Ashley Cooper (tennis)
 Ashley Cooper in 1958 | |
| Full name | Ashley John Cooper |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 Australia |
| Residence | Australia |
| Born |
15 September 1936 Melbourne, Vic, Australia |
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Turned pro | 1959 (amateur tour from 1953) |
| Retired | 1962 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1991 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 69–16 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1957, Lance Tingay)[1] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1957, 1958) |
| French Open | SF (1958) |
| Wimbledon | W (1958) |
| US Open | W (1958) |
| Other tournaments | |
| TOC | QF (1959) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | SF (1959, 1960) |
| Wembley Pro | QF (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962) |
| French Pro | SF (1962) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1957) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1958) |
| French Open | W (1957, 1958) |
| Wimbledon | F (1958) |
| US Open | W (1957) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1957) |
Ashley John Cooper AO (born 15 September 1936) is a former tennis player from Australia who was ranked the World No. 1 amateur player for 1957 and 1958[lower-alpha 1].[1] Cooper won four singles and doubles titles at Grand Slam tournaments.
Playing career
Cooper won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 1957 Australian Championships where he defeated compatriot Neale Fraser in the final in four sets.[2][3]
Cooper played his best year in 1958, becoming one of only eleven men to win three of the four Grand Slam events in the same year. He successfully defended his Australian singles title after a straight-sets victory in the final against Malcolm Anderson.[2] In July he won his first Wimbledon title after beating Fraser in the final, and followed up with a first singles title at the U.S. Championships, again defeating Anderson in the final. Additionally Cooper was a semifinalist at the French Championship, losing to Luis Ayala in five sets.
The right-handed Cooper was the top ranked player in both 1957—when he was a Wimbledon and Forest Hills finalist, and Paris semi-finalist—and in 1958. Cooper played on the Australian Davis Cup team that won the cup in 1957, and were finalists in 1958. In 1959, he married Helen Wood, Miss Australia 1957, and in January turned professional after signing a contract with Jack Kramer.[4][5][6]
Upon retiring as a player, Cooper has served as a tennis player development administrator with Tennis Queensland, where he has been based for nearly fifty years. He presently also sits on the Board of Directors for Tennis Australia.
Honours
Cooper was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.[7] In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to tennis.[8]
In 2009 Cooper was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[9]
Grand Slam finals
Singles: (4 titles – 2 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | Neale Fraser |
6–3, 9–11, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 1957 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lew Hoad |
2–6, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Malcolm Anderson |
8–10, 5–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1958 | Australian Championships (2) | Grass | Malcolm Anderson |
7–5, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1958 | Wimbledon | Grass | Neale Fraser |
3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 13–11 |
| Winner | 1958 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Malcolm Anderson |
6–2, 3–6, 4–6, 10–8, 8–6 |
Doubles: (4 titles – 3 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1956 | French Championships | Clay | Lew Hoad | Don Candy Robert Perry | 5–7, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 1957 | Australian Championships | Grass | Malcolm Anderson | Lew Hoad Neale Fraser | 3–6, 6–8, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1957 | French Championships | Clay | Malcolm Anderson | Don Candy Mervyn Rose | 6–3, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1957 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Neale Fraser | Gardnar Mulloy Budge Patty | 4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1958 | Australian Championships | Grass | Neale Fraser | Roy Emerson Robert Mark | 7–5, 6–8, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 1958 | Wimbledon | Grass | Neale Fraser |  Sven Davidson Ulf Schmidt | 4–6, 4–6, 6–8 |
| Winner | 1958 | French Championships | Clay | Neale Fraser | Robert Howe.svg.png){kind=small} Abe Segal | 3–6, 8–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
Notes
- ↑ According to Lance Tingay
References
- 1 2 United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
- 1 2 Paul Newman (20 September 2016). "From the archive: Ashley Cooper, Wimbledon's original marathon man". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC.
- ↑ "Wimbledon Draws Archive – 1958 Gentlemen's Singles". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ↑ "Ashley Cooper, Helen Wood Will Wed Today". The News and Courier. Charleston, S.C. AP. 2 January 1959. p. 5B. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ↑ "ATP Player Profile". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ "Cooper Joins Kramer". The Canberra Times. 33, (9,681). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 January 1959. p. 8. Retrieved 22 September 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Ashley Cooper AO". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia
- ↑ "Mr Ashley Cooper AO". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashley Cooper (tennis). |
- Ashley Cooper at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Ashley Cooper at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Ashley Cooper at the Davis Cup
- Ashley Cooper at the International Tennis Federation
- Australian Open Hall of Fame