Harry Fritz (tennis)
| Country (sports) |  United States Canada |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 February 1951 Yuma, Arizona |
| Turned pro | 1971 |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 91–110[1] |
| Career titles | 1[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 1R (1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 4–19 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1978) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1973) |
| US Open | 2R (1981) |
Harry Fritz (born 19 February 1951) is a Canadian-American former professional tennis player.
Tennis career
[edit]Fritz played his first tournament in 1971 at the Real Madrid International in Madrid, Spain where he lost to Lew Hoad in the second round.[1] A left-handed player, Fritz was born in Yuma, Arizona and played collegiate tennis for East Texas State. He was a member of the university's 1972 NAIA championship team, in a year he also won the singles and doubles individual titles.[2] He was a semi finalist at the Ankara International in Ankara Turkey in 1974 losing to Denmark's Lars Elvstrøm,[1] and at the Alabama State Open Championships in 1977 where he lost to Mike Cahill.[1]
Fritz's best performances on the professional tour was winning the South Florida Open Championships in West Palm Beach in 1977 against Larry Loeb on the ILTF Independent Tour a world wide circuit of tournaments not part of the grand prix,[1] and a runner-up finish at the Lagos Open in 1980 on the Grand Prix tennis circuit.[1] He also featured in the main draw of the 1980 US Open and as a doubles player made further appearances at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
While based in Toronto he qualified to represent Canada and was for a period the top ranked Canadian player.[3] In 1982 he appeared in three Davis Cup ties for his adoptive country. This included the longest ever singles rubber in Davis Cup history, which he won over Jorge Andrew of Venezuela 16–14, 11–9, 9–11, 4–6, 11–9, for a total of 100 games.[4] He played his final singles event in 1984 at the Montreal Alcan Indoors part of the Winter Circuit Alacan.[1]
His brother Guy Fritz was also a professional tennis player and is the father of Harry's nephew Taylor Fritz.[5]
ILTF career finals
[edit]Singles: 1 (1-0)
[edit]| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 1977 | South Florida Open Championships | Clay |  Larry Loeb[6]
|
6-4, 7-6.[1] |
Grand Prix career finals
[edit]Singles: 1 (0–1)
[edit]| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Mar 1980 | Lagos Open | Clay |  Peter Feigl
|
2–6, 3–6, 2–6[1] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Players:Fritz, Harry". The Tennis Base. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 28 September 2023.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Harry Fritz (2010) - A&M-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame". Texas A&M University-Commerce Athletics.
- ^ "Tennis tour formed". Winnipeg Free Press. 9 May 1978. p. 71.
- ^ "Match Lasts 100 Games". The New York Times. 16 January 1982.
- ^ Hickey, Pat (3 August 2019). "Félix Auger-Aliassime draws good friend Vasek Pospisil in Rogers Cup opener". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ "Player Profile: Larry Loeb USA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
