Yolanda Ramírez Ochoa (born 1 March 1935) is a Mexican tennis player active in the 1950s and 1960s. She was twice a singles finalist and once a women's doubles champion and mixed doubles champion at the French Open.

Yola Ramírez
Full nameYolanda del Monte Carmelo Ramírez Partida
Country (sports) Mexico
Born (1935-03-01) 1 March 1935 (age 89)
Mexico, DF, Mexico
PlaysRight–handed
Singles
Career record375-143 (72.4%)
Career titles51
Highest rankingNo. 6 (1961)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenSF (1962)
French OpenF (1960, 1961)
WimbledonQF (1959, 1961)
US OpenQF (1961, 1963)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1958)
WimbledonSF (1957, 1958, 1959)
US OpenF (1961)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenSF (1962)
French OpenW (1958)
WimbledonSF (1959)

Career

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Ramírez was a singles finalist at the French Championships in 1960 and 1961. She lost the 1960 final to Darlene Hard and the 1961 final to Ann Haydon. She also was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1959 and 1961, a quarterfinalist at the 1961 and 1963 U.S. Championships, a semifinalist at the 1962 Australian Championships, a semifinalist at the 1959 Italian Championships, and a finalist in Monte Carlo in 1959. Ochoa won the German Championships in 1957 and was a finalist in 1961.

Ramirez teamed with Rosie Reyes to win the women's doubles title at the 1958 French Championships and to reach the final at the 1957 and 1959 French Championships. She teamed with Billy Knight to win the mixed doubles title at the 1959 French Championships. With Edda Buding, she reached the women's doubles final at the 1961 U.S. Championships. She also won the women's doubles titles at the Italian Championships and in Monte Carlo, both in 1960.

At the tournament in Cincinnati, Ramirez won the singles title in 1956 and the doubles title (with Sara Mae Turber) in 1955. She was a doubles finalist in 1956.

In 1959 she won the South of France Championships in Nice, France.

Ramírez won the singles titles at the 1960 Mexico National Championships and the 1961 Caribbean Lawn Tennis Championship.

During her career, Ramírez had wins over Billie Jean King (in the second round of Wimbledon in 1961, which was King's first appearance at the tournament), Jones, and Christine Truman.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Ramírez was ranked in the world top 10 in 1957 and from 1959 through 1961, reaching a career high of world no. 6 in 1961.[1]

She married Alfonso Ochoa on 29 August 1962.

Grand Slam finals

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Singles (2 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1960 French Championships Clay   Darlene Hard 3–6, 4–6
Loss 1961 French Championships Clay   Ann Haydon 2–6, 1–6

Doubles (1 title, 3 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1957 French Championships Clay   Rosie Reyes   Shirley Bloomer
  Darlene Hard
5–7, 6–4, 5–7
Win 1958 French Championships Clay   Rosie Reyes   Mary Bevis Hawton
  Thelma Coyne Long
6–4, 7–5
Loss 1959 French Championships Clay   Rosie Reyes   Sandra Reynolds
  Renée Schuurman
6–2, 0–6, 1–6
Loss 1961 US Open Grass   Edda Buding   Darlene Hard
  Lesley Turner
4–6, 7–5, 0–6

Mixed doubles (1 title)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1959 French Championships Clay   Billy Knight   Rod Laver
  Renée Schuurman
6–4, 6–4

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 Career SR
Australian Championships A A A A A A A SF A 0 / 1
French Championships A A 3R 4R 4R F F A 2R 0 / 6
Wimbledon A A 2R 3R QF 3R QF A 1R 0 / 6
U.S. Championships 3R 1R A A A A QF A QF 0 / 4
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 17

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
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