Sheila Piercey (18 March 1919 – 14 August 2005) was a South African

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. She was also known under her married name Sheila Piercey-Summers. Piercey was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. With her compatriot

Eric Sturgess Eric William Sturgess (10 May 1920 – 14 January 2004) was a South African male tennis player and winner of six Grand Slam doubles titles. He also reached the singles final of a Grand Slam tournament three times but never won. Sturgess was ra ...

, she won three mixed doubles titles: at the French Open in 1947 and 1949 and at Wimbledon in 1949. In 1947, she became the first South African woman to reach a Wimbledon semifinal in the singles event. She lost the match in straight sets to top-seeded and eventual champion Margaret Osborne. Two years later, in 1949, she again reached the semifinals of the

French Championships The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

and again lost to Osborne in straight sets. Summers won the South African Championships singles title in 1948, 1949 and 1951 and was runner–up in 1939, 1940 and 1947. In August 1947, she won the singles title at the International Swiss Championships at Lausann, defeating Doris Hart in the final in three sets. After her playing career, she coached the South African Federation Cup team.

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles (3 titles)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piercey, Sheila 1919 births 2005 deaths Tennis players from Johannesburg South African female tennis players French Championships (tennis) champions Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles White South African people