Barbara Potter

Barbara Potter
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Harlem, Georgia, USA
Born	October 22, 1961 (age 63); Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	1978
Retired	1989
Plays	Left-handed
Prize money	US$ 1,313,808
Singles
Career record	320–191
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 7 (December 6, 1982)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (1984)
French Open	1R (1985)
Wimbledon	QF (1982, 1983, 1985)
US Open	SF (1981)
Doubles
Career record	200–74
Career titles	19
Highest ranking	No. 3
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988)
Wimbledon	SF (1983, 1984)
US Open	F (1982)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US Open	F (1982, 1983)

Last updated April 24, 2025

Barbara Potter (born October 22, 1961) is a former tennis player from the United States, who competed professionally on the WTA Tour between 1978 and 1989, winning six singles titles and 19 doubles titles. Her highest singles ranking was No. 7 in December 1982.

Career

Potter started playing tennis when she was eight years old.^[1] After graduating from Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut in 1978 Potter elected to turn professional instead of accepting an offer of admission at Princeton.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] A left-hander, she reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open in 1981^[4] as well as the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 1984, and Wimbledon in 1982, 1983 and 1985. At the WTA Tour Championships, she reached the semifinals in singles in 1984 and was a runner-up in doubles with Sharon Walsh in 1981.

Potter reached a career high ranking of No. 7 in 1982 and that year won the singles titles at the Avon Championships of Cincinnati and the US Indoor Championships.^[4]^[3] She also played in three Grand Slam doubles finals, the 1982 US Open women's doubles with Sharon Walsh as well as the 1982 and 1983 US Open mixed doubles with Ferdi Taygan.

In 1986, Potter suffered two herniated disks in her back at a tournament in England and was forced off the tour several times. After a grueling exercise and fitness program, she successfully returned to the tour.

She was a member of the 1982 and 1984 U.S. Wightman Cup teams and the 1988 United States Fed Cup team. In 1989, she re-aggravated a persistent back condition at the beginning season when she was involved in an automobile accident. She retired in November 1989 due to deteriorating hip cartilage.

Potter currently resides in Harlem, Georgia.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Women's doubles (1 runner–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1982	US Open	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Kathy Jordan Anne Smith	6–4, 6–4

Mixed doubles (2 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1982	US Open	Hard	Ferdi Taygan	Anne Smith Kevin Curren	6–7^(4–7), 7–6^(7–4), 7–6^(7–5)
Loss	1983	US Open	Hard	Ferdi Taygan	Elizabeth Sayers John Fitzgerald	3–6, 6–3, 6–4

Year-End Championships finals

Doubles: (1 runner–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1981	New York City	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navrátilová Pam Shriver	6–0, 7–6^(8–6)

WTA career finals

Singles: 14 (6–8)

Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Tier I (0–0)
Tier II (0–0)
Tier III (1–0)
Tier IV (0–1)
Tier V (0–1)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (5–6)

Titles by surface
Hard (2–2)
Grass (0–1)
Clay (0–0)
Carpet (4–5)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1.	Jan 1979	Toronto, Canada	Carpet (i)	Bettina Bunge	6–1, 6–4
Loss	1.	Jan 1980	Las Vegas, US	Hard (i)	Andrea Jaeger	6–7, 6–4, 1–6
Loss	2.	Feb 1981	Seattle, US	Carpet (i)	Sylvia Hanika	2–6, 4–6
Win	2.	Jan 1982	Cincinnati, US	Carpet (i)	Bettina Bunge	6–2, 7–6^(7–3)
Loss	3.	Feb 1982	Kansas City, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	2–6, 2–6
Loss	4.	Sep 1982	Tokyo, Japan	Carpet (i)	Bettina Bunge	6–7^(4–7), 2–6
Win	3.	Sep 1982	Philadelphia, US	Carpet (i)	Pam Shriver	6–4, 6–2
Loss	5.	Feb 1984	Chicago, US	Carpet (i)	Pam Shriver	6–7^(4–7), 6–2, 3–6
Win	4.	Aug 1985	Monticello, US	Hard	Helen Kelesi	4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win	5.	Feb 1987	Wichita, US	Carpet (i)	Larisa Savchenko	7–6^(8–6), 7–6^(7–5)
Loss	6.	Mar 1987	Washington, US	Carpet (i)	Hana Mandlíková	4–6, 2–6
Loss	7.	Jul 1988	Newport, US	Grass	Lori McNeil	4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win	6.	Aug 1988	Cincinnati, US	Hard	Helen Kelesi	6–2, 6–2
Loss	8.	Feb 1989	Wichita, US	Hard (i)	Amy Frazier	6–4, 4–6, 0–6

Doubles: 41 (19–22)

Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–1)
WTA Tour Championships (0–1)
Tier I (0–0)
Tier II (0–0)
Tier III (0–0)
Tier IV (1–0)
Tier V (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (18–20)

Titles by surface
Hard (3–5)
Grass (3–0)
Clay (1–1)
Carpet (12–16)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1.	Aug 1978	Mahwah	Hard	Pam Whytcross	Ilana Kloss Marise Kruger	3–6, 4–6
Win	1.	Jan 1980	Las Vegas	Hard (i)	Kay McDaniel	Diane Desfor Barbara Jordan	4–5, 7–6, 6–4
Win	2.	Sep 1980	Atlanta	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Kathy Jordan Anne Smith	6–3, 6–1
Win	3.	Dec 1980	Tucson	Carpet (i)	Leslie Allen	Mary-Lou Piatek Wendy White	7–6, 6–0
Win	4.	Jan 1981	Kansas City	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	6–2, 7–6^(7–4)
Loss	2.	Jan 1981	Chicago	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navrátilová Pam Shriver	3–6, 4–6
Win	5.	Mar 1981	Boston	Carpet (Ii)	Sharon Walsh	JoAnne Russell Virginia Ruzici	6–7, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	3.	Mar 1981	Avon Championships	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navrátilová Pam Shriver	0–6, 6–7^(6–8)
Loss	4.	May 1981	Tokyo	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Sue Barker Ann Kiyomura	5–7, 2–6
Win	6.	Oct 1981	Brighton	Carpet (i)	Anne Smith	Mima Jaušovec Pam Shriver	6–7, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	5.	Oct 1981	Filderstadt	Carpet (i)	Anne Smith	Mima Jaušovec Martina Navrátilová	4–6, 1–6
Win	7.	Nov 1981	Perth	Grass	Sharon Walsh	Betsy Nagelsen Candy Reynolds	6–4, 6–2
Win	8.	Feb 1982	Kansas City	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Mary-Lou Piatek Anne Smith	4–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win	9.	Feb 1982	Oakland	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Kathy Jordan Pam Shriver	6–1, 3–6, 7–6^(7–5)
Loss	6.	Mar 1982	Los Angeles	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Kathy Jordan Anne Smith	3–6, 5–7
Loss	7.	Apr 1982	Amelia Island	Clay	Sharon Walsh	Leslie Allen Mima Jaušovec	1–6, 5–7
Loss	8.	Aug 1982	Montreal	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navratilova Candy Reynolds	4–6, 4–6
Win	10.	Aug 1982	Mahwah	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	6–1, 6–4
Loss	9.	Aug 1982	US Open	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	4–6, 4–6
Loss	10.	Sep 1982	Philadelphia	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	6–3, 6–7^(5–7), 4–6
Win	11.	Oct 1982	Deerfield Beach	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	7–6^(7–5), 7–6^(7–3)
Loss	11.	Oct 1982	Brighton	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver	6–2, 5–7, 4–6
Loss	12.	Jan 1983	Houston	Carpet (i)	Jo Durie	Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver	4–6, 3–6
Win	12.	Jan 1983	Palm Beach Garden	Clay	Sharon Walsh	Kathy Jordan Paula Smith	6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Win	13.	Jul 1983	Newport	Grass	Sharon Walsh	Barbara Jordan Elizabeth Sayers	6–3, 6–1
Loss	13.	Sep 1983	Richmond	Carpet (i)	Kathy Jordan	Rosalyn Fairbank Candy Reynolds	7–6^(7–3), 2–6, 1–6
Loss	14.	Sep 1983	Hartford	Carpet (i)	Kathy Jordan	Billie Jean King Sharon Walsh	6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Win	14.	Oct 1983	Detroit	Carpet (i)	Kathy Jordan	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	6–4, 6–1
Win	15.	Jan 1984	Washington	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Leslie Allen Anne White	6–1, 6–7^(7–9), 6–2
Loss	15.	Jan 1984	Houston	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Mima Jaušovec Anne White	4–6, 6–3, 6–7^(4–7)
Loss	16.	Feb 1984	Chicago	Carpet (i)	Pam Shriver	Billie Jean King Sharon Walsh	7–5, 3–6, 3–6
Win	16.	Mar 1984	Boston	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Andrea Leand Mary-Lou Piatek	7–6^(7–4), 6–0
Loss	17.	Sep 1984	Fort Lauderdale	Hard	Sharon Walsh	Martina Navratilova Elizabeth Sayers	6–2, 2–6, 3–6
Loss	18.	Oct 1984	Brighton	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Alycia Moulton Paula Smith	7–6, 3–6, 5–7
Win	17.	Mar 1985	Dallas	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Marcella Mesker Pascale Paradis	5–7, 6–4, 7–6^(7–4)
Loss	19.	May 1985	Sydney	Carpet (i)	Sharon Walsh	Pam Shriver Elizabeth Smylie	5–7, 5–7
Loss	20.	Oct 1985	Brighton	Carpet (i)	Helena Suková	Lori McNeil Catherine Suire	6–4, 6–7^(3–7), 4–6
Loss	21.	Jan 1986	Key Biscayne	Hard	Betsy Nagelsen	Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie	6–7^(5–7), 6–2, 2–6
Win	18.	Mar 1986	Nashville	Carpet (i)	Pam Shriver	Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie	6–4, 6–3
Loss	22.	Feb 1987	Wichita	Carpet (i)	Wendy White	Svetlana Parkhomenko Larisa Savchenko	2–6, 4–6
Win	19.	Jul 1988	Newport	Grass	Rosalyn Fairbank	Gigi Fernández Lori McNeil	6–4, 6–3

Grand Slam performance timelines

Key
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	DNQ	A	NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	Career SR
Australian Open	A	A	A	2R	3R	3R	QF	2R	NH	A	4R	1R	0 / 7
French Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	A	A	A	A	0 / 1
Wimbledon	2R	1R	3R	4R	QF	QF	4R	QF	A	2R	4R	A	0 / 10
U.S. Open	2R	3R	3R	SF	2R	2R	4R	2R	A	1R	4R	A	0 / 10
SR	0 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 4	0 / 0	0 / 2	0 / 3	0 / 1	0 / 28
Year End Ranking	62	47	25	10	8	23	12	17	26	12	10	105

Doubles

Tournament	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	Career SR
Australian Open	A	A	A	QF	SF	SF	SF	SF	NH	A	SF	1R	0 / 7
French Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0
Wimbledon	2R	2R	1R	QF	2R	SF	SF	QF	A	A	2R	2R	0 / 10
U.S. Open	A	A	A	1R	F	A	QF	QF	A	2R	1R	A	0 / 6
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 2	0 / 3	0 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 3	0 / 2	0 / 23
Year End Ranking							3	9	25	26	51	356

References

1 2 Thomas Rogers (March 25, 1981). "Miss Potter making a bid in title tennis". The New York Times .
↑ Charles Friedman (March 21, 1982). "At 20, tennis star seeks to advance". The New York Times .
1 2 "Barbara Potter is facing the wall of the Charles..." UPI . March 31, 1984.
1 2 3 Sarah Pileggi (March 8, 1982). "Young and old, wise and goofy". Sports Illustrated . Vol. 56, no. 10. pp. 36–39.

External links

Barbara Potter at the Women's Tennis Association
Barbara Potter at the International Tennis Federation
Barbara Potter at the Billie Jean King Cup (archived)

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[nyt1981-1] 1 2 Thomas Rogers (March 25, 1981). "Miss Potter making a bid in title tennis". The New York Times .

[2] Charles Friedman (March 21, 1982). "At 20, tennis star seeks to advance". The New York Times .

[upi1984-3] 1 2 "Barbara Potter is facing the wall of the Charles..." UPI . March 31, 1984.

[si1982-4] 1 2 3 Sarah Pileggi (March 8, 1982). "Young and old, wise and goofy". Sports Illustrated . Vol. 56, no. 10. pp. 36–39.

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