Lizzie Jelfs
Elizabeth Coulson (née Jelfs; born 28 July 1976) is a British former professional tennis player.
Full name | Elizabeth Coulson (nee Jelfs) |
---|---|
Country (sports) | Great Britain |
Born | Banbury, Oxfordshire, England | 28 July 1976
Prize money | $48,134 |
Singles | |
Career record | 95-100 |
Highest ranking | No. 207 (11 September 1995) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Wimbledon | 1R (1995) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 105-58 |
Career titles | 12 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 200 (3 November 1997) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Wimbledon | 2R (1998) |
Biography
Tennis career
Jelfs, who is originally from Banbury, won the girls' doubles title at the 1994 Wimbledon Championships. She and South African partner Nannie de Villiers defeated Corina Morariu and Ludmila Varmužová in the final.[1] The same pair were also runner-up in the girls' doubles at the 1995 US Open.
In 1995 she appeared in the main draw of three WTA Tour tournaments in the lead up to Wimbledon. She qualified as a lucky loser for the singles at the British Clay Court Championships, then received a wildcard into the doubles at Birmingham with Karen Cross, before winning her way through qualifying to play singles in Eastbourne. On the back of these performances, she was granted a wildcard spot into the 1995 Wimbledon Championships and was beaten in the first round by Christina Singer. Later in the year, she surpassed Clare Wood as Britain's top-ranked female player.[2]
She played again at Wimbledon in 1998 when she featured in the mixed doubles, partnering Jamie Delgado. They made the second round, with a win over Francisco Montana and Caroline Schneider.[3]
Personal life
Now known by her married name, Coulson, she studied Sports Science/Recreational Management at Loughborough University and has worked as an events manager.[4]
ITF Circuit finals
$25,000 tournaments |
$10,000 tournaments |
Singles: 4 (4 runner-ups)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 1 February 1993 | ITF Newcastle, United Kingdom | Carpet (i) | Gaby Coorengel | 1–6, 2–6 |
Runner-up | 2. | 24 July 1995 | ITF Salvador, Brazil | Hard | Lucila Becerra | 4–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 3. | 27 April 1998 | ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom | Clay | Mariam Ramón Climent | 1–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 4. | 31 August 1998 | ITF Xanthi, Greece | Hard | Eleni Daniilidou | 2–6, 0–6 |
Doubles: 15 (12 titles, 3 runner-ups)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 24 April 1995 | ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Karen Cross | Robyn Mawdsley Lorna Woodroffe |
3–6, 1–6 |
Winner | 2. | 8 May 1995 | ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Karen Cross | Kaye Hand Claire Taylor |
3–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
Winner | 3. | 13 April 1997 | ITF Jakarta, Indonesia | Hard | Jasmine Choudhury | Won Kyung-joo Cho Yoon-jeong |
6–4, 7–6 |
Winner | 4. | 8 July 1997 | ITF Felixstowe, United Kingdom | Grass | Surina De Beer | Helen Crook Victoria Davies |
7–5, 7–5 |
Winner | 5. | 21 July 1997 | ITF Dublin, Ireland | Grass | Surina De Beer | Amanda Augustus Amy Jensen |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 6. | 29 September 1997 | ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Karen Cross | Lucie Ahl Joanne Ward |
6–7(8–6), 2–6 |
Winner | 7. | 25 April 1998 | ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom | Clay | Mareze Joubert | Limor Gabai Kate Warne-Holland |
6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 8. | 27 April 1998 | ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom | Clay | Amanda Keen | Celeste Contín Mariam Ramón Climent |
6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 9. | 18 July 1998 | ITF Frinton, United Kingdom | Grass | Mareze Joubert | Lucie Ahl Amanda Wainwright |
6–2, 7–5 |
Winner | 10. | 27 July 1998 | ITF Ilkley, United Kingdom | Grass | Mareze Joubert | Helen Crook Victoria Davies |
6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 11. | 3 August 1998 | ITF Southsea, United Kingdom | Grass | Mareze Joubert | Eleni Daniilidou Lucy Wood |
6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 12. | 21 September 1998 | ITF Sunderland, United Kingdom | Hard | Mareze Joubert | Helen Crook Victoria Davies |
6–1, 6–1 |
Winner | 13. | 1 February 1999 | ITF Sheffield, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Lorna Woodroffe | Surina De Beer Kim de Weille |
3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
Winner | 14. | 5 April 1999 | ITF Cerignola, Italy | Clay | Jasmine Choudhury | Irina Kornienko Lina Krasnoroutskaya |
7–5, 7–5 |
Winner | 15. | 3 October 1999 | ITF Glasgow, United Kingdom | Carpet (i) | Karen Nugent | Gréta Arn Manisha Malhotra |
w/o |
References
- "Sporting Digest: Tennis". The Independent. 4 July 1994. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Lizzie Jelfs Britain's Highest Ranked Tennis Player". The Independent. 15 August 1995. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Mixed Doubles - Full Results". BBC Online. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- "Why I took my clothes off for tennis". Oxford Mail. 2 June 2000. Retrieved 22 September 2017.