 Bernhard, circa 1941 | |
| Full name | Helen Irene Bernhard |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | July 7, 1921 Manhattan, New York |
| Died | April 19, 1998 (aged 76) |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | SF (1942) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | QF (1941) |
Helen Irene Bernhard (July 7, 1921 – April 19, 1998) was an American tennis player.
Bernhard was born in Manhattan, New York, to a Russian father and Polish mother, both war time immigrants to the United States. She attended Wadleigh High School in Harlem and was considered a significant prospect, winning back to back national junior championships in 1938 and 1939. [1]
Only active on tour in the early 1940s, Bernhard was ranked as high as fourth in the country and made the quarter-finals or better of the U.S national championships three times. She reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 1940 after saving match points in her round three win over Margaret Osborne, before falling to Alice Marble. [2] When she lost in the quarter-finals again in 1941 it was Osborne who beat her. Her best performance came in 1942, reaching the semi-finals with a win over Helen Rihbany. She lost her semi-final match in three sets to the top seed Louise Brough. [3]
Bernard, a graduate of Cornell University, married Navy officer James Whiteaker in 1945. [4] She died on April 19, 1998, aged 76. [5]
