Peanut Louie Harper
Encyclopedia
Mareen Louie Harper better known by her nickname Peanut, is a retired American female tennis
player, born in San Francisco, California
to Ron and Alice Louie. Her elder sister, Marcie, also played on the WTA Tour, while her sisters Cici and Marisa, and brother Ronnie, all played at the University of San Francisco. She, along with her siblings, trained on the tennis courts of Golden Gate Park
. She was given the nickname "Peanut" by her dad because she was the youngest of the five children.
Louie Harper won 14 junior national titles and was the top ranked 16-and-under tennis player in the United States in 1976. She reached the finals of the junior Wimbledon in 1977 and the semifinals in 1978.
She made her professional debut in 1976, and that same year also played the US Open, where she lost in the first round. In her 19-year career, she won four singles title and reached her highest ranking of No. 19 in 1985. Her best results at the Grand Slams was the third round, which she achieved several times. Among her best wins were victories over Gabriela Sabatini
and Zina Garrison
. She retired in 1992.
She married her husband, Tim Harper in 1986, and thereafter competed under the name Peanut Louie Harper.
Since retiring from tennis, Louie Harper has started a graphic design firm based in San Francisco, ITP Design, and the organisation Harper For Kids with her husband, which aims to teach children about important life skills. She also co-authored the book Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success with basketball coach John Wooden
. She was inducted into the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame in 2000, and the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in 2010.
She lives in Cow Hollow, San Francisco, with her husband and two children: Casey and Jared.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, born in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to Ron and Alice Louie. Her elder sister, Marcie, also played on the WTA Tour, while her sisters Cici and Marisa, and brother Ronnie, all played at the University of San Francisco. She, along with her siblings, trained on the tennis courts of Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
. She was given the nickname "Peanut" by her dad because she was the youngest of the five children.
Louie Harper won 14 junior national titles and was the top ranked 16-and-under tennis player in the United States in 1976. She reached the finals of the junior Wimbledon in 1977 and the semifinals in 1978.
She made her professional debut in 1976, and that same year also played the US Open, where she lost in the first round. In her 19-year career, she won four singles title and reached her highest ranking of No. 19 in 1985. Her best results at the Grand Slams was the third round, which she achieved several times. Among her best wins were victories over Gabriela Sabatini
Gabriela Sabatini
Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini is a former professional Argentine tennis player. She was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s...
and Zina Garrison
Zina Garrison
Zina Lynna Garrison is a former professional tennis player from the United States. During her career, she was a women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, and a women's doubles gold medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games.-Career:An African-American...
. She retired in 1992.
She married her husband, Tim Harper in 1986, and thereafter competed under the name Peanut Louie Harper.
Since retiring from tennis, Louie Harper has started a graphic design firm based in San Francisco, ITP Design, and the organisation Harper For Kids with her husband, which aims to teach children about important life skills. She also co-authored the book Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success with basketball coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. She was inducted into the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame in 2000, and the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame in 2010.
She lives in Cow Hollow, San Francisco, with her husband and two children: Casey and Jared.