Stephanie DeFina Johnson (born March 8, 1946) is an American former amateur tennis player who was active in the 1960s and mid-1970s.
| Full name | Stephanie Roberta DeFina |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | March 8, 1946 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.58 m) |
| Turned pro | 1959 (ILTF Circuit) |
| Retired | 1977 |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 291–143 |
| Career titles | 29 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1967) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1967) |
| US Open | 3R (1962, 1966, 1967) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | 3R (1967) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1966) |
| US Open | QF (1965, 1966, 1967, 1970) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | QF (1968) |
DeFina was included in the year-end top 10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1966 through 1968, peaking at no. 7 among U.S. players in 1967.[1][2]
Career
editHer best singles result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the fourth round of the 1967 Wimbledon Championships, losing to Ann Jones.[3]
In 1966, she reached the final of the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships, losing to Nancy Richey. In 1969, she was a doubles runner-up at the New England Women's Invitational Indoor Tennis Championships (teaming with Kathy Pigeon), and she was the singles runner-up at the U.S. Indoor Championships.
At the Tri-State Championships in Cincinnati, DeFina won two singles titles: in 1963 (defeating Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz in the final) and 1965 (defeating Roberta Alison in the final). She also paired with Alison to win the Cincinnati doubles title in 1965.
In 1968, DeFina was a member of the U.S. team that competed for the Wightman Cup, the annual women's competition between the United States and Great Britain. She played the doubles match with Kathy Harter, losing to Christine Truman Janes and Nell Truman.[4]
Her other main career singles highlights include winning the South Florida Open Championships in West Palm Beach six times (1962–1964, 1966–1967, 1969). She won the Denver City Open Championship in Colorado five times (1971, 1973, 1975–1977). She won the Austin Smith Championships in Fort Lauderdale four times (1962–1963, 1966–1967), She also won the City of Miami Invitation Championships four times (1963–1964, 1966, 1969), the Tennessee Valley Invitation (1963) in Chattanooga, and the Florida State Open Championships two times (1963, 1969).
DeFina was a member of the 1974 World Team Tennis champion Denver Racquets.[5]
References
edit- ^ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.
- ^ "USTA Yearbook - Top 10 U.S. Women's Rankings". USTA.
- ^ "Wimbledon players archive – Stephanie Johnson (De Fina)". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC.
- ^ Bob Bloodworth (January 10, 1970). "Stephanie DeFina Likes New Name". The Palm Beach Post. p. D2.
- ^ "Mylan WTT Player Database (seasons completed) - as of September 25, 2014 - (Seasons 1974-2014)" (PDF). World TeamTennis. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
