Jairo Velasco Sr.

Last updated

Jairo Velasco
Full nameJairo Velasco Sr.
Country (sports)Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Residence Barcelona, Spain
Born (1947-05-09) 9 May 1947 (age 76)
Bogotá, Colombia
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
PlaysRight-handed
Singles
Career record125–164
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 46 (20 December 1982)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open 2R (1969, 71, 75, 82, 83)
Wimbledon 1R (1972, 1975)
US Open 4R (1976)
Doubles
Career record105–116
Career titles2
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open 4R (1971)
Wimbledon 2R (1974)
US Open 2R (1972)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open SF (1973)
Wimbledon 3R (1973)
US Open 1R (1972)

Jairo Velasco Sr. (born 9 May 1947) is a former professional tennis player from Colombia. [note 1] Velasco has additionally several Senior World Championship titles in different age classes in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Contents

World Singles Champion:

World Doubles Champion:

World Mixed Champion:

Career

Velasco teamed with Iván Molina to reach the fourth round of the 1971 French Open, where they were defeated by eventual champions Arthur Ashe and Marty Riessen. In mixed doubles at the 1973 French Open, he and countrywoman Isabel Fernández de Soto lost in the semifinals in three sets to Patrice Dominguez and Betty Stöve. He became the first Colombian to reach the fourth round of the singles draw at a Grand Slam when he beat three players at the 1976 US Open, Ferdi Taygan, Barry Phillips-Moore and Bill Scanlon. His run ended when he lost to Dick Stockton. [1] He remained the only player from his country to go that deep in a Grand Slam tournament until Alejandro Falla made the four round at the 2011 French Open.

The Colombian made seven doubles finals on the Grand Prix tennis circuit, winning two, at Kitzbühel and at home in Bogota. He also made the singles final at Bogota, in 1979, but lost to Víctor Pecci. [2]

He won 24 singles rubbers for the Colombia Davis Cup team, a national record. In all, he participated in 21 ties and won a total of 33 matches, being victorious in nine doubles rubbers. He was most notably a member of the side which defeated the United States in the North & Central America Zone final of the 1974 Davis Cup, beating both Harold Solomon and Erik van Dillen in his two singles rubbers. In the Americas Inter-Zonal final, which curiously featured the South African team, Velasco lost his first match to Bob Hewitt and was defeated in the doubles, to surrender the tie. He then beat Ray Moore in a dead rubber. The Colombians, with Velasco in the side, made the Inter-Zonal final again in 1981, but were defeated by Chile. [3]

Personal

Early in his career, Velasco moved to Barcelona in Spain, where he still lives. [4] He married a woman from the area, and they have three children, including Jairo Velasco Jr., a doubles specialist on the ATP Tour and Gabriela Velasco Andreu, who has been in the world's top 400. [5]

Grand Prix career finals

Singles: 1 (0–1)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–11979 Bogotá, ColombiaClay Flag of Paraguay.svg Víctor Pecci 3–6, 4–6

Doubles: 7 (2–5)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–11974 Calgary, CanadaCarpet (i) Flag of Colombia.svg Iván Molina Flag of Germany.svg Jürgen Fassbender
Flag of Germany.svg Karl Meiler 		4–6, 4–6
Loss0–21974 Salt Lake City, United StatesHard (i) Flag of Colombia.svg Iván Molina Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors
Flag of the United States.svg Vitas Gerulaitis 		6–2, 6–7, 5–7
Win1–21974 Kitzbühel, AustriaClay Flag of Colombia.svg Iván Molina Flag of the Czech Republic.svg František Pála
Flag of Hungary.svg Balázs Taróczy 		2–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1–31977 Florence, ItalyClay Flag of Colombia.svg Iván Molina Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris Lewis
Flag of New Zealand.svg Russell Simpson 		6–2, 6–7, 2–6
Loss1–41979 Quito, EcuadorClay Flag of Colombia.svg Iván Molina Flag of Chile.svg Jaime Fillol
Flag of Chile.svg Álvaro Fillol 		7–6, 3–6, 1–6
Win2–41979 Bogotá, ColombiaClay Flag of Mexico.svg Emilio Montaño Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Nichols
Flag of the United States.svg Charles Owens 		6–2, 6–4
Loss2–51981 Mar del Plata, ArgentinaClay Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg Ángel Giménez Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Carter
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Kronk 		7–6, 4–6, 0–6

Challenger titles

Singles: 3

No.YearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
1.1979Le Touquet, FranceClay Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg Fernando Luna 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
2.1981Tarragona, SpainClay Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg Eduardo Osta 6–4, 6–2
3.1982 Porto, PortugalClay Flag of Spain.svg Juan Avendaño 6–7, 6–3, 6–3

Doubles: 1

No.YearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
1.1979Le Touquet, FranceClay Flag of Spain (1977-1981).svg Antonio Muñoz Flag of France.svg Éric Deblicker
Flag of France.svg Georges Goven 		6–0, 3–6, 6–3

Notes

  1. ↑ ATP sources erroneously have him representing Spain during his career

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References

  1. ↑ ITF Tennis Profile for Jairo Velasco Sr.
  2. ↑ ATP World Tour Profile
  3. ↑ Davis Cup Profile
  4. ↑ El Tiempo , "Los Velasco, Unidos Por El Amor Al Tenis", 7 March 2000 (in Spanish)
  5. ↑ WTA Tennis Profile for Gabriela Velasco Andreu
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