Background
Coetzer, Amanda was born on October 22, 1971 in Hoopstad, South Africa.
Coetzer, Amanda was born on October 22, 1971 in Hoopstad, South Africa.
Coetzer turned professional in 1988 and retired in 2004. Coetzer entered the top-20 on the women"s world rankings in 1992 and remained there for most of the next 10 years. She developed a reputation for regularly beating players who were higher ranked than her as she climbed to her career high ranking of World Number.
3 in 1997.
As a result of her many upset wins and her small size, she earned the nickname "The Little Assassin."
At the Canadian Open in 1995, Coetzer defeated three players ranked in the world"s top-5 – Steffi Graf (Number 1), Jana Novotná (Number 4) and Mary Pierce (Number 5) – before finally losing to Monica Seles in the final. The defeat of Graf ended a 32-match winning-streak for the German. At the Australian Open in 1996, Coetzer became the first South African woman in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, where she lost in three sets to Anke Huber.
1997 was the best season of Coetzer"s career.
In reaching the Australian Open semi-finals for the second consecutive year, she defeated World Number. 1 Graf in the fourth round.
She then beat Graf for a second time in the quarter-finals at Berlin, handing her worst-ever loss by defeating her 6–0, 6–1 in just 56 minutes. And then in the quarter-finals of the French Open she defeated Graf yet again to become one of just six players to beat Graf three times in one year, and one of only four to defeat her more than once in Grand Slam play.
Later in the year in Leipzig, Coetzer beat Martina Hingis who by then had taken over the World Number.
1 ranking. In 1999 Coetzer became the only player ever to defeat Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport while they were ranked Number. 1. She also played of South Africa"s Federation Cup team for six years and represented South Africa in the Olympic Games three times.
In 2001, she qualified for her ninth consecutive year-end championship.
In 2002, she obtained an invite from the Hong Kong Tennis Patrons" Association to play The Hong Kong Ladies Challenge 2002. Her career prize-money earnings totalled United States$5,594,821. Grand Slam Finals
= Women"s Doubles: 1 (0 titles, 1 runner–up)
Singles: 21 (9–12)
Doubles: 23 (9–14)
A = did not participate in the tournament.
10 or higher is as follows: Players who have been ranked World Number.
1 are in boldface.