Up for auction "Tennis Legend" Dianne Balestrat Hand Written Letter Dated 1983.
ES-7798
Dianne
Fromholtz Balestrat (née Fromholtz;
born 10 August 1956) is an Australian former professional tennis player who reached a highest singles ranking of
world No. 4 in 1979. Fromholtz began playing tennis at the age of seven. She
left school at the age of 16 to play in international tournaments. She turned
pro in 1973 and joined the WTA Tour. At the age of 17, she actively
participated in the professional tennis circuit, winning the singles title at a
dozen tournaments in 1973, but the rules at the time did not permit prize money
to be paid out to participants under 18 years of age. She
reached the finals of the Australian Open in January 1977, losing to fellow
Australian Kerry Melville Reid in
two sets. She was a semifinalist at the French Open in 1979 and 1980. She also
reached the semifinals of the US Open in 1976. Fromholtz won 8 WTA Tour singles titles
and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in 1979. Partnering with Helen Gourlay Cawley, she
won the Australian Open women's doubles in January 1977. She had career wins
over Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Margaret Court, Virginia Wade, Pam Shriver, and Gabriela Sabatini. She holds an 8–7 career record over King. Fromholtz
met French businessman Claude Balestrat at a New Year's Eve party in 1981, the
couple wed in Dural on 26 December
1982.
On 30 August 2000, Fromholtz was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for
her commitment to tennis.