Christian Kuhnke (born 14 April 1939) is a former German tennis player.

Christian Kuhnke
Country (sports) West Germany
Born (1939-04-13) 13 April 1939 (age 85)
Berlin, Nazi Germany
Turned pro1959 (amateur tour)
Retired1974
PlaysLeft-handed
Singles
Career record38–31
Career titles2
Highest rankingNo. 8 (1964, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1961)
French Open4R (1963)
WimbledonQF (1963, 1964)
Doubles
Career record6–12
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1961)
French OpenF (1962)
WimbledonQF (1964)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1970Ch)

Kuhnke was part of the West Germany Davis Cup team who reached the Challenge Round in the 1970 Davis Cup. Kuhnke reached the quarter finals of the Australian Championships in 1961. Kuhnke was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1963, losing in straight sets to Manuel Santana. The following year at Wimbledon, Kuhnke beat Santana (who had recently won the French Championships). Kuhnke, "a tall and solemn German left-hander", was "a pretty good volleyer with a long reach and a good deal of force and reliability in service" and was the kind of opponent that "bored" Santana.[2] Kuhnke lost in the quarter finals to Fred Stolle.

Kuhnke was ranked World No. 8 for 1964 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.[1] In 1970 he won the Kingston International Championships against Gerald Battrick.[3] He also won the title at Berlin in 1971 over Santana. He retired in 1974.

Grand Slam finals

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Doubles (1 runner–up)

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Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponent Score
Runner-up 1962 French Championships Clay   Wilhelm Bungert   Roy Emerson
  Neale Fraser
3–6, 4–6, 5–7

References

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  1. ^ a b United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  2. ^ "Osuna likely to be McKinley's rival". The Guardian. 29 June 1964. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  3. ^ Barrett, John (1971). "National Tournaments". World of Tennis 1971 : a BP yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-362-00091-7. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
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