Janice Patricia "Jan" Lehane O'Neill OAM (née Lehane; born 9 July 1941) is a former Australian female tennis player. She was the first leading female player with a double-handed backhand. She won the singles title at the New South Wales Championships in 1959 after a three-sets victory in the final against Mary Carter Reitano. In 1960, she successfully defended her title by winning the semifinal against world No. 1 ranked

Maria Bueno Maria Esther Andion Bueno (11 October 1939 – 8 June 2018) was a Brazilian professional tennis player. During her 11-year career in the 1950s and 1960s, she won 19 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major titles (seven in women's singles, 11 in w ...

and the final in straight sets against Margaret Smith. At the

Australian Championships The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year, held be ...

, Lehane reached the singles final four consecutive years (1960–1963) but lost to Margaret Smith each time. She had a similar experience in women's doubles, reaching the final twice (in 1961 with Mary Bevis Hawton and 1963 with

Lesley Turner Bowrey Lesley Rosemary Turner Bowrey, AM (née Turner; born 16 August 1942) is a retired professional tennis player from Australia. Her career spanned two decades from the late 1950s until the late 1970s. Turner Bowrey won the singles title at the F ...

) but losing each time to a team that included Smith (with Mary Carter Reitano in 1961 and Robyn Ebbern in 1963). Lehane had more success in the mixed doubles, twice winning the title (in 1960 with Trevor Fancutt and 1961 with

Bob Hewitt Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15 major titles and a career Grand Slam in both men' ...

). However, Mike Sangster and Lehane lost the 1964 mixed doubles final to Smith and

Ken Fletcher Kenneth Norman Fletcher (15 June 1940 – 11 February 2006) was an Australian tennis player who won numerous doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. Biography He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to parents Norm and Ethel Flet ...

. She had an operation on her right knee in January 1965 and did not play any of the Grand Slams that year. She was part of the Australian Fed Cup team that reached the final in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

and won all three of her singles rubbers. According to Lance Tingay of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', O'Neill was ranked in the world top 10 in 1960, 1963, and 1964, reaching a career high of World No. 7 in 1963. Lehane married James John O'Neill on 19 February 1966. In 2018, she was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame. On Australia Day 2019, Jan was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to tennis.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (4 runners-up)

Doubles: (3 runners-up)

Mixed doubles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. O'Neill participated only in the January edition.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lehane, Jan Australian Championships (tennis) champions Australian female tennis players 1941 births Living people Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' singles Tennis players from New South Wales Australian Championships (tennis) junior champions Sportswomen from New South Wales 20th-century Australian sportswomen