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Kimberly Lynn Kessaris (born March 27, 1973) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
| Full name | Kimberly Lynn Kessaris |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | March 27, 1973 |
| Prize money | $41,101 |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 124 (July 17, 1989) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (1989) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1989) |
| US Open | 1R (1989) |
| Doubles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 381 (October 24, 1988) |
Early life
Kessaris grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina, the daughter of Jim and Peggy. Her father, a dentist by profession, got her started in tennis when she was five. She attended the local Heritage Hall school.[1]
Considered a tennis prodigy, she was a top ranked junior and trained at Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida.[2]
Tennis career
Kessaris made her WTA Tour debut at Charleston in 1987, just days after her 14th birthday.
In 1988 she was beaten by Steffi Graf in only 32-minutes at a tournament in Mahwah.[3]
At the 1989 Australian Open she defeated Andrea Farley in the girls' singles final to become the first American to win an Australian Open junior title.[4][5] She also qualified for the main draw of the women's singles and made the third round.
Her best performance on the WTA Tour was a quarter-final appearance at the 1989 Virginia Slims of Houston as a lucky loser and that July she reached her highest ranking of 124 in the world.[6]
Following the 1990 Australian Open she left professional tennis, aged 16.
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