Luis Ayala (tennis)
![]() Ayala in 1956 | |
Full name | Luis Alberto Ayala |
---|---|
Country (sports) | ![]() |
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]
Amateur career
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]
Professional career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Tennis_in_Noordwijk%2C_Luis_Ayala_in_actie_in_een_partije_tegen_Ken_Rosewall_%28niet_op_de_foto%29%2C_Bestanddeelnr_916-7928.jpg/200px-Tennis_in_Noordwijk%2C_Luis_Ayala_in_actie_in_een_partije_tegen_Ken_Rosewall_%28niet_op_de_foto%29%2C_Bestanddeelnr_916-7928.jpg)
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]
Davis Cup
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]
Death
Ayala died on 4 September 2024, at the age of 91, fourteen days before his 92th birthday.[7]
Ranking
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]
Grand Slam finals
Singles (2 runners-up)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1958 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 1960 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6 |
Mixed doubles: (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1955 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 1–6, 2–6 |
Win | 1956 | French Championships | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
References
- ^ "Luis Ayala: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
- ^ "Mackay, Ayala Tennis Winners". The Telegraph. Associated Press. 15 July 1965. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ "Luis Ayala: El chileno que descolló en Roland Garros" (in Spanish). Guioteca. 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Ayala Looking To Future". The Miami News. Associated Press. 24 September 1961. p. 4C.
- ^ "Davis Cup players – Luis Ayala". International Tennis Federation.
- ^ Velozo, Pablo (4 September 2024). "Fallece Luis Ayala, leyenda del tenis chileno: fue finalista de Roland Garros y primer top-10 nacional". BioBioChile – La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
External links
- Luis Ayala at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Luis Ayala at the International Tennis Federation
- Luis Ayala at the Davis Cup
- Forest Club bio
- v
- t
- e
(national)
- 1902: Hélène Prévost / Réginald Forbes
- 1903: Hélène Prévost / Réginald Forbes
- 1904: Kate Gillou / Max Decugis
- 1905: Yvonne de Pfeffel / Max Decugis
- 1906: Yvonne de Pfeffel / Max Decugis
- 1907: A. Péan / Robert Wallet
- 1908: Kate Gillou / Max Decugis
- 1909: Jeanne Matthey / Max Decugis
- 1910: Marguerite Mény / Édouard Mény de Marangue
- 1911: Marguerite Broquedis / André Gobert
- 1912: Daisy Speranza / William Laurentz
- 1913: Daisy Speranza / William Laurentz
- 1914: Suzanne Lenglen / Max Decugis
- 1915–1919: No competition (World War I)
- 1920: Suzanne Lenglen / Max Decugis
- 1921: Suzanne Lenglen / Jacques Brugnon
- 1922: Suzanne Lenglen / Jacques Brugnon
- 1923: Suzanne Lenglen / Jacques Brugnon
- 1924: Marguerite Broquedis / Jean Borotra
(international)
- 1925: Suzanne Lenglen / Jacques Brugnon
- 1926: Suzanne Lenglen / Jacques Brugnon
- 1927: Marguerite Broquedis Bordes / Jean Borotra
- 1928: Eileen Bennett / Henri Cochet
- 1929: Eileen Bennett / Henri Cochet
- 1930: Cilly Aussem / Bill Tilden
- 1931: Betty Nuthall / Pat Spence
- 1932: Betty Nuthall / Fred Perry
- 1933: Margaret Scriven / Jack Crawford
- 1934: Colette Rosambert / Jean Borotra
- 1935: Lolette Payot / Marcel Bernard
- 1936: Billie Yorke / Marcel Bernard
- 1937: Simonne Mathieu / Yvon Petra
- 1938: Simonne Mathieu / Dragutin Mitić
- 1939: Sarah Palfrey Fabyan / Elwood Cooke
- 1940–1945: No competition (World War II)
- 1946: Pauline Betz / Budge Patty
- 1947: Sheila Piercey / Eric Sturgess
- 1948: Patricia Canning Todd / Jaroslav Drobný
- 1949: Sheila Piercey / Eric Sturgess
- 1950: Barbara Scofield / Enrique Morea
- 1951: Doris Hart / Frank Sedgman
- 1952: Doris Hart / Frank Sedgman
- 1953: Doris Hart / Vic Seixas
- 1954: Maureen Connolly / Lew Hoad
- 1955: Darlene Hard / Gordon Forbes
- 1956: Thelma Coyne Long / Luis Ayala
- 1957: Věra Pužejová / Jiří Javorský
- 1958: Shirley Bloomer / Nicola Pietrangeli
- 1959: Yola Ramírez Ochoa / William Knight
- 1960: Maria Bueno / Robert Howe
- 1961: Darlene Hard / Rod Laver
- 1962: Renée Schuurman / Robert Howe
- 1963: Margaret Smith / Ken Fletcher
- 1964: Margaret Smith / Ken Fletcher
- 1965: Margaret Smith / Ken Fletcher
- 1966: Annette Van Zyl / Frew McMillan
- 1967: Billie Jean King / Owen Davidson
- 1968: Françoise Dürr / Jean-Claude Barclay
- 1969: Margaret Court / Marty Riessen
- 1970: Billie Jean King / Bob Hewitt
- 1971: Françoise Dürr / Jean-Claude Barclay
- 1972: Evonne Goolagong Cawley / Kim Warwick
- 1973: Françoise Dürr / Jean-Claude Barclay
- 1974: Martina Navrátilová / Iván Molina
- 1975: Fiorella Bonicelli / Thomas Koch
- 1976: Ilana Kloss / Kim Warwick
- 1977: Mary Carillo / John McEnroe
- 1978: Renáta Tomanová / Pavel Složil
- 1979: Wendy Turnbull / Bob Hewitt
- 1980: Anne Smith / Billy Martin
- 1981: Andrea Jaeger / Jimmy Arias
- 1982: Wendy Turnbull / John Lloyd
- 1983: Barbara Jordan / Eliot Teltscher
- 1984: Anne Smith / Dick Stockton
- 1985: Martina Navrátilová / Heinz Günthardt
- 1986: Kathy Jordan / Ken Flach
- 1987: Pam Shriver / Emilio Sánchez Vicario
- 1988: Lori McNeil / Jorge Lozano
- 1989: Manon Bollegraf / Tom Nijssen
- 1990: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario / Jorge Lozano
- 1991: Helena Suková / Cyril Suk
- 1992: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario / Mark Woodforde
- 1993: Eugenia Maniokova / Andrei Olhovskiy
- 1994: Kristie Boogert / Menno Oosting
- 1995: Larisa Neiland / Todd Woodbridge
- 1996: Patricia Tarabini / Javier Frana
- 1997: Rika Hiraki / Mahesh Bhupathi
- 1998: Venus Williams / Justin Gimelstob
- 1999: Katarina Srebotnik / Piet Norval
- 2000: Mariaan de Swardt / David Adams
- 2001: Virginia Ruano Pascual / Tomas Carbonell
- 2002: Cara Black / Wayne Black
- 2003: Lisa Raymond / Mike Bryan
- 2004: Tatiana Golovin / Richard Gasquet
- 2005: Daniela Hantuchová / Fabrice Santoro
- 2006: Katarina Srebotnik / Nenad Zimonjić
- 2007: Nathalie Dechy / Andy Ram
- 2008: Victoria Azarenka / Bob Bryan
- 2009: Liezel Huber / Bob Bryan
- 2010: Katarina Srebotnik / Nenad Zimonjić
- 2011: Casey Dellacqua / Scott Lipsky
- 2012: Sania Mirza / Mahesh Bhupathi
- 2013: Lucie Hradecká / František Čermák
- 2014: Anna-Lena Grönefeld / Jean-Julien Rojer
- 2015: Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Mike Bryan
- 2016: Martina Hingis / Leander Paes
- 2017: Gabriela Dabrowski / Rohan Bopanna
- 2018: Latisha Chan / Ivan Dodig
- 2019: Latisha Chan / Ivan Dodig
- 2020: No competition (COVID-19 pandemic)
- 2021: Desirae Krawczyk / Joe Salisbury
- 2022: Ena Shibahara / Wesley Koolhof
- 2023: Miyu Kato / Tim Pütz
- 2024: Laura Siegemund / Édouard Roger-Vasselin