Karen Hantze Susman Biography

Karen Hantze Susman (ne Hantze; born December 11, 1942) is a retired female tennis player from the United States. Susman won the 1962 women's singles title at Wimbledon, defeating V?ra Puejov Sukov in the final 6-4, 6-4, but did not defend her title in 1963. She also won three Grand Slam women's doubles titles, all with Billie Jean King. She also won the 1960 Wimbledon junior girls' singles title.

Tennis career

Susman and King, as an unseeded team, won the 1961 women's doubles title at Wimbledon, defeating the third-seeded team of Jan Lehane O'Neill and Margaret Court in the final 6-3, 6-4. Susman and King successfully defended their title in 1962, defeating the South African team of Rene Schuurman and Sandra Reynolds Price in the final 5-7, 6-3, 7-5. Susman and King reached the 1964 women's doubles final at Wimbledon, losing to the top-seeded team of Court and Lesley Turner Bowrey 7-5, 6-2. For Wimbledon's centenary celebration in 1977, Susman and King teamed for the last time. As the eighth-seeded team, they were upset in a second round match on Centre Court by the team of Mary Carillo and Patricia Bostrom 7-9, 6-4, 6-3.

Susman and King won the 1964 women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, defeating Court and Bowrey in the final 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Susman and King reached the 1962 women's doubles final at the U.S. Championships, losing to the team of Maria Bueno and Darlene Hard 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. They also reached the 1965 women's doubles final at the U.S. Championships, losing to the team of Nancy Richey Gunter and Carole Caldwell Graebner 6-4, 6-4. Susman played little in 1963, deciding not to defend her Wimbledon singles and doubles titles. She returned to play in 1964, and at Wimbledon, she lost in a third-round match to Margaret Smith. She entered the U.S. Championships the same year, but withdrew before the tournament. Susman played little in the 1960s and 1970s but her last Grand Slam singles tournament was at the 1980 US Open. She defeated Tanya Harford in the first round 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 and Janet Newberry Wright in the second round 7-5, 6-1 before losing to 14th-seeded Ivanna Madruga Osses 6-3, 6-1.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Susman was ranked in the world top ten in 1961, 1962, and 1964, reaching a career high of world no. 4 in 1962. Susman was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1959 through 1962 and in 1964. She was the second-ranked U.S. player behind Hard from 1960 through 1962.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1962	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	V?ra Sukov	6-4, 6-4

Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1961	Wimbledon	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Jan Lehane O'Neill Margaret Court	6-3, 6-4
Winner	1962	Wimbledon	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Sandra Reynolds Price Rene Schuurman	5-7, 6-3, 7-5
Runner-up	1962	U.S. Championships	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Maria Bueno Darlene Hard	4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Runner-up	1964	Wimbledon	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Margaret Court Lesley Turner Bowrey	7-5, 6-2
Winner	1964	U.S. Championships	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Margaret Court Lesley Turner Bowrey	3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Runner-up	1965	U.S. Championships	Grass	Billie Jean Moffitt	Carole Caldwell Graebner Nancy Richey Gunter	6-4, 6-4

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965 - 1968	1969	1970 - 1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	Career SR
Australia	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A / A	A	A	A	0 / 0
France	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 1
Wimbledon	A	A	QF	QF	W	A	3R	A	A	A	A	2R	A	A	A	1 / 5
United States	3R	QF	3R	3R	3R	A	QF	A	1R	A	1R	A	A	2R	3R	0 / 10
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 2	0 / 2	1 / 2	0 / 0	0 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 16

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

See also

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final