Bonnie Gadusek

Bonnie Gadusek
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePunta Gorda, Florida, U.S.[1]
Born (1963-09-11) September 11, 1963 (age 61)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Turned proSeptember 1981
RetiredApril 1987
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$504,238
Singles
Career record169–95
Career titles5
Highest rankingNo. 8 (July 9, 1984)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (1981)
French Open4R (1985)
Wimbledon2R (1985)
US OpenQF (1982, 1986)
Doubles
Career record83–71
Career titles3
Highest rankingNo. 59 (January 5, 1987)

Bonnie Gadusek (born September 11, 1963) is a retired American professional tennis player.

Career

[edit]

Gadusek started a career in gymnastics, training for the 1980 Olympics, but fell from uneven parallel bars and landed on her neck, dislocating two vertebrae.[2] While recovering from her injuries, she took up tennis as part of her therapy.[3] She played in her first junior tournament wearing a brace. She was named Junior of the Year in 1980 and Player of the Year in 1981 by the Florida Tennis Association. She won the 1981 French Open girls’ singles championship.

Gadusek played on the WTA Tour from 1981 to 1987. She was named Rookie of the Year in 1982. She won five singles and three doubles titles before retiring. The right-hander reached her highest career ranking on July 9, 1984 when she became the world No. 8. Her best Grand Slam finishes were two quarterfinals at the US Open in 1982 and 1986.

Gadusek had career wins over Billie Jean King, Andrea Jaeger, Sue Barker, Hana Mandlíková, Manuela Maleeva, Wendy Turnbull, Gabriela Sabatini, Dianne Fromholtz, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Helena Suková, Zina Garrison, Mary Joe Fernandez, Sylvia Hanika, Jo Durie, and Rosie Casals. During her career, she was coached by renowned Australian coach Harry Hopman.

Gadusek was a member of the 1986 Wightman Cup Team. She helped coach the 1987 Wightman Cup Team. She retired with a 169–95 win–loss record.[4]

WTA career finals

[edit]

Singles: 10 (5 titles, 5 runner-ups)

[edit]
Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, other (5–5)
Titles by surface
Hard (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (2–3)
Carpet (2–1)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jul 1982 Tournoi de Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Romania Virginia Ruzici 2–6, 6–7(5–7)
Loss 0–2 May 1983 Italian Open Clay Hungary Andrea Temesvári 1–6, 0–6
Loss 0–3 Nov 1983 Maybelline Classic, U.S. Hard United States Chris Evert-Lloyd 0–6, 4–6
Win 1–3 Jan 1984 VS Marco Island, U.S. Clay United States Kathleen Horvath 3–6, 6–0, 6–4
Loss 1–4 Mar 1984 VS Palm Beach Gardens, U.S. Clay United States Chris Evert-Lloyd 0–6, 1–6
Win 2–4 Jan 1985 VS Marco Island, U.S. Hard United States Pam Casale 6–3, 6–4
Win 3–4 May 1985 Swiss Open Clay Bulgaria Manuela Maleeva 6–2, 6–2
Win 4–4 Sep 1985 VS Chicago, U.S. Carpet (i) United States Kathy Rinaldi 6–1, 6–3
Win 5–4 Oct 1985 VS Indianapolis, U.S. Carpet (i) United States Pam Casale 6–0, 6–3
Loss 5–5 Dec 1985 Pan Pacific Open, Japan Carpet (i) Bulgaria Manuela Maleeva 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 5–7

Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runner-ups)

[edit]
Winner — Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims (3–3)
Titles by surface
Hard (1–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (1–0)
Carpet (1–1)
Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1. Oct 1983 Tampa Open, U.S. Hard United States Wendy White United States Martina Navratilova
United States Pam Shriver
0–6, 1–6
Win 1. Nov 1983 Deerfield Beach Classic, U.S. Hard United States Wendy White United States Pam Casale
United States Mary-Lou Piatek
6–1, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 2. Jan 1985 Marco Island Cup, U.S. Hard United States Camille Benjamin United States Kathy Jordan
Australia Elizabeth Smylie
3–6, 3–6
Win 2. May 1985 Lugano Open, Switzerland Clay Czechoslovakia Helena Suková West Germany Bettina Bunge
West Germany Eva Pfaff
6–2, 6–4
Win 3. Oct 1985 VS Indianapolis, U.S. Carpet (i) United States Mary-Lou Piatek United States Penny Barg
United States Sandy Collins
6–1, 6–0
Loss 3. Feb 1986 Oakland Classic, U.S. Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Helena Suková Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková
Australia Wendy Turnbull
6–7(5–7), 1–6

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

[edit]
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.
Tournament 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Australian Open 2R A A A A NH A
French Open 1R 3R 1R A 4R A A
Wimbledon A A A A 2R A A
US Open A QF 4R 4R 3R QF 1R
Year-end ranking 35 18 18 13 10 13 461

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bonnie S Gadusek". Florida Resident Directory. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Linz, Franz (February 11, 1985). "Bonnie Gadusek Calls Herself the Animal, But She Is a Dreamer, Too". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  3. ^ Diliberto, Gioia (January 24, 1983). "A Near-Fatal Fall Broke Gymnast Bonnie Gadusek's Neck, but Not the Spirit That Made Her a Champion". People. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  4. ^ "Bonnie Gadusek – United States". WTA. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
[edit]