Beverly Baker Fleitz

Beverly Baker Fleitz

Full name	Beverly Joyce Baker Fleitz
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1930-03-13)March 13, 1930 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	April 29, 2014(2014-04-29) (aged 84) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Plays	Right and left-handed forehand
Prize money	Amateur
Singles
Highest ranking	World No. 3 (1954, 1955, 1958)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	SF (1955)
Wimbledon	F (1955)
US Open	SF (1950, 1958)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	W (1955)
Wimbledon	F (1959)
US Open	QF (1949, 1950)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	QF (1951)
Wimbledon	4R (1959)
US Open	QF (1948, 1951, 1958)

Beverly Joyce Fleitz (

Career

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Fleitz began playing tennis at age 11 and played mostly on public courts in Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, California. Her father, Frank Baker, was her only coach and was the assistant director of recreation for the city of Santa Monica.

During 11 of the 12 weeks following June 19, 1950, Fleitz competed in tournaments across the U.S. In singles, she won three titles, was the runner-up three times, and was a semifinalist at both the U.S. National Championships and the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships. Her six losses during this period were to Doris Hart (twice), Margaret Osborne duPont (twice), Maureen Connolly, and Magda Berescu Rurac. She recorded wins over Louise Brough, Connolly, Berescu Rurac, Patricia Canning Todd, and Dorothy Bundy Cheney. In women's doubles, she was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. National Doubles Championships.

Grand Slam tournaments

At the U.S. National Championships, Fleitz reached the semifinals twice and the quarterfinals in four of her six other attempts. She played Grand Slam singles tournaments outside the U.S. only six times. At the 1951 Wimbledon Championships, she defeated Althea Gibson in the third round 6–1, 6–3 and Margaret Osborne duPont in the quarterfinals before falling to Doris Hart in the semifinals 6–3, 6–1. Fleitz was the top seed at the 1955 French International Championships, but she was upset by fourth-seeded Dorothy Head Knode in the semifinals 6–2, 6–3.

At the

Afterward, Fleitz said "I've no excuses for my defeat. Louise was just marvelous today. She played as well as I've ever seen her play and well deserved her victory."[4]

At the 1956 Wimbledon Championships, Fleitz reached the quarterfinals, then she was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of a pregnancy-related illness. She last played Wimbledon in 1959 as the third-seeded player. Unseeded Edda Buding from West Germany defeated her in the fourth round 8–6, 2–6, 7–5.

Fleitz never played contemporaries Angela Mortimer, Ann Haydon, Christine Truman, Darlene Hard, Maureen Connolly, or Shirley Fry in a Grand Slam singles tournament. Her win–loss record against other top players at those tournaments was as follows: Althea Gibson 2–1, Doris Hart 1–2, Louise Brough 0–3, Margaret Osborne duPont 2–1, and Maria Bueno 1–0.

Her only Grand Slam title was in women's doubles at the 1955 French International Championships. In the final, she and partner Darlene Hard needed 50 games to defeat their opponents in the longest Grand Slam women's doubles final of all time.

Other tournaments

Outside of the U.S., Fleitz won singles tournaments in Bermuda, England, Ireland, Mexico, and West Germany. She was the runner-up at tournaments in Cuba and England.

In the U.S., she was the runner-up at the 1949 U.S. Clay Court Championships, losing to former Romanian national champion Magda Berescu Rurac. Fleitz won the

In March 1954, Fleitz defeated Maureen Connolly 6–0, 6–4 at a tournament in La Jolla, California, which was the last time anyone defeated Connolly in a singles tournament and her only loss of 1954. Connolly had won the last seven Grand Slam singles tournaments she had played. Fleitz won four of their nine career singles matches.

Fleitz was a four-time singles champion at the

Retirement years

Fleitz retired permanently from singles tennis in 1959 and was inducted into the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2005.^[5]

Personal life

She married actor Scotty Beckett on September 28, 1949 in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[6] Baker was granted a divorce in June 1950.^[7]

Personal life

She married tennis player John Fleitz on October 6, 1951. They had five daughters together. John Fleitz died in Long Beach, California on November 14, 2011 at age 82.^{[citation needed]}

She can be heard as a contestant on the 7th November 1951 edition of You Bet Your Life.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1955	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Louise Brough	5–7, 6–8

Doubles: (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1955	French Championships	Clay	Darlene Hard	Shirley Bloomer Patricia Ward	7–5, 6–8, 13–11
Loss	1959	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Christine Truman	Jeanne Arth Darlene Hard	6–2, 2–6, 3–6

Other singles finals (38 titles, 13 runner-ups)

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Grand Slam tournament timeline

Singles

¹In 1947, the French International Championships were held after the Wimbledon Championships.

Doubles

See also

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final

References