Rejean Genois
Encyclopedia
Réjean Génois is a former professional and Davis Cup tennis player from Quebec City
. Génois was the top-ranked Canadian singles player during 1978 and 1979. His career high ranking of World No. 89 was the highest grand prix tour computer ranking for a Canadian until Glenn Michibata
reached World No. 79 in 1984.
likewise lost in the second round after a bye.
2-6, 1-6. In doubles Génois and partner Richard Legendre
, fellow Quebecer and Canadian Davis Cupper, fell in straight sets in the first round to the top-seeded pairing of Jimmy Connors
and Marty Riessen
.
2-6, 2-6. In doubles he and partner Canadian C. Burr lost in the first round as well.
In August, Génois played the Canadian Open for a second time and won his first ever tour match, as he and partner Pierre Lamarche, another Quebecer and Davis Cup player, won their first round match, 6-2, 6-3, over Jeff Borowiak
and Jim McManus
. In the second round they fell to Manuel Orantes
and Guillermo Vilas
2 and 3. In singles, Génois was again soundly beaten, this time by Mexican Joaquin Loyo-Mayo
2-6, 0-6.
0-6, 1-6.
at the Salisbury Grand Prix, played in February indoors on carpet in Salibury, MD. (Nastase went on to win the title.) His ranking improved slightly - on June 14 he became World No. 326 and Canada No. 3 (in singles - doubles rankings were not kept then).
For the fourth time Génois fell in the first round of the Canadian Open, this time to Australian Geoff Masters
2-6, 5-7. He played doubles again too, losing in the first round partnering compatriot and fellow Davis Cupper Dale Power
.
7-5, 5-7, 4-6. He also played in a grand slam event for the first time, competing in doubles at the U.S. Open. He and partner Guillermo Oropez lost 2 and 1 in the first round to the legendary doubles pair of Bob Hewitt
and Frew McMillan
.
Despite never having won a tour singles event, remarkably, Génois was ranked World No. 184 on Dec 31, 1977, putting him at Canada No. 2. The only Canadian ranked higher was Greg Halder, at No. 127.
The following week Génois, according to the ATP
's results archives, played in the Raleigh Challenger and Cincinnati Grand Prix
events simultaneously, reaching the second round in both. He scored his first ever win in a grand prix event over American Keith Richardson
, 7-6, 7-6. He lost in the second round to Pat Dupre
in three sets. Génois also reached the second round in doubles partnering Frenchman Christophe Freyss
. In rankings released on July 12, Génois was listed as World No. 115 and Canada No. 1. He continued his good run reaching the quarter-finals of the Virginia Beach Challenger held two weeks later. In doubles he and partner Bernard Fritz
lost in the first round. Génois reached his career high ranking of World No. 89 at the end of July.
In following two challengers however, Génois lost in the first round in singles however. At the Wall Challenger (in Wall NJ) he and partner Johan Kriek
managed to reach the quarter-finals. Génois turned matters around somewhat winning his first ever singles match at the Canadian Open, as he defeated Briton Robin Drysdale
6-4, 6-0. In the second he lost ot eventual champion and top seed Eddie Dibbs
, 2-6, 4-6. In doubles, he and compatriot Harry Fritz lost in straight sets in the first round.
Génois had his best tour tournament result at the 1978 U.S. Open, reaching the third round. In doing so, Génois defeated No. 10 seed Sandy Mayer
in the first round, 7-6, 6-2, and Colombian Alvaro Betancur in the second, 6-2, 6-3. He fell to Johan Kriek in the third 2-6, 6-7.
Génois played in two further challenger events in the autumn, reaching the second round of the Tinton Falls Challenger in late September and the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Challenger in middle October. In doubles at Tinton Falls he and partner Legendre reached the second round, while in Tel Aviv Génois and fellow Canadian Dale Power likewise reached the second round. Génois finished the year World No. 121 (in singles).
lost in the first round however. He next, two weeks later, saw action in the French Open
where he went out in the opening round to No. 10 seed Brian Gottfried
in straight sets. He was to be his only main draw appearance at Roland Garros.
In June Génois lost in the first round in both singles, to Stefan Simonsson
, 5-7, 6-7, and in doubles, partnering Legendre, at Brussels Outdoor Grand Prix. The following week he again lost in the first round in singles, again on clay, at the Berlin Grand Prix, to Javier Soler, 1-6, 2-6. The week after he appeared, for his only time, in the main draw at Wimbledon
. As in Paris the previous month, the experience lasted only briefly as Réjean was defeated by Robert Lutz, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6.
In July back in North America, Génois continued his losing streak going down to lucky loser entrant Juan Nunez, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6. Two weeks later at the Louisville Grand Prix, he finally got off the snide in beating Erick Iskersky, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. In the second round he lost however to Deon Joubert without winning a single game. In doubles, he and partner Steve Krulevitz
lost in the first round. The following month at the Canadian Open, Réjean battled well in the first set before succumbing to No. 13 seed Brian Teacher
, 6-7, 0-6. The following week the poor results continued as he went out in the opening round U.S. Pro Tennis Championships
in Boston on Har-Tru clay, to qualifier Jai Dilouie 3-6, 3-6.
The following month Génois competed in what turned out to be his final main draw for the year at the Charlotte Challenger and faired well, reaching the quarter-finals in singles and the semis, partnering Ramiro Benavides, in doubles. He finished 1979 ranked World No. 186 in singles.
in April. Losing in the first round in singles, he captured the doubles title, partnering Mike Barr. It turned out to be his last doubles tour event that he played in.
, 2-6, 4-6.
, between 1973 and 1983, including going 11-9 in singles. The highlight of his play was in 1982 when Canada was one tie win away from gaining promotion to the World Group. Canada defeated Venezuela
away and Colombia
at home to set up a home encounter versus Paraguay
. Played in Laval
, Glenn Michibata
narrowly lost the opening rubber, going down to former World top ten player Víctor Pecci
in five sets. This set up a singles encounter between Génois and veteran, former World top fifty player, Francisco González. The diminutive Quebecer fell to the tall Paraguayan in straight sets sadly. The following day Paraguay took the doubles match to seal victory.
from 1972 until 1974.
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. Génois was the top-ranked Canadian singles player during 1978 and 1979. His career high ranking of World No. 89 was the highest grand prix tour computer ranking for a Canadian until Glenn Michibata
Glenn Michibata
Glenn Michibata is a former professional tennis player and current head coach of the Princeton University Tigers collegiate tennis team.-As a pro singles player:...
reached World No. 79 in 1984.
1972
Génois lost in the second round of the 1972 Canadian Open to Czechoslovak Jan Kukal 3-6, 0-6, after having had a first round bye. In doubles he and compatriot Dale PowerDale Power
Dale Power is a former top-ranked Canadian tennis player.Power held the best singles Davis Cup record by winning percentage of any Canadian player...
likewise lost in the second round after a bye.
1973
Génois played in (the main draw of) one tour event in 1973, in October, the Quebec Grand Prix. He lost handily in the first round in singles to New Zealander Onny ParunOnny 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...
2-6, 1-6. In doubles Génois and partner Richard Legendre
Richard Legendre
Richard Legendre is a former professional tennis player and a Quebec politician.- Tennis :Legendre once represented Canada at the Davis Cup and had a career-high tennis ranking of World No. 232 in singles...
, fellow Quebecer and Canadian Davis Cupper, fell in straight sets in the first round to the top-seeded pairing of Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
and Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings...
.
1974
Génois competed in two event main draws in 1974. In February he competed at the WCT Toronto and lost in the first round to American Erik Van DillenErik Van Dillen
Erik Van Dillen was an American male professional tennis player.Van Dillen won a single career title, the 1973 Nottingham Open Singles title, defeating Frew McMillan .-External links:*...
2-6, 2-6. In doubles he and partner Canadian C. Burr lost in the first round as well.
In August, Génois played the Canadian Open for a second time and won his first ever tour match, as he and partner Pierre Lamarche, another Quebecer and Davis Cup player, won their first round match, 6-2, 6-3, over Jeff Borowiak
Jeff Borowiak
Jeff Borowiak is a former tennis player from the United States, who won five singles and three doubles titles during his professional career. He played number one singles on one of the greatest collegiate tennis team of all time for the UCLA Bruins. Haroon Rahim played number two singles, Jimmy...
and Jim McManus
Jim McManus (tennis)
James Henry McManus was an American tennis player, who reached the semifinals of the US Open men's doubles in 1968. McManus was a founding member of the Association of Tennis Professionals. McManus was coached by Tom Stow who guided Don Budge to the Grand Slam.-Personal life:McManus was born to...
. In the second round they fell to Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes Corral was a tennis champion in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the US Open in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final.-Career:...
and Guillermo Vilas
Guillermo Vilas
Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:...
2 and 3. In singles, Génois was again soundly beaten, this time by Mexican Joaquin Loyo-Mayo
Joaquin Loyo-Mayo
Joaquin Loyo-Mayo played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s.Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Loyo-Mayo's playing career was coming to an end as the ATP Rankings were coming into being. He achieved a World No...
2-6, 0-6.
1975
Génois played in just one main draw in 1975, the Canadian Open for a third time. In addition, on March 5 however, he received his first computer ranking, at World No. 355 in singles, which put him Canada No. 4. By April 30 he was the country's fifth highest ranked player. Genois competed just in singles in Montreal and did not fair well, losing to No. 7 seed American Harold SolomonHarold Solomon
Harold Solomon was an American professional tennis player during the 1970s and 1980s. He achieved a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world in 1980.- Tennis career :...
0-6, 1-6.
1976
Génois defaulted in his first round match to Ilie NăstaseIlie Nastase
Ilie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
at the Salisbury Grand Prix, played in February indoors on carpet in Salibury, MD. (Nastase went on to win the title.) His ranking improved slightly - on June 14 he became World No. 326 and Canada No. 3 (in singles - doubles rankings were not kept then).
For the fourth time Génois fell in the first round of the Canadian Open, this time to Australian 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:...
2-6, 5-7. He played doubles again too, losing in the first round partnering compatriot and fellow Davis Cupper Dale Power
Dale Power
Dale Power is a former top-ranked Canadian tennis player.Power held the best singles Davis Cup record by winning percentage of any Canadian player...
.
1977
Génois competed in singles at the Taipei Grand Prix and won his first set in a tour match as he fell to American Chris DelaneyChris Delaney
Chris Delaney , is a former professional tennis player from the United States.Delaney enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 3 doubles titles....
7-5, 5-7, 4-6. He also played in a grand slam event for the first time, competing in doubles at the U.S. Open. He and partner Guillermo Oropez lost 2 and 1 in the first round to the legendary doubles pair of Bob Hewitt
Bob Hewitt
Robert "Bob" Anthony John Hewitt is a former professional male tennis player from Australia...
and 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...
.
Despite never having won a tour singles event, remarkably, Génois was ranked World No. 184 on Dec 31, 1977, putting him at Canada No. 2. The only Canadian ranked higher was Greg Halder, at No. 127.
1978
Génois had his best tour results by some margin in 1978. He played in the newly formed challenger tour, reaching the semi-final of the third ever challenger tournament, and first American one, in Shreveport. He and partner Ramiro Benavides, of Bolivia, won the doubles title. The following week at the Birmingham Challenger Génois reached the third round in the singles event. The week after the Asheville Challenger was held with Réjean reaching the second round in singles and taking the title in doubles, again partnering Benavides.The following week Génois, according to the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
's results archives, played in the Raleigh Challenger and Cincinnati Grand Prix
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
events simultaneously, reaching the second round in both. He scored his first ever win in a grand prix event over American Keith Richardson
Keith Richardson
Keith Richardson is an English television executive who is currently Controller of Drama for ITV Yorkshire and is notable for being Executive Producer of the station's primetime soap, Emmerdale. Richardson was in charge of the programme for 24 years, during which time he oversaw its transformation...
, 7-6, 7-6. He lost in the second round to Pat Dupre
Pat Dupre
Patrick Du Pré is a former professional male tennis player from the United States.Du Pré won one ATP Tour singles title and four doubles titles. He grew up in Mountain Brook, Alabama, graduating from Mountain Brook High School...
in three sets. Génois also reached the second round in doubles partnering Frenchman Christophe Freyss
Christophe Freyss
Christophe Freyss , is a former professional tennis player from France.Freyss achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 82 in 1980.-Singles runner-ups :-Doubles runner-ups :...
. In rankings released on July 12, Génois was listed as World No. 115 and Canada No. 1. He continued his good run reaching the quarter-finals of the Virginia Beach Challenger held two weeks later. In doubles he and partner Bernard Fritz
Bernard Fritz
Bernard Fritz , is a former professional tennis player from France.Fritz enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he finished runner-up in 4 doubles events. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 106 in 1984.-Doubles runner-ups :-External links:...
lost in the first round. Génois reached his career high ranking of World No. 89 at the end of July.
In following two challengers however, Génois lost in the first round in singles however. At the Wall Challenger (in Wall NJ) he and partner Johan Kriek
Johan Kriek
Johan Kriek is a South African American professional male tennis player and founder of the Global Water Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering clean water to the world's neediest communities. Kriek has won two Australian Opens and has reached the semi-finals at the French...
managed to reach the quarter-finals. Génois turned matters around somewhat winning his first ever singles match at the Canadian Open, as he defeated Briton Robin Drysdale
Robin Drysdale
Robin Drysdale is a former professional tennis player from Great Britain.A native of Dedham, Essex, Drysdale is perhaps best known for being a quarter-finalist in the 1977 Australian Open.Doubles =-References:...
6-4, 6-0. In the second he lost ot eventual champion and top seed Eddie Dibbs
Eddie Dibbs
Eddie Dibbs is a retired American tennis player. He attained a career high ranking of World No. 5 in July 1978.-Wins :-Runner-ups :-Grand Slam singles tournament timeline:...
, 2-6, 4-6. In doubles, he and compatriot Harry Fritz lost in straight sets in the first round.
Génois had his best tour tournament result at the 1978 U.S. Open, reaching the third round. In doing so, Génois defeated No. 10 seed Sandy Mayer
Sandy Mayer
Alexander "Sandy" Mayer is a former tennis player from the United States, who won ten titles in singles and twenty-four titles in doubles during his professional career. He was part of the winning tennis squad at Stanford University in 1973....
in the first round, 7-6, 6-2, and Colombian Alvaro Betancur in the second, 6-2, 6-3. He fell to Johan Kriek in the third 2-6, 6-7.
Génois played in two further challenger events in the autumn, reaching the second round of the Tinton Falls Challenger in late September and the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Challenger in middle October. In doubles at Tinton Falls he and partner Legendre reached the second round, while in Tel Aviv Génois and fellow Canadian Dale Power likewise reached the second round. Génois finished the year World No. 121 (in singles).
1979
Génois played in this first main draw for the year in early May at the Raleigh Challenger on clay, and did well reaching the third round in singles. In singles, he and partner Richard LegendreRichard Legendre
Richard Legendre is a former professional tennis player and a Quebec politician.- Tennis :Legendre once represented Canada at the Davis Cup and had a career-high tennis ranking of World No. 232 in singles...
lost in the first round however. He next, two weeks later, saw action in the French Open
1979 French Open
List of the 1979 French Open Champions:- Men's singles : Björn Borg def. Víctor Pecci, 6–3, 6–1, 6–7, 6–4*It was Borg's 7th career Grand Slam title, and his 4th French Open title.-Women's singles: Chris Evert def...
where he went out in the opening round to No. 10 seed Brian Gottfried
Brian Gottfried
Brian Edward Gottfried is a retired tennis player from the United States who won 25 singles titles and 54 doubles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest ranking on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour on June 19, 1977, when he became World No....
in straight sets. He was to be his only main draw appearance at Roland Garros.
In June Génois lost in the first round in both singles, to Stefan Simonsson
Stefan Simonsson
Stefan Simonsson , is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 2 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 49 in 1983 and a career-high doubles ranking of World No...
, 5-7, 6-7, and in doubles, partnering Legendre, at Brussels Outdoor Grand Prix. The following week he again lost in the first round in singles, again on clay, at the Berlin Grand Prix, to Javier Soler, 1-6, 2-6. The week after he appeared, for his only time, in the main draw at Wimbledon
1979 Wimbledon Championships
List of the 1979 Wimbledon Champions:-Men's singles: Björn Borg def. Roscoe Tanner, 6–7, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4*It was Borg's 8th career Grand Slam title, and his 4th Wimbledon title.-Women's singles: Martina Navrátilová def...
. As in Paris the previous month, the experience lasted only briefly as Réjean was defeated by Robert Lutz, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6.
In July back in North America, Génois continued his losing streak going down to lucky loser entrant Juan Nunez, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6. Two weeks later at the Louisville Grand Prix, he finally got off the snide in beating Erick Iskersky, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. In the second round he lost however to Deon Joubert without winning a single game. In doubles, he and partner Steve Krulevitz
Steve Krulevitz
Steve Krulevitz is an American/Israeli right-handed tennis player. His highest singles ranking was # 42.For over a decade he competed on the Professional Grand Prix Tennis Circuit...
lost in the first round. The following month at the Canadian Open, Réjean battled well in the first set before succumbing to No. 13 seed Brian Teacher
Brian Teacher
Brian David Teacher is a 6' 3" right handed American former professional male tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking World No. 7 in 1981....
, 6-7, 0-6. The following week the poor results continued as he went out in the opening round U.S. Pro Tennis Championships
U.S. Pro Tennis Championships
The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is considered as a part of the professional grand slam from 1927 - 1967 until the advent of Open Era...
in Boston on Har-Tru clay, to qualifier Jai Dilouie 3-6, 3-6.
The following month Génois competed in what turned out to be his final main draw for the year at the Charlotte Challenger and faired well, reaching the quarter-finals in singles and the semis, partnering Ramiro Benavides, in doubles. He finished 1979 ranked World No. 186 in singles.
1980
Génois competed in one event in a main draw, the San Luis Potosí ChallengerSan Luis Potosi Challenger
The San Luis Potosí Challenger is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, since 1984 and also in 1980 and 1981...
in April. Losing in the first round in singles, he captured the doubles title, partnering Mike Barr. It turned out to be his last doubles tour event that he played in.
1982
Génois made one final appearance at the Canadian Open in 1982, losing his first round match to Juan AvendanoJuan Avendaño
Juan Bautista Avendaño Iglesias is a former professional tennis player from Spain, best remembered for being Spain Davis Cup team captain along Jordi Arrese and Josep Perlas when Spain won its second Davis Cup title, in 2004....
, 2-6, 4-6.
Davis Cup
Génois had a career Davis Cup win-loss record of 13 and 14 in 13 ties for CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, between 1973 and 1983, including going 11-9 in singles. The highlight of his play was in 1982 when Canada was one tie win away from gaining promotion to the World Group. Canada defeated Venezuela
Venezuela Davis Cup team
The Venezuela Davis Cup team represents Venezuela in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federación Venezolana de Tenis.Venezuela currently compete in the Americas Zone Group II. They have never competed in the World Group, but reached the Play-offs in 1995 and 2002....
away and Colombia
Colombia Davis Cup team
The Colombia Davis Cup team represents Colombia in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federación Colombiana de Tenis.Colombia currently competes in the Americas Zone of Group I and have never competed in the World Group...
at home to set up a home encounter versus Paraguay
Paraguay Davis Cup team
The Paraguay Davis Cup team represents Paraguay in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by Asociación Paraguaya de Tenis.Paraguay currently compete in Group II of the Americas Zone. They have played in the World Group on seven occasions, reaching the quarterfinals four...
. Played in Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
, Glenn Michibata
Glenn Michibata
Glenn Michibata is a former professional tennis player and current head coach of the Princeton University Tigers collegiate tennis team.-As a pro singles player:...
narrowly lost the opening rubber, going down to former World top ten player Víctor Pecci
Víctor Pecci
Víctor Pecci is a former professional Paraguayan tennis player. Pecci was born in Asunción.Pecci was ranked as high as World No. 9 in singles in 1980 and World No. 31 in doubles in 1984. Pecci is famous for reaching the 1979 French Open final...
in five sets. This set up a singles encounter between Génois and veteran, former World top fifty player, Francisco González. The diminutive Quebecer fell to the tall Paraguayan in straight sets sadly. The following day Paraguay took the doubles match to seal victory.
Collegiate tennis
Génois played tennis collegiately at Florida State UniversityFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
from 1972 until 1974.