Betsy Nagelsen

Betsy Nagelsen
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceMaui, Hawaii &
Orlando, Florida
Born (1956-10-23) October 23, 1956
St. Petersburg, Florida
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro1973
Retired1996
PlaysRight-handed
Prize money$1,016,519
Singles
Career record194–256
Career titles3
Highest rankingNo. 23 (end 1981)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (1978)
French Open2R (1975, 1978)
Wimbledon4R (1981, 1986)
US Open3R (1974, 1976, 1980, 1988)
Doubles
Career record385–253
Career titles25
Highest rankingNo. 11 (March 14, 1988)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1978, 1980)
French OpenSF (1981, 1985)
WimbledonF (1987)
US OpenSF (1978, 1984, 1987)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US OpenF (1987)

Helen Elizabeth "Betsy" Nagelsen McCormack (born October 23, 1956) is an American former professional tennis player.

Career

Nagelsen was the world's top junior in 1973. She won the 1973 U.S. Champion Girls' 16 and under singles. She also won the USTA Girls' Sportsmanship Award in 1974.[2] As a professional, she won the doubles championship at the 1978 and 1980 Australian Opens (with Renáta Tomanová and Martina Navratilova, respectively), and reached the singles final of the 1978 Australian Open, losing to Christine O'Neil. Over her 21-year career on the WTA Tour, Nagelsen won 25 doubles titles and three singles titles.

Nagelsen reached her career-high singles ranking by the end of 1981, when she became the world No. 23.[1] She also reached a career-high ranking in doubles of No. 11 on March 4, 1988. She had career wins over Navratilova, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Sue Barker, Pam Shriver, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Rosie Casals, Betty Stöve, and Sylvia Hanika. She was a four-time member of the U.S. Wightman Cup Team in 1974, 1985, 1988 and 1989.

After her retirement in 1996, Nagelsen became a commentator for ABC and ESPN in the United States and Australia's Nine Network. She married Mark McCormack, founder of the sports management group IMG, on March 1, 1986.[3] The couple donated money for the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Women's Tennis Hall of Fame is located on the site.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1978 Australian Open Grass Chris O'Neil 3–6, 6–7(3–7)

Doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1977(J) Australian Open Grass Kerry Reid Dianne Fromholtz
Helen Gourlay
7–5, 1–6, 5–7
Win 1978 Australian Open Grass Renáta Tomanová Naoko Sato
Pam Whytcross
7–5, 6–2
Win 1980 Australian Open Grass Martina Navratilova Ann Kiyomura
Candy Reynolds
6–4, 6–4
Loss 1987 Wimbledon Grass Elizabeth Smylie Claudia Kohde-Kilsch
Helena Suková
5–7, 5–7

Mixed doubles: 1 (runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1987 US Open Hard Paul Annacone Martina Navratilova
Emilio Sánchez
4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–7(12–14)

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 SR
Australian Open A A A 1R A F A 3R 2R A 2R 1R 2R NH 2R 1R A A A A A 0 / 9
French Open 1R 2R 1R A 2R A 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R A A A 1R A A A 0 / 12
Wimbledon 3R 2R 1R 2R 2R 2R 3R 4R 2R 3R 2R 1R 4R 1R 1R 1R 3R 1R Q1 Q2 0 / 18
US Open 3R A 3R 1R 1R 1R 3R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 2R A A A A 0 / 15
Strike rate 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 54

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

WTA Tour finals

Doubles: 36 (24–12)

Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Jul 1976 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Wendy Turnbull Brigitte Cuypers
Annette Du Plooy
6–4, 6–4
Win 2–0 Dec 1976 Sydney, Australia Grass Helen Gourlay Dianne Fromholtz
Renáta Tomanová
6–4, 6–1
Loss 2–1 Jan 1977 Australian Open Grass Kerry Reid Dianne Fromholtz
Helen Gourlay
7–5, 1–6, 5–7
Loss 2–2 May 1978 Rome, Italy Clay Florența Mihai Mima Jaušovec
Virginia Ruzici
2–6, 6–2, 6–7
Win 3–2 Dec 1978 Australian Open Grass Renáta Tomanová Naoko Sato
Pam Whytcross
7–5, 6–2
Win 4–2 Oct 1979 Tokyo, Japan Carpet Penny Johnson Chen Chuan
Yu Li-Qiao
3–6, 6–4, 7–6
Loss 4–3 Aug 1980 Toronto, Canada Hard Ann Kiyomura Andrea Jaeger
Regina Maršíková
1–6, 3–6
Win 5–3 Dec 1980 Australian Open Grass Martina Navratilova Ann Kiyomura
Candy Reynolds
6–4, 6–4
Win 6–3 Sep 1981 Atlanta, US Hard Laura duPont Rosie Casals
Candy Reynolds
6–4, 7–5
Loss 6–4 Nov 1981 Perth, Australia Grass Candy Reynolds Barbara Potter
Sharon Walsh
4–6, 2–6
Win 7–4 Aug 1982 Atlanta, US Hard Kathy Jordan Chris Evert
Billie Jean King
4–6, 7–6(13–11), 7–6(7–3)
Loss 7–5 Aug 1983 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard Virginia Ruzici Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver
1–6, 0–6
Win 8–5 Mar 1984 Palm Beach Gardens, US Clay Anne White Rosalyn Fairbank
Candy Reynolds
2–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win 9–5 Sep 1984 San Diego, US Hard Paula Smith Terry Holladay
Iwona Kuczyńska
6–2, 6–4
Win 10–5 Oct 1984 Tokyo, Japan Hard Candy Reynolds Emilse Longo
Adriana Villagrán
6–3, 6–2
Win 11–5 Jan 1985 Port St. Lucie, US Hard Paula Smith Christiane Jolissaint
Marcella Mesker
6–3, 6–4
Loss 11–6 Apr 1985 Tokyo, Japan Carpet (i) Anne White Kathy Jordan
Elizabeth Smylie
6–4, 5–7, 2–6
Loss 11–7 Jan 1986 Key Biscayne, US Hard Barbara Potter Kathy Jordan
Elizabeth Smylie
6–7(6–8), 6–2, 2–6
Win 12–7 Mar 1986 Phoenix, US Hard Susan Mascarin Linda Gates
Alycia Moulton
6–3, 5–7, 6–4
Win 13–7 May 1986 Lugano, Switzerland Clay Elise Burgin Jenny Byrne
Janine Tremelling
6–2, 6–3
Win 14–7 Aug 1986 Mahwah, US Hard Elizabeth Smylie Steffi Graf
Helena Suková
7–6(7–4), 6–3
Loss 14–8 Dec 1986 Brisbane, Australia Grass Elizabeth Smylie Hana Mandlíková
Wendy Turnbull
4–6, 3–6
Win 15–8 Jan 1987 Sydney, Australia Grass Elizabeth Smylie Jenny Byrne
Janine Thompson
6–7(5–7), 7–5, 6–1
Loss 15–9 Mar 1987 Piscataway, US Carpet (i) Elizabeth Smylie Gigi Fernández
Lori McNeil
1–6, 4–6
Win 16–9 Apr 1987 Tokyo, Japan Hard Kathy Jordan Sandy Collins
Sharon Walsh
6–3, 7–5
Win 17–9 May 1987 Geneva, Switzerland Clay Elizabeth Smylie Laura Gildemeister
Catherine Tanvier
4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Loss 17–10 Jun 1987 Wimbledon, UK Grass Elizabeth Smylie Claudia Kohde-Kilsch
Helena Suková
5–7, 5–7
Win 18–10 Jan 1988 Brisbane, Australia Grass Pam Shriver Claudia Kohde-Kilsch
Helena Suková
2–6, 7–5, 6–2
Loss 18–11 Oct 1988 New Orleans, US Hard Lori McNeil Beth Herr
Candy Reynolds
4–6, 4–6
Win 19–11 Oct 1988 Brighton, UK Carpet (i) Lori McNeil Isabelle Demongeot
Nathalie Tauziat
7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(4)
Win 20–11 Nov 1988 Chicago, US Carpet (i) Lori McNeil Larisa Savchenko
Natasha Zvereva
6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win 21–11 Feb 1989 Fairfax, US Carpet Pam Shriver Larisa Savchenko
Natasha Zvereva
6–2, 6–3
Win 22–11 Feb 1989 Memphis, US Hard (i) Lori McNeil Elise Burgin
Elizabeth Smylie
w/o
Win 23–11 Sep 1989 Dallas, US Carpet (i) Mary Joe Fernández Elise Burgin
Rosalyn Fairbank
7–6(7–5), 6–3
Loss 23–12 May 1990 Geneva, Switzerland Clay Elise Burgin Louise Field
Dianne Van Rensburg
7–5, 6–7, 5–7
Win 24–12 Jul 1990 Montreal, Canada Hard Gabriela Sabatini Helen Kelesi
Raffaella Reggi
3–6, 6–2, 6–2

See also

References

  1. ^ a b WTA ranking 1981
  2. ^ "ITA Betsy Nagelsen McCormack". Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  3. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1990). The International Tennis Federation : World of Tennis 1990. London: Willow Books. pp. 308–309. ISBN 9780002183550.