Helen_Crook
Helen Crook
British tennis player
Helen Crook (born 20 November 1971) is a British former professional tennis player.
| Country (sports) |  Great Britain |
|---|---|
| Born | (1971-11-20) 20 November 1971 (age 52) Essex, England |
| Height | 1.75 cm (5 ft 9 in) |
| Plays | Right handed |
| College | University of South Carolina |
| Prize money | $98,388 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 140–161 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 257 (16 July 2001) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 192–178 |
| Career titles | 0 WTA, 11 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 155 (24 May 1999) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2003) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2001, 2003) |
Before turning professional, Crook attended college in the United States, as a journalism student at the University of South Carolina. She formed a doubles partnership in college tennis with another British player, Victoria Davies. The pair made the semifinals of the 1994 NCAA Doubles Championships.[1]
Crook, who was based in Essex, began competing on the international circuit in 1996. All of her WTA Tour and Wimbledon main-draw appearances were in doubles, a format in which she reached No. 155 in the world. She made two WTA Tour doubles quarterfinals, both with regular doubles partner Victoria Davies, at the 1999 Warsaw Cup and the 2001 Birmingham Classic. She featured in the women's doubles at Wimbledon on eight occasions and twice in mixed doubles. Her only grand slam win came when partnering Anna Hawkins at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, with the pair overcoming Barbara Schett and Patty Schnyder, before being beaten in the second round by Martina Navratilova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.[2]
She was one of the founders of GB Tennis Girls, an organisation supporting women's tennis.[3]
Singles (0–2)
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $40,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 17 January 1996 | Miami, United States | Hard |  Alina Jidkova |
2–6, 5–7 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 23 July 2000 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | Samantha Smith |
3–6, 0–6 |
Doubles (11–15)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Location | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 11 July 1994 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | Victoria Davies |
 Natalia Egorova Svetlana Parkhomenko |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 10 July 1995 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | Victoria Davies |
 Robyn Mawdsley Shannon Peters |
1–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 28 August 1995 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | Victoria Davies |
 Duygu Akşit Oal  Zsofia Csapó |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 4. | 27 January 1996 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard (i) | Victoria Davies |
Frances Hearn Leyla Ogan |
7–6(3), 7–6(4) |
| Winner | 5. | 26 April 1996 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | Victoria Davies |
Julie Pullin Lorna Woodroffe |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1 June 1996 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | Victoria Davies] |
Emily Bond  Emanuela Brusati |
6–7(4), 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 11 July 1997 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | Victoria Davies |
 Surina De Beer Lizzie Jelfs |
5–7, 5–7 |
| Winner | 8. | 26 September 1997 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Carpet (i) | Mareze Joubert |
Victoria Davies  Limor Gabai |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 9. | 6 December 1997 | Pretoria, South Africa | Hard | Mareze Joubert |
Lucinda Gibbs Giselle Swart |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 26 March 1998 | Wodonga, Australia | Grass | Victoria Davies |
Lisa McShea Alicia Molik |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 11. | 19 April 1998 | Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | Clay | Victoria Davies |
 Yvette Basting  Magdalena Zděnovcová |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 31 July 1998 | Ilkley, Great Britain | Grass | Victoria Davies |
Lizzie Jelfs Mareze Joubert |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 26 September 1998 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Victoria Davies |
Lizzie Jelfs Mareze Joubert |
1–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 14. | 3 October 1998 | Glasgow, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Victoria Davies |
 Eva Dyrberg  Lydia Steinbach |
4–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 15. | 2 April 2000 | Pontevedra, Spain | Hard | Victoria Davies |
Natasha Galouza  Vanesa Krauth |
3–6, 6–2, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 16. | 23 April 2000 | San Luis Potosí, Mexico | Clay | Victoria Davies |
María Fernanda Landa Romina Ottoboni |
4–6, 6–7(7) |
| Runner-up | 17. | 14 May 2000 | Tampico, Mexico | Hard | Victoria Davies |
 Melody Falcó  Carla Tiene |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 18. | 22 July 2000 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | Victoria Davies |
Mareze Joubert Nicole Sewell |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 19. | 3 February 2001 | Tipton, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Victoria Davies |
 Eleni Daniilidou  Maria Geznenge |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 20. | 20 May 2001 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | Victoria Davies |
Julie Pullin Lorna Woodroffe |
2–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 21. | 10 February 2002 | Redbridge, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  Sun Tiantian |
 Magda Mihalache Ekaterina Sysoeva |
6–4, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 22. | 8 March 2003 | Nuevo Laredo, Mexico | Hard | Christina Zachariadou |
Caroline-Ann Basu  Kildine Chevalier |
6–3, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Winner | 23. | 22 March 2003 | Monterrey, Mexico | Hard | Christina Zachariadou |
Caroline-Ann Basu Kildine Chevalier |
6–2, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 24. | 12 April 2003 | Coatzacoalcos, Mexico | Hard | Christina Zachariadou |
Erica Krauth Sarah Stone |
4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 25. | 15 February 2004 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Martina Müller |
 Claire Curran Kim Kilsdonk |
4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 26. | 11 July 2004 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | Karen Paterson |
Hannah Collin Anna Hawkins |
4–6, 4–6 |
- "USC Women's Tennis Gearing Up For NCAA Regionals". CBS Sports Network. 8 May 2006. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- "Relentless Navratilova has British pair in awe". The Daily Telegraph. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- "Casting the net in hope of 'filling gaps in system'". The Independent. 26 June 2004. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
