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Tracy Ann Austin (b. December 12, 1962, in Palos Verdes, California)
is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player from the United States. She won
the women's singles title at the US Open in 1979 and 1981, and the mixed
doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut short
her very promising career.
As a junior player, Austin won 21 age-group titles including
the US national 12s title at age 10 in 1972. In 1977, she became the youngest
player to win a professional tournament, capturing the title in Portland,
Oregon aged 14 years and 28 days. Later that year, she made her Grand Slam
debut at Wimbledon and at the US Open 2 months later she reached the quarter-finals.
Austin became the youngest-ever US Open champion in 1979,
aged 16 years and 9 months. In the final she faced Chris Evert (who was bidding
to win the title for the fifth consecutive year) and beat her in straight
sets 6-4, 6-3. Earlier that year, she had also ended Evert's 125-match clay
court winning streak by beating her in three sets in the semi-finals of the
Italian Open.
Austin won the US Open again in 1981 in a thrilling final
against Martina Navratilova in which she prevailed 1-6, 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-1).
In 1980, Austin won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title partnering
her brother John Austin. She was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon in
both 1979 and 1980.
Austin was briefly ranked the World No. 1 singles player
in 1980, breaking a six-year strangle-hold that Evert and Navratilova had
held on the top spot.
After a fleeting period of great success, back injuries began
to impair Austin's effectiveness and sidelined her for long stretches. She
won her 29th and final top-level singles title at San Diego in 1982. By 1983,
before her 21st birthday, she was virtually finished.
Austin had a near-fatal motor accident in 1989, but survived.
She attempted a brief comeback on the tour in 1993-1994, but was not particularly
successful.
In 1992, Austin became the youngest person to be inducted
into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Since retiring as a player, Austin has frequently worked
as a commentator for NBC and the USA Network.
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