Billy Knight (tennis)

Billy Knight
Full nameWilliam Arthur Knight
Country (sports) United Kingdom
Born (1935-11-12) 12 November 1935 (age 89)
Northampton, England
Turned pro1951 (ILTF World Circuit)
Retired1971
PlaysLeft-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record509–225[1]
Career titles47[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (1954, 1957)
French OpenQF (1959)
Wimbledon4R (1957, 1959, 1961, 1964)
US Open4R (1958, 1962)
Doubles
Career record1–1
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1957)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenF (1957)
French OpenW (1959)
Team competitions
Davis CupSF (1963)

William Arthur Knight (born 12 November 1935) is a former tennis player from Great Britain who competed on the amateur tour in the 1950s and 1960s. He was active from 1951 to 1968 and won 47 career singles titles.[1] a quarter finalist at the French Championships in 1959 and a clay court specialist where most his titles came, but also won titles on grass and wood indoor courts.[1] His biggest wins were winning the British Hard Court Championships (1958, 1963–1964), British Covered Court Championships (1960), German International Championships (1959)

Tennis career

Juniors

Before focusing on tennis Knight also played table tennis and won the English singles title in 1951.[2] As a tennis junior he won both the 1953 Wimbledon and 1954 Australian Championships Boys' Singles tournaments.[3][4]

Amateur tour

He played and won his first tournament at the Bude Open in 1951.[1] Knight's best slam performance was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1959 French Championships. He won the mixed doubles at the same tournament, partnering Yola Ramírez.

His biggest international singles highlights include winning the Cannes Gallia Club Championship in 1958,[1] the German International Championships in Hamburg in 1959,[1] the French Riviera Championships in Menton in 1959,[1] the Austrian International Championships in Pörtschach in 1960,[1] the International Championships of Barcelona in 1960,[1] the Yugoslavian International Championships in 1964.[1] He won his final singles title at the Klum Carlton International in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1968.[1] He played his final singles tournament in 1971 at the Cumberland Hard Court Championships.[1]

His best wins at British tournaments include winning the Scottish Championships in 1953,[1] the Welsh Covered Court Championships in 1953,[1] the London Hard Court Championships in 1955,[1] British Hard Court Championships in 1958 and from 1963 to 1964,[1] the British Covered Court Championships in 1960,[1] the Midland Counties Championships in 1965,[1] the North of England Hard Court Championships from 1966 to 1967.[1]

Knight was a frequent member of the British Davis Cup team between 1955 and 1964, reaching the Inter-Zonal group in 1963.[5]

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1957 Australian Championships Grass Australia Jill Langley Australia Fay Muller
Australia Mal Anderson 		5–7, 6–3, 1–6
Win 1959 French Championships Clay Mexico Yola Ramírez Australia Rod Laver
South Africa Renée Schuurman 		6–4, 6–4

Junior Grand Slam titles

Singles: 2

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1953 Wimbledon Grass India Ramanathan Krishnan 7–5, 6–4
Win 1954 Australian Open Grass Australia Roy Emerson 6–3, 6–1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Players:Knight, William (Billy)". The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  2. ^ "History of Northampton Table Tennis League". Northampton Table Tennis League.
  3. ^ Tournament Profile: Australian Open, ITF Juniors
  4. ^ "Nerves and Knight beat Emerson". Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954). 2 February 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. ^ Ball, Robert (1963). "Not Quite All Right, Jack", Sports Illustrated, 7 October 1963.