| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Birth date | July 2, 1954 (age 72) |
| Birth place | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Turnedpro | 1973 |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Careerprizemoney | $694,304 |
| Singlesrecord | 186–173 |
| Singlestitles | 3 |
| Highestsinglesranking | No. 15 (August 4, 1980) |
| Australianopenresult | SF (1979) |
| Frenchopenresult | 3R (1976, 1979) |
| Wimbledonresult | 3R (1981) |
| Usopenresult | 3R (1977, 1979, 1980) |
| Doublesrecord | 193–170 |
| Doublestitles | 6 |
| Highestdoublesranking | No. 16 (January 3, 1983) |
Victor Amaya (born July 2, 1954) is a retired tennis player from the U.S.
The left-handed Amaya's career-high singles ranking was world No. 15, attained in August 1980. During his career he won three ATP singles titles and six doubles titles, including the 1980 French Open doubles title with partner Hank Pfister. With Pfister he was runner-up in doubles at the 1982 US Open.
One of Amaya's memorable matches was a loss to Björn Borg in the first round of the 1978 Wimbledon Championships. With his 135 mph serve, he led Borg two sets to one and was up a break in the fourth set, but ultimately lost in five sets. After the match Borg, who was the defending champion and seeded first, commented “It was his match, if he wins one point for 4‐1 and two breaks, he doesn't lose the match.”.[1]
He played college tennis at the University of Michigan[2] and was inducted into the USTA/Midwest Hall of Fame in 2016.[3][4]
Career finals
Singles (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 1977 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Brian Teacher | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Aug 1978 | New Orleans, U.S. | Carpet | Roscoe Tanner | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Feb 1979 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | Wojciech Fibak | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2–2 | Jun 1979 | Surbiton, U.K. | Grass | Mark Edmondson | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Feb 1980 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | Gene Mayer | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 3–3 | Mar 1980 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Carpet | Ivan Lendl | 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 3–4 | Apr 1980 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Hard | Heinz Günthardt | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Aug 1980 | Cleveland, U.S. | Hard | Gene Mayer | 2–6, 1–6 |
Doubles (6 titles, 7 runner-ups)
| Result | W-L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jul 1978 | Louisville, U.S. | Clay | John James | Wojciech Fibak Víctor Pecci | 4–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Aug 1979 | Lafayette, U.S. | Clay | Eric Friedler | Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Jun 1980 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Hank Pfister | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | 1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Oct 1980 | Maui, U.S. | Hard | Hank Pfister | Peter Fleming John McEnroe | 6–7, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2–3 | Nov 1980 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Marty Riessen Sherwood Stewart | 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Jan 1981 | Masters Doubles WCT, London | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Peter McNamara Paul McNamee | 3–6, 6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Oct 1981 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Heinz Günthardt Balázs Taróczy | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–4 | Feb 1982 | Monterrey, Mexico | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Tracy Delatte Mel Purcell | 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–5 | Jun 1982 | London/Queen's Club, U.K. | Grass | Hank Pfister | John McEnroe Peter Rennert | 6–7, 5–7 |
| Loss | 4–6 | Aug 1982 | Columbus, U.S. | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Tim Gullikson Bernard Mitton | 6–4, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 5–6 | Aug 1982 | Cleveland, U.S. | Hard | Hank Pfister | Matt Mitchell Craig Wittus | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 5–7 | Sep 1982 | U.S. Open, New York | Hard | Hank Pfister | Kevin Curren Steve Denton | 2–6, 7–6, 7–5, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 6–7 | Aug 1983 | Cincinnati, U.S. | Hard | Tim Gullikson | Carlos Kirmayr Cássio Motta | 6–4, 6–3 |
References
- ^ Neil Amdur (June 27, 1978). "Borg wins, escaping an upset". The New York Times. p. C11.
- ^ "About the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic". Blue Gray Tennis
- ^ "Western Michigan Hall of Fame". USTA.
- ^ "Grand Rapids' Victor Amaya to be inducted into USTA Hall of Fame". MLive.com. September 27, 2016.