Luis Ayala (tennis)

Luis Ayala

Ayala in 1956
Full name	Luis Alberto Ayala
Country (sports)	Chile
Residence	United States
Born	(1932-09-18)18 September 1932[citation needed] Santiago, Chile[citation needed]
Died	4 September 2024(2024-09-04) (aged 91)
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro	1961 (amateur from 1950)
Retired	1970
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record	626–353 (63.9%) [1]
Career titles	43
Highest ranking	No. 5 (1958, Lance Tingay)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	F (1958, 1960)
Wimbledon	QF (1959, 1960, 1961)
US Open	QF (1957, 1959)
Professional majors
US Pro	QF (1965, 1966, 1967)
Wembley Pro	1R (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
French Pro	QF (1961, 1965)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	1R (1969)
Wimbledon	1R (1968, 1969)
US Open	2R (1968, 1969, 1970)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	W (1956)
Wimbledon	SF (1957)

Luis Alberto Ayala Salinas (18 September 1932 – 4 September 2024) was a Chilean tennis player who competed during the 1950s and 1960s.^[3]

Ayala was a two-time singles runner-up at the French Championships. In 1958, as the fifth seed, he reached the final after defeating the top-seeded and world No. 1 player, Ashley Cooper, in the semifinals. However, he was defeated in straight sets by Mervyn Rose in the final. In 1960, Ayala again reached the final, losing in five sets to Nicola Pietrangeli.^[4] He won the mixed doubles title at the 1956 French Championships with Thelma Coyne Long.^{[citation needed]}

Ayala secured the gold medal in singles at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, defeating Canadian player Robert Bédard in the final.^{[citation needed]}

He claimed the prestigious singles title at the Italian Open in 1959, overcoming Nicola Pietrangeli in the semifinals and Neale Fraser in the final, both in four sets. The following year, he reached the final again but was defeated in five sets by Barry MacKay.^{[citation needed]}

Ayala won the 1960 Argentina International Tennis Championships in Buenos Aires, defeating Ron Holmberg in the semifinals and Manuel Santana in the final. This was his third Argentina title, having previously won in 1955 (defeating Art Larsen) and 1957 (defeating Enrique Morea).^{[citation needed]}

In 1960, Ayala also won the Madrid Championships, defeating Andrés Gimeno in the final. In 1961, he won the Hanover Championships, overcoming Ramanathan Krishnan in the final.^{[citation needed]}

In 1961, Ayala turned professional and joined Jack Kramer's tour.^[5] In 1964, he won the La Baule Professional Championships on clay, defeating Rod Laver in the semifinals and Lew Hoad in the final.^{[citation needed]}

After retiring from professional play, Ayala became a tennis professional at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. He later served as the director of tennis at the Forest Club in Houston.^{[citation needed]}

Ayala represented Chile in the Davis Cup from 1952 to 1960, participating in 18 ties and compiling a record of 37 wins and 14 losses. His most notable performance came in 1955 when Chile reached the semifinals of the Europe Zone, where they were defeated by Sweden despite Ayala winning both of his singles matches against Lennart Bergelin and Sven Davidson.^[6]

Ayala died on 4 September 2024, at the age of 91, fourteen days before his 92th birthday.^[7]

Ayala was consistently ranked among the world's top ten tennis players by both Ned Potter and Lance Tingay between 1956 and 1961. Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked him as world No. 5 in 1958, and he was ranked No. 6 in 1959, No. 7 in 1960, and No. 7 again in 1961.^[2]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1958	French Championships	Clay	Mervyn Rose	3–6, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	1960	French Championships	Clay	Nicola Pietrangeli	6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1955	French Championships	Clay	Jenny Staley Hoad	Darlene Hard Gordon Forbes	7–5, 1–6, 2–6
Win	1956	French Championships	Clay	Thelma Coyne Long	Doris Hart Bob Howe	4–6, 6–4, 6–1

• Luis Ayala at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Luis Ayala at the International Tennis Federation
• Luis Ayala at the Davis Cup
• Forest Club bio