Samantha "Sam" Smith (born 27 November 1971 in Loughton, Essex, England) is a British former professional tennis player, who was the British ladies No. 1 from 1996 to 1999. She now commentates on the game, predominantly for the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, BT Sport and Eurosport,[1] as well as Channel Nine in Australia during the Australian Open.[2]
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| Country (sports) |  Vereinigtes Königreich |
|---|---|
| Residence | Loughton, Essex, England |
| Born | 27 November 1971 Epping, Essex, England |
| Height | 5'9 / 1.75m |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $222 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 199–160 |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 3 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 55 (22 February 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1999) |
| French Open | 1R (1991, 1999) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1998) |
| US Open | 2R (1997) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 54–75 |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 5 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 126 (25 June 1990) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1998) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| Last updated on: 2 June 2016. | |
Early life
Smith was born in Essex and was educated at Bancroft's School. She took three years out of tennis to attend the University of Exeter where she attained an upper 2nd class Honours degree in history.[1]
Tennis career
Smith competed on the WTA Tour from 1990 to 1992 and from 1995 to 2000. Her highest achievement was in reaching the fourth round at the Wimbledon Championships in 1998, where she beat Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, Mariana Díaz Oliva and former champion Conchita Martínez before losing to eventual runner up Nathalie Tauziat. In so doing she picked up an ankle injury that required her to have two operations and spend four months in plaster; this effectively ended her career. She peaked at number 55 in the WTA rankings before the injury curtailed her climb up the rankings.[1]
At the Australian Open she competed (in the Doubles with Ilana Berger) in the first round in 1992 and reached the second round in 1999.[1]
At the French Open at Roland Garros she competed in the first round in 1991 and 1999.[1]
At Wimbledon she competed in the first round in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000, and reached the fourth round in 1998.[1]
At the U.S. Open she competed in the first round in 1998 and reached the second round in 1997.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics she reached the second round.
Smith won a silver medal in the mixed doubles at the 1995 Universiade (World University Games) in Fukuoka, Japan, partnering Paul Robinson. She also reached the quarter-finals in the singles.[1]
She won the ITF tournaments at Nottingham in 1995 (singles and doubles) and Frinton-on-Sea in 2000. She represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and European Cup in 1991 and from 1996 to 1999. She was unbeaten in her five singles matches in the 1997 Fed Cup.[1]
ITF Finals
Singles (3-4)
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-Up | 1. | 24 April 1989 | Sutton, United Kingdom | Clay |  Kimiko Date
|
2-6, 1-6 |
| Runner-Up | 2. | 2 September 1991 | Arzachena, Italy | Hard |  Katia Piccolini
|
2-6, 7-6, 4-6 |
| Runner-Up | 3. | 4 November 1991 | Manchester, United Kingdom | Carpet | Amanda Grunfeld
|
6-4, 4-6, 2-6 |
| Winner | 4. | 2 October 1995 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard | Abigail Tordoff
|
6-4, 6-2 |
| Runner-Up | 5. | 10 February 1996 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Hard |  Raluca Sandu
|
6-4 5-7 4-6 |
| Winner | 6. | 8 February 1999 | Rockford, United States | Hard (i) |  Miroslava Vavrinec
|
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 7. | 23 July 2000 | Frinton-on-Sea, United Kingdom | Grass | Helen Crook
|
6-3, 6-0 |
Doubles (5-2)
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 13 August 1990 | Brasília, Brazil | Clay |  Sofie Albinus
|
 Luciana Tella Andrea Vieira
|
7-6(7-2), 4-6, 6-3 |
| Winner | 2. | 11 February 1991 | Key Biscayne, United States | Hard |  Penny Barg
|
 Rene Simpson  Hellas ter Riet
|
7-5 6-2 |
| Winner | 3. | 25 September 1995 | Telford, United Kingdom | Hard | Jane Wood
|
Kaye Hand  Anna-Karin Svensson
|
4-6, 7-8(8–6), 6-3 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2 October 1995 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard | Jane Wood
|
Sofia Finer Annica Lindstedt
|
6–7(7–9), 5–7 |
| Winner | 5. | 2 August 1998 | Salt Lake City, United States | Hard |  Mariaan de Swardt
|
Liezel Huber  Karin Kschwendt
|
6-2, 6-2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 25 October 1998 | Welwyn, United Kingdom | Carpet (i) |  Louise Pleming
|
 Laurence Courtois  Tina Križan
|
6–7, 4–6 |
| Winner | 7. | 21 February 1999 | Midland, United States | Hard (i) | Liezel Huber
|
 Kirstin Freye Sonya Jeyaseelan
|
7-6(8-6), 0-6, 7-5 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sam Smith Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine Biography and Image, Celebrity Tennis
- ^ Knox, David (30 December 2014). "Summer of Tennis: guide". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 February 2015.