Beverly Baker
| Full name | Beverley Joyce Baker Fleitz |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 United States
|
| Born |
March 13, 1930 Providence, RI, United States |
| Died | April 29, 2014 (aged 84) Long Beach, CA, USA |
| Plays | Right and left-handed forehand |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1954) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | SF (1955) |
| Wimbledon | F (1955) |
| US Open | QF (1948, 1949, 1954, 1955) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1955) |
| Wimbledon | F (1959) |
Beverly Baker Fleitz (March 13, 1930 – April 29, 2014), was a women's tennis player from the United States who was active in the late 1940s and during the 1950s. According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Fleitz was ranked in the world top ten in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1958, and 1959, reaching a career high of world no. 3 in those rankings in 1954, 1955, and 1958. Fleitz was included in the year-end top 10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1948 through 1951 and in 1954, 1955, 1958, and 1959. She was the top-ranked U.S. player in 1959. She was ambidextrous and played with two forehands.
Fleitz began playing tennis at age 11 and played mostly on public courts in Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, California. Her father Frank Baker was her only coach and was the assistant director of recreation for the city of Santa Monica.
She played Grand Slam singles tournaments outside the United States only six times during her career. At Wimbledon, Fleitz reached the singles final in 1955, losing to Louise Brough 7–5, 8–6. In 1956, Fleitz reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals but was forced to retire from the tournament when she became ill. She was pregnant with her second child at the time.
Her only Grand Slam title was in women's doubles. Darlene Hard and Fleitz teamed to win the title at the 1955 French Championships.
In U.S. national championships, Fleitz was the runner-up at the 1949 U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships, losing to Magda Rurac of Romania in the final. Fleitz won the 1958 U.S. Hard Court Championships, defeating Karen Hantze in the final.At the U.S. Championships, Fleitz reached the semifinals in 1950 and 1958 as well as the quarterfinals in four of her five other attempts.
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