Douglas "Hank" Irvine (born September 1, 1943) is a Rhodesian born American former professional tennis player.

Hank Irvine
Full nameDouglas Irvine
Country (sports) Rhodesia
Born (1943-09-01) September 1, 1943 (age 81)
Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia
Singles
Career record12–18
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon3R (1971)
US Open1R (1971)
Doubles
Career record6–15
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon3R (1971)
US Open2R (1970, 1971, 1972)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonSF (1970)
US OpenQF (1971)

Biography

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Born in Bulawayo, Irvine was a student of Prince Edward School in Salisbury and played a variety of sports early in life. He was a world ranked squash player and also represented Rhodesia in field hockey. A school teacher by profession, he played in two Davis Cup ties for Rhodesia, against Sweden in 1968 and Spain in 1969.[1]

While competing on the professional tour in the early 1970s he made several appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open. He was a mixed doubles semi-finalist at the 1970 Wimbledon Championships, partnering Helen Gourlay of Australia. As a singles player he made the Wimbledon third round in 1971 and played a center court match at Wimbledon the following year against top seed and eventual champion Stan Smith.[2] In 1974 he won the singles title at the Rothmans Connaught Hard Court Championships played on clay at Chingford, Essex, England against John Clifton.

Irvine, who became an American citizen, had a noted career in platform tennis after leaving the professional tour and is a member of the sport's hall of fame.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Scannell, Nancy (February 14, 1977). "Irvine-FitzGibbon Triumph". Washington Post.
  2. ^ Tupper, Fred (June 28, 1972). "Smith Advances in Straight Sets". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Irvine, Hank". Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame.
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