Brian Fairlie
Encyclopedia
Brian Fairlie, born 13 June 1948 in Christchurch
, is a retired tennis player from New Zealand. During his career from 1968 to 1979 he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei
, and two singles titles. He also was the 1967 junior boys champion of the Australian Championships.
result was reaching the men's doubles semifinal of the French Open in 1971 with partner Frew McMillan
. A year earlier, he reached the singles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open
before losing to Tony Roche
.
In September 1973 he achieved his highest career ATP ranking of 24th.
In 1969, his first full year on the circuit, he upset former Wimbledon
and U.S. Open champion John Newcombe
in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open
in Auckland. It was the year "Auckland Tennis went 'open'," attracting star players such as Newcombe and his countryman, top-ranked Rod Laver
. The tournament's website describes the atmosphere at the event that year: "There was wild excitement in a packed stadium when Kiwi Brian Fairlie pulled off an upset win over Newcombe in five hard-fought sets. When he went on to face Laver, the gates had to be closed against the huge crowds wanting to get in." In both 1975 and l976 Fairlie reached the finals of that tournament, losing on both occasions to fellow New Zealander and Davis Cup
doubles partner Onny Parun
.
In 1976 Fairlie played in an Australian Open match notable for having the 13th oldest combined age in Grand Slam history. His age and that of his opponent, Hall of Fame
player Frank Sedgman
, averaged 37 years, 10 months, and 9 days.
In winning the second of his two singles titles (in Manila, Philippines, in 1976), he lost only one set during the entire tournament.
, he became a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms, a team that also included future Tennis Hall of Famers Fred Stolle
and Billie Jean King
. With King as player-coach, the team posted the new league's best record, 39-5.
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, is a retired tennis player from New Zealand. During his career from 1968 to 1979 he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei
Ismail El Shafei
Ismail El-Shafei was the Head of Egyptian Tennis Federation and Member of International Tennis Federation. El Shafei is the only Egyptian player to enter Top 40 in Grand Prix/ATP ranking history...
, and two singles titles. He also was the 1967 junior boys champion of the Australian Championships.
Professional
The 5' 8" player's best Grand SlamGrand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
result was reaching the men's doubles semifinal of the French Open in 1971 with partner Frew McMillan
Frew McMillan
Frew Donald McMillan is a former professional male tennis player from South Africa.He won five major doubles championships including three Wimbledons with Bob Hewitt. The most notable aspect of his game was that he had both a two-handed backhand and forehand, which simultaneously increased his...
. A year earlier, he reached the singles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
before losing to Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
.
In September 1973 he achieved his highest career ATP ranking of 24th.
In 1969, his first full year on the circuit, he upset former Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and U.S. Open champion John Newcombe
John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open
Heineken Open (tennis)
The Heineken Open is a tennis tournament on the ATP International Series played in Auckland, New Zealand. It was also a combined mens and womens tournament until 1981.-History:...
in Auckland. It was the year "Auckland Tennis went 'open'," attracting star players such as Newcombe and his countryman, top-ranked Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
. The tournament's website describes the atmosphere at the event that year: "There was wild excitement in a packed stadium when Kiwi Brian Fairlie pulled off an upset win over Newcombe in five hard-fought sets. When he went on to face Laver, the gates had to be closed against the huge crowds wanting to get in." In both 1975 and l976 Fairlie reached the finals of that tournament, losing on both occasions to fellow New Zealander and Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
doubles partner Onny Parun
Onny Parun
Onny Parun is a former tennis player of Croatian descent from New Zealand, who was among the world's top 20 for five years and in 1971 and 1972 he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He made the final of the Australian Open in 1973, losing to John Newcombe in four sets, and was a U.S...
.
In 1976 Fairlie played in an Australian Open match notable for having the 13th oldest combined age in Grand Slam history. His age and that of his opponent, Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
player Frank Sedgman
Frank Sedgman
Frank Arthur Sedgman, born 29 October 1927, in Mont Albert, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was a tennis player who was arguably the world No.1 in 1952. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, included Sedgman in his list of the 21...
, averaged 37 years, 10 months, and 9 days.
In winning the second of his two singles titles (in Manila, Philippines, in 1976), he lost only one set during the entire tournament.
Davis Cup
From 1966 through 1979 he played in 48 Davis Cup matches for New Zealand, winning 13 in singles and 7 in doubles.Team Tennis
In 1974, the inaugural year of World Team TennisWorld Team Tennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
, he became a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms, a team that also included future Tennis Hall of Famers Fred Stolle
Fred Stolle
Frederick "Fred" Sydney Stolle is an Australian tennis player. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle....
and Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
. With King as player-coach, the team posted the new league's best record, 39-5.
ATP Tour singles titles (2)
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1973 | London WCT, England | Hard (i) |  United Kingdom Mark Cox |
2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1976 | Manila Philippine International Tennis Tournament The Philippine International Tennis Tournament was a men's tennis tournament played in Manila, Philippines from 1973-1978. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit and was played on outdoor hard courts.-Men's singles:-Doubles:-References:**... , Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
Hard |  Australia Ray RuffelsRay Ruffels Ray Ruffels is a former professional tennis player.Ruffels was an Australian Open semi-finalist in 1969 and 1975, and a quarter-finalist in 1968, 1970 and 1977.... |
7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
ATP Tour doubles titles (4)
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1974 | St. Louis WCT St. Louis WCT The St. Louis WCT was a men's tennis tournament played in St. Louis, Missouri from 1970-1978. The event was part of the WCT Tour and was held on indoor carpet courts except from 1974-1975, when it was held on outdoor clay courts.-Singles:-Doubles:... , U.S. |
Clay |  Egypt Ismail El ShafeiIsmail El Shafei Ismail El-Shafei was the Head of Egyptian Tennis Federation and Member of International Tennis Federation. El Shafei is the only Egyptian player to enter Top 40 in Grand Prix/ATP ranking history... |
Australia Geoff Masters Geoff Masters Geoff Masters is a former Australian tennis player.-Tennis tour career:In 1977 Masters and Ross Case won the doubles in Wimbledon.-Doubles titles :-Post-tennis playing career:... , Australia Ross CaseRoss Case Ross Case was an Australian tennis player.With Geoff Masters he won two Grand Slam titles: the 1974 doubles at the Australian Open and the 1977 doubles at Wimbledon. He was also runner up in 1976 at Wimbledon... |
7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1976 | ATP Sydney Indoor ATP Sydney Indoor The Australian Indoor Tennis Championship, or Sydney Indoor for short, was a professional men's tennis tournament was played in Sydney, Australia. The event was played under various names as part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1973 through 1989 and as part of the ATP Tour from 1990 through... , Australia |
Hard (i) | Egypt Ismail El Shafei |
Australia Syd Ball Syd Ball Syd Ball , is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Ball enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 7 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 14 times. Partnering Bob Giltinan, Ball finished runner-up at the 1974 Australian Open... , Australia Kim WarwickKim Warwick Kim Warwick is a former Australian professional male tennis player mostly known for his doubles titles with Mark Edmondson, and for reaching the final of the singles Australian Open in 1980... |
7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1977 | Newport Hall of Fame Tennis Championships The Hall of Fame Championships is an international tennis tournament that has been held every year in July since 1976 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island... , U.S. |
Grass | Egypt Ismail El Shafei |
 United States Tim GulliksonTim Gullikson Timothy Ernest "Tim" Gullikson was a tennis player and coach who was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin in the United States.In 1977, he won three tour singles titles and was named the ATP's Newcomer of the Year... , United States Tom GulliksonTom Gullikson Tom Gullikson is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from the United States.-Career:... |
6–7, 6–3, 7–6 |
| 1978 | Cairo Cairo Open The Cairo Open is a defunct Grand Prix and Challenger affiliated tennis tournament played from 1975 to 1991. It was held in Cairo in Egypt and played on outdoor clay courts.... , Egypt |
Clay | Egypt Ismail El Shafei |
 Argentina Lito Álvarez, United States George Hardie |
6–3, 7–5, 6–2 |
External links
- ITF Player Biography
- Davis Cup record
- "Scorecard" column in Sports Illustrated (17 August 1970) mentioning Fairlie's reaction in a match in which he felt his opponent "was 'toweling off' too much."
- Transcript of 2008 New Zealand House of Representatives proceedings during which Representative Dail Jones reminisced about the matches in Auckland between Fairlie and Onny Parun.