Shirley Brasher
Encyclopedia
Shirley Brasher, née Bloomer (born 13 June 1934, in Grimsby
, Lincolnshire
) is an English
former tennis
player who won three Grand Slam
titles during her career and who was the second ranked singles player in her country in 1957.
Brasher (known at the time as Shirley Bloomer) won the singles title at the 1957 French Championships, defeating Dorothy Head Knode
in the final 6–1, 6–3. She was the runner-up in singles at the 1958 French Championships, losing to Zsuzsi Kormoczy 6–4, 1–6, 6–2.
Brasher teamed with Darlene Hard
to win the women's doubles title at the 1957 French Championships, defeating Yola Ramirez Ochoa and Rosie Reyes in the final 7–5, 4–6, 7–5. She teamed with Nicola Pietrangeli
to win the mixed doubles title at the 1958 French Championships, defeating Lorraine Coghlan Robinson and Bob Howe in the final 8–6, 6–2.
Brasher partnered Patricia Ward Hales
to reach the 1955 women's doubles finals at Wimbledon, where they lost to Angela Mortimer Barrett and Anne Shilcock
7–5, 6–1, and at the French Championships, where they lost to Hard and Beverly Baker Fleitz
7–5, 6–8, 13-11.
Brasher played on the British Wightman Cup
team from 1955 through 1960. The 1958 team that included Christine Truman Janes and Brasher won the cup, which was the first time that Great Britain had won the competition since 1930.
Brasher played a hard baseline game, and her tennis was concerted rather than spectacular. She was a member of the Grimsby Town Tennis Club, which was located in College Street, Grimsby
.
In 1959, she married Chris Brasher
who helped pace Roger Bannister
to running the first sub-four minute mile in 1954. They had three children, including their daughter Kate who played on the women's professional tennis tour in the 1980s.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former tennis
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 who won three Grand Slam
Grand 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...
titles during her career and who was the second ranked singles player in her country in 1957.
Brasher (known at the time as Shirley Bloomer) won the singles title at the 1957 French Championships, defeating Dorothy Head Knode
Dorothy Head Knode
Dorothy Head Knode is a former tennis player from the United States who reached the women's singles final of the French Championships in 1955 and 1957...
in the final 6–1, 6–3. She was the runner-up in singles at the 1958 French Championships, losing to Zsuzsi Kormoczy 6–4, 1–6, 6–2.
Brasher teamed with Darlene Hard
Darlene Hard
Darlene Hard is an American former amateur tennis player. Known for her volleying ability and strong serves, she captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S...
to win the women's doubles title at the 1957 French Championships, defeating Yola Ramirez Ochoa and Rosie Reyes in the final 7–5, 4–6, 7–5. She teamed with Nicola Pietrangeli
Nicola Pietrangeli
Nicola "Nicky" Pietrangeli is a former tennis player from Italy. He is considered by many to be Italy's greatest-ever tennis champion....
to win the mixed doubles title at the 1958 French Championships, defeating Lorraine Coghlan Robinson and Bob Howe in the final 8–6, 6–2.
Brasher partnered Patricia Ward Hales
Patricia Ward Hales
Patricia Ward Hales is a former tennis player from the United Kingdom who reached the singles final of the 1955 U.S. Championships, losing to Doris Hart 6–4, 6–2...
to reach the 1955 women's doubles finals at Wimbledon, where they lost to Angela Mortimer Barrett and Anne Shilcock
Anne Shilcock
Anne Shilcock was a British tennis player of the 1950s.She won Wimbledon in 1955 in women's doubles with Angela Mortimer, becoming the first all-British team to win since 1937.-Doubles titles:-Singles:...
7–5, 6–1, and at the French Championships, where they lost to Hard and Beverly Baker Fleitz
Beverly Baker Fleitz
Beverly Baker Fleitz from Bakersfield, California, was a women's tennis player from the United States. According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Fleitz was ranked in the world top ten in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1958, and 1959, reaching a career high of World No...
7–5, 6–8, 13-11.
Brasher played on the British Wightman Cup
Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
team from 1955 through 1960. The 1958 team that included Christine Truman Janes and Brasher won the cup, which was the first time that Great Britain had won the competition since 1930.
Brasher played a hard baseline game, and her tennis was concerted rather than spectacular. She was a member of the Grimsby Town Tennis Club, which was located in College Street, Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
.
In 1959, she married Chris Brasher
Chris Brasher
Christopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE was a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.-History:...
who helped pace Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...
to running the first sub-four minute mile in 1954. They had three children, including their daughter Kate who played on the women's professional tennis tour in the 1980s.
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | 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 |
| French Championships French Open (tennis) The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are... |
A | A | 3R | QF | QF | W | F | 4R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 6 |
| 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... |
1R | 3R | A | 4R | QF | 4R | QF | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | 2R | A | A | 4R | A | 4R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 18 |
| U.S. Championships 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... |
A | A | A | 3R | SF | QF | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 28 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
See also
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam finalTennis performance timeline comparison (women)This article presents in a tabular form the career tennis Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships and Olympic singles results of every woman who has reached the singles final of at least one Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships or Olympic tournament during her career...