Billy Knight (tennis)

Billy Knight

Full name	William Arthur Knight
Country (sports)	United Kingdom
Born	(1935-11-12) 12 November 1935 (age 89) Northampton, England
Turned pro	1951 (amateur)
Retired	1971
Plays	Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record	509–225 [1]
Career titles	47 [1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	2R (1954, 1957)
French Open	QF (1959)
Wimbledon	4R (1957, 1959, 1961, 1964)
US Open	4R (1958, 1962)
Doubles
Career record	1–1
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1957)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	F (1957)
French Open	W (1959)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (1963)

William Arthur Knight (born 12 November 1935) is a former tennis player from Great Britain who competed on the amateur tour in the 1950s and 1960s. He was active from 1951 to 1968 and won 47 career singles titles. ^[1] a quarter finalist at the French Championships in 1959 and a clay court specialist where most his titles came, but also won titles on grass and wood indoor courts. ^[1] His biggest wins were winning the British Hard Court Championships (1958, 1963–1964), British Covered Court Championships (1960), German International Championships (1959)

Tennis career

Juniors

Before focusing on tennis Knight also played table tennis and won the English singles title in 1951. ^[2] As a tennis junior he won both the 1953 Wimbledon and 1954 Australian Championships Boys' Singles tournaments. ^{[3] [4]}

Amateur tour

He played and won his first tournament at the Bude Open in 1951. ^[1] Knight's best slam performance was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1959 French Championships. He won the mixed doubles at the same tournament, partnering Yola Ramírez.

His biggest international singles highlights include winning the Cannes Gallia Club Championship in 1958, ^[1] the German International Championships in Hamburg in 1959, ^[1] the French Riviera Championships in Menton in 1959, ^[1] the Austrian International Championships in Pörtschach in 1960, ^[1] the International Championships of Barcelona in 1960, ^[1] the Yugoslavian International Championships in 1964. ^[1] He won his final singles title at the Klum Carlton International in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1968. ^[1] He played his final singles tournament in 1971 at the Cumberland Hard Court Championships. ^[1]

His best wins at British tournaments include winning the Scottish Championships in 1953, ^[1] the Welsh Covered Court Championships in 1953, ^[1] the London Hard Court Championships in 1955, ^[1] British Hard Court Championships in 1958 and from 1963 to 1964, ^[1] the British Covered Court Championships in 1960, ^[1] the Midland Counties Championships in 1965, ^[1] the North of England Hard Court Championships from 1966 to 1967. ^[1]

Knight was a frequent member of the British Davis Cup team between 1955 and 1964, reaching the Inter-Zonal group in 1963. ^[5]

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1957	Australian Championships	Grass	Jill Langley	Fay Muller Mal Anderson	5–7, 6–3, 1–6
Win	1959	French Championships	Clay	Yola Ramírez	Rod Laver Renée Schuurman	6–4, 6–4

Junior Grand Slam titles

Singles: 2

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1953	Wimbledon	Grass	Ramanathan Krishnan	7–5, 6–4
Win	1954	Australian Open	Grass	Roy Emerson	6–3, 6–1

References

1. "Players:Knight, William (Billy)" . The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
2. "History of Northampton Table Tennis League". Northampton Table Tennis League.
3. Tournament Profile: Australian Open, ITF Juniors
4. "Nerves and Knight beat Emerson". Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954). 2 February 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
5. Ball, Robert (1963). "Not Quite All Right, Jack", Sports Illustrated, 7 October 1963.

External links

• Billy Knight at the International Tennis Federation
• Billy Knight at the Davis Cup