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Luis Ayala (tennis)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Luis Ayala, see Luis Ayala.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ayala and the second or maternal family name is Salinas.

Luis Ayala
Ayala in 1956
Full nameLuis Alberto Ayala
Country (sports) Chile
ResidenceUnited States
Born(1932-09-18)18 September 1932[citation needed]
Santiago, Chile[citation needed]
Died4 September 2024(2024-09-04) (aged 91)
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro1961 (amateur from 1950)
Retired1970
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record626–353 (63.9%) [1]
Career titles43
Highest rankingNo. 5 (1958, Lance Tingay)[2]
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenF (1958, 1960)
WimbledonQF (1959, 1960, 1961)
US OpenQF (1957, 1959)
Professional majors
US ProQF (1965, 1966, 1967)
Wembley Pro1R (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
French ProQF (1961, 1965)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open1R (1969)
Wimbledon1R (1968, 1969)
US Open2R (1968, 1969, 1970)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French OpenW (1956)
WimbledonSF (1957)

Luis Alberto Ayala Salinas (18 September 1932 – 4 September 2024) was a Chilean tennis player who competed during the 1950s and 1960s.[3]

Amateur career

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Ayala was a two-time singles runner-up at the French Championships. In 1958, as the fifth seed, he reached the final after defeating the top-seeded and world No. 1 player, Ashley Cooper, in the semifinals. However, he was defeated in straight sets by Mervyn Rose in the final. In 1960, Ayala again reached the final, losing in five sets to Nicola Pietrangeli.[4] He won the mixed doubles title at the 1956 French Championships with Thelma Coyne Long.[citation needed]

Ayala secured the gold medal in singles at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, defeating Canadian player Robert Bédard in the final.[citation needed]

He claimed the prestigious singles title at the Italian Open in 1959, overcoming Nicola Pietrangeli in the semifinals and Neale Fraser in the final, both in four sets. The following year, he reached the final again but was defeated in five sets by Barry MacKay.[citation needed]

Ayala won the 1960 Argentina International Tennis Championships in Buenos Aires, defeating Ron Holmberg in the semifinals and Manuel Santana in the final. This was his third Argentina title, having previously won in 1955 (defeating Art Larsen) and 1957 (defeating Enrique Morea).[citation needed]

In 1960, Ayala also won the Madrid Championships, defeating Andrés Gimeno in the final. In 1961, he won the Hanover Championships, overcoming Ramanathan Krishnan in the final.[citation needed]

Professional career

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Luis Ayala in 1964.

In 1961, Ayala turned professional and joined Jack Kramer's tour.[5] In 1964, he won the La Baule Professional Championships on clay, defeating Rod Laver in the semifinals and Lew Hoad in the final.[citation needed]

After retiring from professional play, Ayala became a tennis professional at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. He later served as the director of tennis at the Forest Club in Houston.[citation needed]

Davis Cup

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Ayala represented Chile in the Davis Cup from 1952 to 1960, participating in 18 ties and compiling a record of 37 wins and 14 losses. His most notable performance came in 1955 when Chile reached the semifinals of the Europe Zone, where they were defeated by Sweden despite Ayala winning both of his singles matches against Lennart Bergelin and Sven Davidson.[6]

Death

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Ayala died on 4 September 2024, at the age of 91.[7]

Ranking

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Ayala was consistently ranked among the world's top ten tennis players by both Ned Potter and Lance Tingay between 1956 and 1961. Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked him as world No. 5 in 1958, and he was ranked No. 6 in 1959, No. 7 in 1960, and No. 7 again in 1961.[2]

Grand Slam finals

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Singles (2 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1958 French Championships Clay Australia Mervyn Rose 3–6, 4–6, 4–6
Loss 1960 French Championships Clay Italy Nicola Pietrangeli 6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6

Mixed doubles: (1 title, 1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1955 French Championships Clay Australia Jenny Staley Hoad United States Darlene Hard
South Africa Gordon Forbes		 7–5, 1–6, 2–6
Win 1956 French Championships Clay Australia Thelma Coyne Long United States Doris Hart
Australia Bob Howe		 4–6, 6–4, 6–1

References

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  1. ^ "Luis Ayala: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  3. ^ "Mackay, Ayala Tennis Winners". The Telegraph. Associated Press. 15 July 1965. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Luis Ayala: El chileno que descolló en Roland Garros" (in Spanish). Guioteca. 31 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Ayala Looking To Future". The Miami News. Associated Press. 24 September 1961. p. 4C.
  6. ^ "Davis Cup players – Luis Ayala". International Tennis Federation.
  7. ^ Velozo, Pablo (4 September 2024). "Fallece Luis Ayala, leyenda del tenis chileno: fue finalista de Roland Garros y primer top-10 nacional". BioBioChile – La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
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