Brian Fairlie (born 13 June 1948) is a New Zealand tennis player. During his career from 1968 to 1979, he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei, and 10 singles titles in the Open era (and at least two more in 1967).[1][2]
| Country (sports) |  New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 June 1948 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Turned pro | 1968 (amateur from 1966) |
| Retired | 1979 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 187–186 (Open era) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1976) |
| French Open | 4R (1977) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1977, 1978) |
| US Open | QF (1970) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 174–156 |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 27 (30 August 1977) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1977Dec, 1978) |
| French Open | SF (1971) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1969, 1970, 1977) |
| US Open | 2R (1972) |
Playing career
editJuniors
editFairlie was the 1967 Boys' Singles champion of the Australian Championships.[3]
Professional
editFairlie's best result in a Grand Slam was reaching the semi-finals of men's doubles at the French Open in 1971 with partner Frew McMillan. A year earlier, he reached the singles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, losing to Tony Roche.
While his highest ATP singles ranking was World No. 24 (in September 1973), Fairlie was ranked inside the world's Top 20 in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1][4]
In 1969, his first full year on the circuit, he upset former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion John Newcombe in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open in Auckland. The tournament's website describes the atmosphere at the event that year: "There was wild excitement in a packed stadium when Kiwi Brian Fairlie pulled off an upset win over Newcombe in five hard-fought sets. When he went on to face Laver, the gates had to be closed against the huge crowds wanting to get in."[5] In 1972 he won the Midland RC International a WCT event that year.[6] In both 1975 and 1976, Fairlie reached the finals of this tournament, losing on both occasions to fellow New Zealander Onny Parun.
In 1976, Fairlie played in an Australian Open match notable for having the 13th oldest combined age in Grand Slam history. His age and the age of Frank Sedgman, his opponent, averaged 37 years, 10 months, and 9 days.[7]
In winning the second of his two singles titles (in Manila, Philippines in 1976), he lost only one set during the entire tournament.[8]
Davis Cup
editFrom 1966 through 1979, he played in 48 Davis Cup matches for New Zealand, winning 13 in singles and seven in doubles.[9]
Team Tennis
editIn 1974, the inaugural year of World Team Tennis, he became a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms; the team posted the league's best record for the year at 39–5.[10]
Career finals
editSingles (2 titles, 4 runner-ups)
edit| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 1973 | London WCT, England | Hard (i) | 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Feb 1973 | Cologne, West Germany | Carpet (i) | 1–6, 3–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Jan 1975 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | 6–4, 4–6, 4–6, 7–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 1–3 | Mar 1975 | London, England | Carpet (i) | 1–6, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 1–4 | Dec 1975 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | 2–6, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6 | |
| Win | 2–4 | Nov 1976 | Manila, Philippines | Hard | 7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
Doubles (4 titles, 14 runner-up)
edit| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 1971 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | 3–6, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6 | ||
| Loss | 0–2 | Sep 1972 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | 3–6, 6–4, 6–7 | ||
| Loss | 0–3 | Oct 1972 | Alamo WCT, U.S. | Hard | 6–7, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 0–4 | Nov 1972 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Carpet (i) | 2–6, 6–7 | ||
| Loss | 0–5 | Mar 1973 | Chicago, U.S. | Carpet (i) | 7–6, 4–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 0–6 | Apr 1973 | Cleveland, U.S. | Carpet (i) | 2–6, 3–6 | ||
| Loss | 0–7 | Aug 1973 | Tanglewood, U.S. | Clay | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1–7 | Apr 1974 | St. Louis, U.S. | Clay | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–8 | Jan 1975 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | 6–7, ret. | ||
| Loss | 1–9 | Apr 1975 | Charlotte, US | Clay | 3–6, 7–5, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–10 | Mar 1976 | Mexico City, Mexico | Clay | 4–6, 6–7 | ||
| Loss | 1–11 | Oct 1976 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 2–11 | Oct 1976 | Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | 7–5, 6–7, 7–6 | ||
| Loss | 2–12 | Nov 1976 | Tokyo, Japan | Clay | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 3–12 | Jul 1977 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 | ||
| Win | 4–12 | Mar 1978 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | 6–3, 7–5, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 4–13 | Jul 1978 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Clay | 3–6, 3–6 | ||
| Loss | 4–14 | Aug 1978 | New Orleans, U.S. | Carpet (i) | 6–7, 3–6 |
References
edit- ^ a b "ITF Tennis : Brian Fairlie : Players Details". International Tennis Federation (ITF). Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ Barrett, John. "World of Tennis", Year Books 1968–1972.
- ^ "Find and share free documents in - Page 0". Docstoc.com. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Seventies tennis ace Fairlie honoured by club at last - Sport - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ John Barrett, ed. (1973). World of Tennis '73 : a BP and Commercial Union yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 141–148. ISBN 9780671216238.
- ^ "Age Records of All Slam Matches". Tennis28.com. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "1976 Manila – Singles draw". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
- ^ "Davis Cup : Brian Fairlie : Results". Daviscup.com. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ Collins, Bud; Xander Hollander (1980). Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis. Doubleday & Company, Inc. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-385-13093-7.
External links
edit- Brian Fairlie at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Brian Fairlie at the International Tennis Federation
- Brian Fairlie at the Davis Cup
- Transcript of 2008 New Zealand House of Representatives proceedings Archived 23 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine during which Representative Dail Jones reminisced about the matches in Auckland between Fairlie and Onny Parun.