Federation Cup teams in 1972 and 1973 and served as the Federation Cup Captain in 1973. Tuero was ranked in the U.S. Top Ten Women Singles for four years and in 1972 was ranked No. 10 in the World.

Linda Tuero
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceSea Island, Georgia, U.S.
Born (1950-10-21) October 21, 1950
Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Turned pro1972
Retired1973
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career recordunknown value
Career titles4
Highest rankingNo. 10 (1972)
Grand Slam Singles results
French OpenQF (1971)
Wimbledon3R (1971)
US Open3R (1968, 1971)
Doubles
Career recordunknown value
Grand Slam Doubles results
French Open3R (1969)
Wimbledon2R (1972)
US OpenQF (1969)

Biography

Linda Tuero was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She started playing tennis at the age of 11 and was taught by the legendary tennis coach Emmett Paré from the very start and throughout her career. At age 13, she won the US National Girl's 14 Singles Championship and by the time she had graduated from high school, she had won six national titles: the 1964 US National Girl's 14 Singles Championship, the 1966 US National Girl's 16 Singles Championship, the 1966 US National Girl's 16 Doubles Championship, the 1967 US National Girl's 18 Clay Court Singles Championship, the 1968 US National Girl's 18 Clay Court Singles Championship, and the 1968 National Interscholastic Championship.[1][2][3]

Tuero was the first woman to be awarded an athletic scholarship to Tulane University, the first woman to play on a Tulane varsity team, and the first woman to win a varsity Green Wave letter.[4][5]

While a member of the Tulane tennis team, she played on the women's professional tennis circuit but kept her amateur status. During this time she won three more national titles: the 1969 US Amateur Championship,[6] 1970 US Amateur Championship[6] and the 1970 US Open Clay Court Championship. In 1971 she was runner-up in the US Open Clay Courts, losing to Billie Jean King in the finals. During 1971 she also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open.[7]

In 1971, while pursuing an active tennis career, she graduated cum laude from Tulane with a major in psychology.

In 1972, playing her first year as a professional, Linda won the Italian Open.[8] She also won the first International Tournament of Madrid (Madrid Open) and was a semifinalist in the US Open Clay Courts, Canadian Open, WTA German Open, and Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati Masters),[9] with losses to Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, and Margaret Smith Court. In 1973 she had a win over Martina Navratilova in the Fort Lauderdale Classic.

Tuero represented the US in the Wightman Cup and Federation Cup teams in 1972 and 1973, serving as the Federation Cup Captain in 1973[10]

Her top career world rankings included No 1 in Women-Under-21 and No 10 in World (Women). She has been inducted into the Halls of Fame of Tulane University,[11] Louisiana Tennis Tennis Hall of Fame,[12] and USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.[13]

Personal life

In 1968 she graduated from St. Martin's Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana. In 1971, she graduated cum laude from Tulane with a major in psychology.[14]

In 1973, as an extra in The Exorcist, she met and in July 1975 married the author, William Peter Blatty, with whom she had two children.[15] She also appeared in another film, The Ninth Configuration, which he wrote. The marriage resulted in the birth of two children before their divorce. A second marriage gave Linda another child.

In 2000, Tuero enrolled in the Tulane Graduate School and in 2004 graduated with a master's degree in anthropology, specializing in the field of paleoanthropology. In 2005, she was part of a Rutgers excavation in the Lake Turkana region of northern Kenya.[14] Her passions include golf, paleontology, and world travel. She makes frequent trips collecting fossils and enjoys identifying and scientifically cataloging her extensive collection.[14]

Tuero's second marriage was to William Paul.[14] She had another son during this marriage. She is now married to Dr. William Lindsley who is a former business consultant and former dean and professor at Boston College, Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management, and Belmont University's Graduate School of Business.[14]

Career finals

Singles (5 titles, 6 runners-up)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1. Jul 1968 Tri-State Tournament, Cincinnati, USA Hard Tory Fretz 6–1, 6–2
Loss 2. Jul 1969 U.S. Clay Court Open, Indianapolis, USA Clay Gail Sherriff Chanfreau 2–6, 2–6
Win 3. Aug 1970 U.S. Clay Court Open, Indianapolis, USA Clay Gail Sherriff Chanfreau 7–5, 6–1
Loss 4. Aug 1971 Western Championships, Cincinnati, USA Hard Virginia Wade 3–6, 3–6
Loss 5. Aug, 1971 U.S. Clay Court Open, Indianapolis, USA Clay Billie Jean King 4–6, 5–7
Loss 6. Dec 1971 Border Championships, East London, South Africa [16] Clay Ilana Kloss 3–6, 2–6
Win 7. Jan 1972 Eastern Province, Port Elizabeth, South Africa [16] Clay Sharon Walsh 6–1, 6–2
Loss 8. Jan 1972 Cape Province, Cape Town, South Africa [16] Clay Patricia Pretorius 3–6, 4–6
Win 9. Apr 1972 Melia Trophy, Madrid, Spain Clay Alena Palmeova 6–3, 6–1
Win 10. May 1972 Italian Open, Rome, Italy Clay Olga Morozova 6–4, 6–3
Loss 11. Jun 1972 German Open, Hamburg, Germany Clay Helga Masthoff 3–6, 6–3, 6–8

Career highlights

As an Amateur:

  • Winner, 1964 US National Championships - Girl's 14 Singles[1]
  • Winner, 1966 US National Championships - Girl's 16 Singles and Doubles[2]
  • Winner, 1967 and 1968 US National Clay Court Singles Championships - Girl's 18[2]
  • Finalist, 1968 US Grass Court Women's Singles
  • Winner, 1968 National Interscholastic Championship[3]
  • Finalist, 1968 US Open Clay Court Women's Singles (to Nancy Richey)
  • Finalist, 1969 US Open Clay Court Women's Doubles
  • Winner, 1969 and 1970 US Amateur Championship[6]
  • Finalist, 1969 US Amateur Mixed Doubles
  • Quarter-finalist, 1969 Western & Southern Open (to Gail Chanfreau)
  • Semi-finalist, 1970 Canadian Open Women's Singles (to Rosemary Casals)
  • Semi-finalist, 1970 Western & Southern Open Wonmen's Singles (to Nancy Richey)
  • Winner, 1970 US Women's Amateur Singles
  • Finalist, 1970 Women's Collegiate Women's Singles

As a Professional:

  • Finalist, 1971 US Open Clay Courts Women's Doubles
  • Quarter-finalist, 1971 French Open (to Marijke Schaar)[7]
  • Quarter-finalist, 1971 Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati Masters) Women's Singles (to Evonne Goolagong)[9]
  • Semi-finalist, 1972 US Open Clay Court Women's Singles (to Evonne Goolagong)
  • Semi-finalist, 1972 Canadian Open Women's Singles (to Evonne Goolagong)
  • Semi-finalist, 1972 Western Open Women's Singles (to Margaret Court)
  • Finalist, 1972 Nice Women's Singles
  • Semi-finalist, 1972 Eastern Grass Court Open Women's Singles
  • Finalist, 1972 Western Province South Africa Women's Singles
  • Winner, 1972 Wightman Cup
  • Semi-finalist, 1972 Federation Cup (to Johannesburg)
  • Runner-up, 1972 Bonne Bell Cup against Australia
  • Semi-finalist, 1973 Fort Lauderdale (to Chris Evert)
  • Semi-finalist, 1973 Western (to Margaret Court)
  • Semi-finalist, 1971 Baastad Open (to Benzer)
  • Finalist, 1973 Marie O. Clark (to Chris Evert)
  • Captain, 1973 Federation Cup
  • Winner, 1973 Wightman Cup
  • Finalist, 1973 Cleveland Heights Women's Singles
  • Semi-finalist, 1973 US Open Clay Courts Women's Singles (to Chris Evert)

Awards and honors
  • Inducted into the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995[13]
  • Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame | Patrons Foundation[12]
  • Ranked in Women's US Top 10 Women's four times (1968 : No. 8, 1969 : No. 10, 1971 : No. 8, 1972 : No. 7)[17]
  • Inducted into Tulane Athletic Hall Of Fame (1969-1971)[11]
  • Tulane Scholarship for Men's tennis Team[4][5]
  • 1968 VFW Athlete of the Year New Orleans
  • 1969 VFW Athlete of the Year New Orleans
  • 1969 Louisiana Outstanding Athlete of the Year
  • 1970 VFW Athlete of the Year New Orleans

Articles
  • Linda Tuero Captures Girls Tennis Crown[18]
  • ONLY At Tulane "Tradition - Tulane Tennis Legend Linda Tuero"[5]
  • A First At Tulane[4]
  • New Orleans Yesterday and Today: A Guide to the City[19]
  • The Right Set: A Tennis Anthology[20]
  • 40 Years Ago In Tennis – Bud Collins Summarizes The Epic Year[21]
  • 1973 US Wightman Cup Team[22]

References
  1. "USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS—GIRLS". Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  2. "USTA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS—GIRLS". Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  3. "USTA Yearbook - Junior USTA Interscholastic Championships". Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  4. "A First At tulane". "The Southeast Missourian". June 26, 1968. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  5. "Tradition". OnlyAtTulane. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  6. "USTA ADULT & SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS—WOMEN". Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  7. 1971 French Open – Women's Singles
  8. Douglas Perry (May 12, 2015). "Rome Masters: Meet the woman who shocked the Italian Open, then faced Hollywood shocks". OregonLive.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. Cincinnati Masters
  10. "USTA Yearbook - Fed Cup". Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  11. "Tulane Athletic Hall Of Fame". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  12. "Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  13. "USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  14. Billy Crawford (September 11, 2011). "Linda Tuero". Greater New Orleans Tennis. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  15. "An Angel Made Blatty Marry". The Journal. NY State Historic Newspapers. AP. July 22, 1975. p. 16. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  16. John Barrett, ed. (1973). World of Tennis '73 : a BP and Commercial Union yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 328–329. ISBN 9780671216238.
  17. "USTA Yearbook - Top 10 U.S. Women's Rankings". Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  18. "Linda Tuero Captures Girls Tennis Crown". "Reading Eagle". July 31, 1966. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  19. Cowan, Walter G. (1983). New Orleans Yesterday and Today: A Guide to the City. LSU Press. 0-8071-2743-4.
  20. "The Right Set: A Tennis Anthology". June 1, 1999. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  21. "40 Years Ago In Tennis – Bud Collins Summarizes The Epic Year". "Tennis Grandstand". July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  22. "1973 US Wightman Cup team". Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
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