Paul Wekesa
| Country (sports) |
 Kenya |
|---|---|
| Residence | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Born |
July 2, 1967 Nairobi, Kenya |
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1987 |
| Retired | 1996 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $448,114 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 27–43 (at ATP, Grand Prix and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 100 (1 May 1995) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1989) |
| French Open | 1R (1995) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1995) |
| US Open | 1R (1995) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 60–77 (at ATP, Grand Prix and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 66 (23 March 1992) |
Paul Wekesa (born 2 July 1967) is a former professional tennis player from Kenya. He won 3 doubles titles, achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 100 and reached two tour-level quarterfinals at Auckland in 1989 and Seoul in 1995.
Tennis career
Prior to turning professional, he won the doubles tournament at the 1987 Division II NCAA Men's Tennis Championships while attending Chapman University.[1] During his career, Wekesa won 3 ATP Tour doubles titles. He reached the quarterfinals in doubles at the 1992 Australian Open. Wekesa won a bronze medal at the 1987 All-Africa Games held in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the only Kenyan tennis player to reach Top 100 of ATP rankings.[2] He also features for the Kenya Davis Cup team and was still active in 1998.[3] He was the first player to be beaten by Tim Henman in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, at Wimbledon in 1995. After retirement from playing, he has served as a Kenyan national teams coach.[2] He won the "Hall of Fame" category at the 2007 Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year awards.[4] His father Noah Wekesa is a Kenyan politician and minister.[5]
Career finals
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (6) |
Doubles wins (3)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 16 October 1988 | Tel Aviv, Israel | Hard |  Roger Smith |
 Patrick Baur Alexander Mronz |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 16 April 1989 | Seoul, South Korea | Hard |  Scott Davis |
John Letts Bruce Man-Son-Hing |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 30 April 1989 | Singapore | Hard | Paul Chamberlin |
Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 5 August 1990 | Los Angeles, United States | Hard |  Peter Lundgren |
Scott Davis David Pate |
6–3, 1–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 10 November 1991 | Birmingham, U.K. | Carpet (i) |  Jacco Eltingh |
Ronnie Båthman Rikard Bergh |
7–5, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 28 August 1994 | Umag, Croatia | Clay |  Karol Kučera |
 Diego Pérez Francisco Roig |
2–6, 4–6 |
References
- ↑ History - Past Champions - NCAA.com
- 1 2 Kenyapage.net: Kenya's greatest Sporting Figures
- ↑ Stevegtennis.com: Davis Cup Results 1998
- ↑ SOYA Awards - 2007 winners
- ↑ Office of Public Communications
External links
- Paul Wekesa at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Paul Wekesa at the International Tennis Federation
- Paul Wekesa at the Davis Cup