Australian tennis player (born 1956)
Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat (née Fromholtz ; born 10 August 1956) is an Australian former professional tennis player who reached a highest singles ranking of world No. 4 in 1979.
In 2019, Fromholtz was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame , commemorated by a bronze bust.
Fromholtz began playing tennis at the age of seven. She left school at the age of 16 to play in international tournaments. She turned pro in 1973 and joined the WTA Tour .[citation needed ]
At the age of 17, she participated in the professional tennis circuit, winning the singles title at a dozen tournaments in 1973, but the rules at the time did not permit prize money to be paid to participants under 18 years of age.[ 1]
She reached the finals of the Australian Open in January 1977, losing to fellow Australian Kerry Melville Reid in two sets. She was a semifinalist at the French Open in 1979 and 1980. She also reached the semifinals of the US Open in 1976.
Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat in Wimbledon Mixed Doubles with Tom Okker in the background, 1985
Fromholtz won eight WTA Tour singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in 1979. Partnering with Helen Gourlay Cawley , she won the Australian Open women's doubles in January 1977. She had career wins over Chris Evert , Martina Navratilova , Billie Jean King , Evonne Goolagong Cawley , Margaret Court , Virginia Wade , Pam Shriver , and Gabriela Sabatini . She holds an 8–7 career record over King.
Fromholtz met French businessman Claude Balestrat at a New Year's Eve party in 1981, and the couple wed in Dural on 26 December 1982.[ 2]
On 30 August 2000, Fromholtz was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for her commitment to tennis.[ 3]
In 2019, Fromholtz was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame , commemorated by a bronze bust located in Garden Square, within Melbourne Park .[ 4]
Singles: (1 runners-up)[ edit ]
Mixed doubles: (1 runner-up)[ edit ]
Winner – Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (0–1)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (8–15)
Titles by surface
Hard (0–4)
Grass (4–5)
Clay (3–1)
Carpet (1–6)
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Opponent
Score
Win
1.
May 1973
Guildford
Clay
Kazuko Sawamatsu
7–5, 4–6, 6–3
Win
2.
Jun 1973
Chichester
Grass
Brigitte Cuypers
6–1, 6–0
Win
3.
Jun 1973
Beckenham
Grass
Janet Newberry
7–5, 0–6, 6–1
Loss
1.
Jul 1973
Newport
Grass
Julie Heldman
6–1, 1–6, 9–11
Loss
2.
Nov 1973
Adelaide
Grass
Janet Young
5–7, 1–6
Win
4.
Nov 1973
Sydney
Clay
Ann Kiyomura
6–1, 7–5
Loss
3.
Aug 1974
South Orange
Grass
Pam Teeguarden
5–7, 3–6
Loss
4.
Nov 1974
Johannesburg
Hard
Kerry Melville
3–6, 5–7
Loss
5.
Aug 1975
Indianapolis
Clay
Chris Evert
3–6, 4–6
Loss
6.
Octr 1976
Phoenix
Hard
Chris Evert
1–6, 5–7
Win
5.
Nov 1976
Sydney
Clay
Leanne Harrison
6–1, 6–0
Loss
7.
Dec 1976
Sydney
Grass
Kerry Melville Reid
6–3, 2–6, 3–6
Loss
8.
Jan 1977
Australian Open
Grass
Kerry Melville Reid
5–7, 2–6
Loss
9.
Oct 1977
Atlanta
Carpet
Chris Evert
3–6, 2–6
Loss
10.
Feb 1978
Detroit
Carpet
Martina Navratilova
3–6, 2–6
Win
6.
Dec 1978
Sydney
Grass
Kerry Melville Reid
6–1, 1–6, 6–4
Win
7.
Dec 1978
Sydney
Grass
Wendy Turnbull
6–2, 7–5
Loss
11.
Jan 1979
Hollywood
Carpet
Greer Stevens
4–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win
8.
Mar 1979
Boston
Carpet
Sue Barker
6–2, 7–6(7–4)
Loss
12.
Mar 1979
Carlsbad
Hard
Chris Evert
6–3, 3–6, 1–6
Loss
13.
Oct 1979
Minneapolis
Carpet
Evonne Goolagong
3–6, 4–6
Loss
14.
Sep 1980
Minneapolis
Carpet
Tracy Austin
1–6, 6–2, 2–6
Loss
15.
May 1985
Sydney
Carpet
Pam Shriver
3–6, 4–6
Loss
16.
Mar 1987
Phoenix
Hard
Anne White
1–6, 2–6
Doubles: 12 (5-1–6)[ edit ]
Winner – Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (1–0)
WTA Tour Championships (0–0)
Virginia Slims, Avon, Other (4–1-6)
Titles by surface
Hard (2–2)
Grass (1-1–3)
Clay (2–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Result
No.
Date
Tournament
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Draw
1.
9 July 1973
Newport
Grass
Julie Heldman
Patti Hogan Sharon Walsh
1–5 Shared – final rained out
Loss
1.
17 December 1973
Hobart
Grass
Jackie Fayter
Helen Gourlay Karen Krantzcke
2–6, 1–6
Win
1.
8 April 1974
Phoenix, Arizona
Hard
Janet Young
Ann Kiyomura Betsy Nagelsen
w/o
Loss
2.
18 November 1974
Johannesburg
Hard
Margaret Court
Ilana Kloss Kerry Melville
3–6, 5–7
Win
2.
19 May 1975
Hamburg
Clay
Renáta Tomanová
Paulina Peisachov Kazuko Sawamatsu
6–3, 6–2
Win
3.
8 March 1976
Tallahassee, Florida
Hard
Julie Anthony
Virginia Ruzici Mariana Simionescu
6–2, 7–5
Loss
3.
26 December 1976
Sydney
Grass
Renáta Tomanová
Helen Gourlay Betsy Nagelsen
4–6, 1–6
Win
4.
3 January 1977
Australian Open
Grass
Helen Gourlay
Kerry Melville Reid Betsy Nagelsen
5–7, 6–1, 7–5
Loss
4.
23 September 1977
Hilton Head
Clay
Virginia Wade
Evonne Goolagong Kerry Melville Reid
2–6, 6–3, 4–6
Win
5.
14 May 1979
Vienna
Clay
Marise Kruger
Ilana Kloss Betty Ann Stuart
3–6, 6–4, 6–1
Loss
5.
26 November 1979
Melbourne
Grass
Anne Smith
Billie Jean King Wendy Turnbull
3–6, 3–6
Loss
6.
28 February 1983
Palm Springs
Hard
Betty Stöve
Kathy Jordan Ann Kiyomura
2–6, 2–6
Grand Slam singles tournament 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.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.