Helen Gourlay

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Helen Gourlay
Full nameHelen Gourlay Cawley
Country (sports)Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Born (1946-12-23) 23 December 1946 (age 78)
Launceston, Australia
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in) [1]
Retired1978
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career recordno value
Highest rankingNo. 12 (1971)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open F (1977Dec)
French Open F (1971)
Wimbledon 4R (1968, 1972, 1977)
US Open QF (1970)
Doubles
Career recordno value
Career titles20
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open W (1972, 1976, 1977, 1977)
French Open F (1971, 1977)
Wimbledon W (1977)
US Open QF (1971, 1974)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open 2R (1967)
French Open SF (1966)
Wimbledon SF (1970, 1974)
US Open QF (1971)

Helen Gourlay Cawley (née Gourlay; born 23 December 1946) is a retired tennis player from Australia.

Contents

Personal

Helen Gourlay was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. She married Richard Leon Cawley in January 1977, and married William Timothy Cape in October 1986.

Career

Gourlay reached the singles final of two Grand Slam tournaments, losing the 1971 French Open and the December 1977 Australian Open to countrywoman Evonne Goolagong. [2]

An operation on her elbow sidelined her for 10 months in 1973. [3]

In women's doubles, Gourlay was a four-time winner of the Australian Open (1972, 1976, 1977 (January), 1977 (December)). She won Wimbledon in 1977 partnering JoAnne Russell and was the runner-up there in 1974 with Karen Krantzcke. Gourlay was twice the runner-up at the French Open in 1971 with Kerry Harris and 1977 with Rayni Fox. In 1977, Gourlay played in four of the five Grand Slam Women's Doubles finals (the Australian Open was contested twice), only failing to reach the US Open final, where she lost in the second round with JoAnne Russell.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1971 French Open Clay Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong 3–6, 5–7
Loss1977 Australian Open (Dec)Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong3–6, 0–6

Doubles (5 titles, 3 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss1971French OpenClay Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kerry Harris Flag of France.svg Françoise Dürr
Flag of France.svg Gail Chanfreau
4–6, 1–6
Win1972Australian OpenGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kerry Harris Flag of Australia (converted).svg Patricia Coleman
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Karen Krantzcke
6–0, 6–4
Loss1974 Wimbledon Grass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Karen Krantzcke Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong
Flag of the United States.svg Peggy Michel
6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Win1976Australian OpenGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Renáta Tomanová
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lesley Turner Bowrey
8–1
Win1977(Jan)Australian OpenGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dianne Fromholtz Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kerry Melville Reid
Flag of the United States.svg Betsy Nagelsen
5–7, 6–1, 7–5
Loss1977French OpenClay Flag of the United States.svg Rayni Fox Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Regina Maršíková
Flag of the United States.svg Pam Teeguarden
7–5, 4–6, 2–6
Win1977WimbledonGrass Flag of the United States.svg JoAnne Russell Flag of the United States.svg Martina Navratilova
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Betty Stöve
6–3, 6–3
Win1977(Dec)Australian OpenGrass Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong Flag of the United States.svg Mona Guerrant
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kerry Melville Reid
Shared

Note: Evonne Goolagong occasionally is credited incorrectly with winning the 1977 Ladies Doubles event at Wimbledon, due to the confusion regarding the married names of both Goolagong and her compatriot Gourlay who took the trophy. Both women were listed in tournaments as Mrs. R. Cawley (Goolagong was Mrs. R.A. Cawley and Gourlay was Mrs. R.L. Cawley). Goolagong did not participate at Wimbledon 1977.

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(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.
Tournament1964196519661967196819691970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Career SR
Australia QF 3R 3R 2R 1R QF A QF SF A 2R 2R SF SF F AA 1R 0 / 14
France AA 1R 3R 3R 2R 1R F 4R AAAA 3R AAA0 / 8
Wimbledon AA 2R 1R 4R 3R 2R 1R 4R 1R 3R 2R A 4R 2R AA0 / 11
United States AAAAAA QF 2R 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R 2R AAA0 / 8
SR0 / 10 / 10 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 40 / 40 / 20 / 30 / 30 / 20 / 50 / 10 / 00 / 10 / 41

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

Coaching

Gourlay was coached by Brian Hudson for over 10 years. She lived with Hudson, his wife Beryl and their children for three years while he coached her for free at his Granville (Sydney) tennis courts (1963-1965). Gourlay and Hudson played mixed doubles at White City (1968) and Wimbledon (1972). Gourlay also was coached by Hudson at his Terranora court, leading into many international events, including Grand Slams. Hudson coached Gourlay in the 1977 Australian Open, in which Gourlay defeated Sue Barker in the semifinals.

Gourlay was one of the inaugural coaches of the Australian Institute of Sport tennis program when it was established in Canberra in 1981. [4] Gourlay left the program in 1986.

Recognition

In 1987, she was inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame, and in 2000, she received the Australian Sports Medal. [4]

See also

References

  1. Bostic, Stephanie, ed. (1979). USTA Player Records 1978. United States Tennis Association (USTA). p. 181.
  2. "Evonne Goolagong routs Cawley to win 4th lid". Bangor Daily News. 2 January 1978. p. 16.
  3. Jack Gurney (14 April 1974). "Helen Gourlay's Persistence Typifies Aussie Standards". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 4-D.
  4. 1 2 "Helen Gourlay (Cawley)". dpac.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Government. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.