Dorothy Head Knode
| Country (sports) |
 United States |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 4, 1925 Richmond, CA, USA |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1955, 1957) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | F (1955, 1957) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1953, 1957) |
| US Open | SF (1955, 1957) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1956) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1967) |
Dorothy Head Knode (née Head; born July 4, 1925) is a former tennis player from the United States who reached the women's singles final of the French Championships in 1955 (losing to Angela Mortimer Barrett in three sets) and 1957 (losing to Shirley Bloomer Brasher in straight sets). She reached the semifinals of six other Grand Slam singles tournaments from 1952 through 1957.
In 1948 she won the singles title at the Cincinnati Championships after defeating Mercedes Madden Lewis in the final in two straight sets.[1] Knode won the singles title at the German Championships in 1950, 1952, and 1953. She also won the singles title at the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships in 1951, 1955, 1958, and 1960 and the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago.[2] She and her partner Darlene Hard were the runners-up in women's doubles at the 1956 French Championships, losing to the team of Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton 6–8, 8–6, 6–1.
According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Knode was ranked in the world top ten in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, and 1958 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 5 in those rankings in 1955 and 1957.[3] Knode was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1956 through 1959. She was the third-ranked United States player in 1957 and 1959.[4]
As of October 2008, Knode is still active in international and national senior events, winning the 80-and-over Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in Antalya, Turkey in 2005.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: (2 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1955 | French Championships | Clay |  Angela Mortimer | 6–2, 5–7, 8–10 |
| Runner-up | 1957 | French Championships | Clay | Shirley Bloomer Brasher | 1–6, 3–6 |
Doubles (1 runner-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1956 | French Championships | Clay | Darlene Hard | Angela Buxton Althea Gibson | 8–6, 6–8, 1–6 |
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | R# | RR | Q# | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 19461 | 19471 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| France | R | R | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | SF | SF | A | F | 3R | F | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 10 |
| Wimbledon | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | 4R | SF | A | QF | 2R | SF | 2R | A | 3R | A | A | 3R | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 11 |
| U.S. Championships | QF | 2R | 1R | QF | QF | 3R | 2R | A | 3R | A | A | 1R | SF | QF | SF | QF | QF | A | A | 4R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 15 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 36 |
R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation. SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.
See also
References
- ↑ Phillip S. Smith (2012). "From Club Court to Center Court – The Evolution of Professional Tennis in Cincinnati" (PDF). USTA. p. 23.
- ↑ "MacKay Wins Net Title". The Victoria Advocate. Jul 25, 1960.
- ↑ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702–3. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
- ↑ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. pp. 260–1.