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 (age 51)
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

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Early life

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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

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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

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  1. ^ Robb, Sharon (August 11, 1985). "Kessaris Overpowering In Girls' 12s Title Match". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Arias, Ron (October 20, 1986). "At Nick Bollettieri's Florida Boot Camp, Tennis Is Played Only One Way—to Win". People. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "Tennis". The Washington Post. August 15, 1989. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  4. ^ "Girls Singles". Reno Gazette-Journal. January 30, 1989. p. 11. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "U.S. contingent ready for Australian Open juniors". USA Today. January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "Evert Reaches Semis". The Oklahoman. April 29, 1989. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
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