Melanie South facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Melanie South

South at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships
Full name	Melanie Jayne South
Country (sports)	United Kingdom
Residence	New Malden, London
Born	(1986-05-03) 3 May 1986 (age 39) Kingston, London
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	2004
Retired	2013
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	$464,831
Singles
Career record	301–257 (53.94%)
Career titles	6 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 99 (2 February 2009)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	1R (2009)
French Open	1R (2009)
Wimbledon	2R (2006)
US Open	Q3 (2008)
Doubles
Career record	236–156 (60.2%)
Career titles	24 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 120 (9 March 2009)
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon	2R (2008, 2009)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	QF (2007)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	2–2

Melanie Jayne South (born 3 May 1986) is a former English tennis player. She competed professionally and won many matches.

Melanie won six singles titles and 24 doubles titles in ITF tournaments. These are professional tennis events. On 2 February 2009, she reached her highest singles ranking, becoming world No. 99. This means she was among the top 100 female tennis players globally. A month later, she reached No. 120 in the doubles rankings.

One of her biggest achievements was at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. She was ranked No. 305 at the time. She beat the world No. 14 player, Francesca Schiavone, in the first round. Melanie got into the main tournament because she received a special invitation called a wildcard. This win was very special for a British woman at Wimbledon. She later lost in the second round.

In 2009, Melanie played in the Australian Open. This was the first time her ranking was high enough to get into a Grand Slam tournament without a wildcard. She lost in the first round to Marion Bartoli. Melanie South stopped playing professional tennis on 2 December 2013. She decided to become a tennis coach instead.

About Melanie South

Her Family and Early Life

Melanie's mother is Sheila, and her father is John. Her dad, John, used to play professional football for Fulham and Brentford. Now, he is a tennis coach. Melanie's mother, Sheila, used to teach "short tennis," which is a simpler version of the game.

Melanie has two brothers, Andrew and Stephen. They both used to play tennis for fun. Melanie started playing tennis herself when she was six years old.

Melanie's Education

Melanie went to Nonsuch High School in Cheam, South London. She did very well in her school exams. She earned seven GCSEs, which are important qualifications in the UK. She also got two A grades in A-level Psychology and PE.

She is still studying to learn more. She is taking a course called "Understanding Health" with the Open University. She hopes this will lead her to study psychology further.

How Melanie Played Tennis

Melanie South was known for her strong playing style. Her game focused on a powerful serve and hitting the ball hard from the back of the court. These are called aggressive ground strokes.

Her Powerful Serve

Melanie often hit "aces." An ace is when you serve the ball so well that your opponent cannot even touch it. She also got many "free points" from serves that were hard to return. This made it tough for opponents to win points when she was serving.

However, her serve was also a bit risky. Sometimes she would hit many "double faults." A double fault happens when a player misses both of their serves in one point. If she hit a few double faults in a game, it made it much harder for her to win that game.

For example, in a match at Wimbledon 2008, she hit ten aces but also seven double faults. This shows her aggressive, high-risk way of playing.

Her Ground Strokes and Movement

A famous tennis coach, Nick Bollettieri, watched Melanie play. He said she served well and had good ground strokes. He also noted that she moved well for her size. However, he observed that moving sideways could be a challenge for her. When opponents hit the ball wide, she sometimes struggled to reach it.

Melanie's Tennis Journey

Junior Career (1999–2004)

Melanie started playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in 1999. She didn't have much success in singles until 2002. In 2003, she won her only junior singles title at the 17th Salik Open. She also reached the semifinals of another tournament.

In junior doubles, she won one title and reached two finals. In 2004, she made it to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon girls' doubles tournament.

Early Professional Years (2001–2005)

Melanie played her first professional match in 2001. In 2002, she got a special entry to play in the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon. She spent these early years playing in smaller ITF tournaments. By the end of 2003, her ranking was No. 851.

In 2004, Melanie started to do better. She reached the quarterfinals and semifinals in several tournaments. She also won her first professional title that year in Mumbai, India. She played her first match on the WTA Tour in Birmingham, but lost in the qualifying round. By the end of 2004, her ranking was No. 453.

In 2005, she won her second ITF title in Bath, UK. She beat the top-ranked player, Anne Keothavong, in the final. She continued to play in ITF events and reached more finals and semifinals.

Breaking Through (2006–2008)

In 2006, Melanie won another ITF tournament in Hull. Then came her big moment at Wimbledon. She played in the main tournament for the first time. She surprised everyone by beating Francesca Schiavone, who was ranked No. 14 in the world. This was her first win against a top-20 player.

The year 2007 was a bit slower for Melanie. She lost early in some big tournaments like the Australian Open and French Open. However, she did beat Alicia Molik at a tournament in Eastbourne.

In 2008, Melanie had some good results. She reached the semifinals of a $75,000 tournament in Midland. She also won another title in Sorrento, Italy. Her best result on the WTA Tour came at the Birmingham Classic. She reached the quarterfinals, beating a higher-ranked player along the way. She also played a tough match against Alona Bondarenko at Wimbledon. Later that year, she got into the main draw of a tournament in Los Angeles as a "lucky loser." She made it to the third round there. She also reached the final qualifying round for the US Open. She ended 2008 ranked No. 116.

Reaching the Top 100 (2009)

The year 2009 was a highlight for Melanie. She qualified for the Sydney International tournament. She also got direct entry into the main draw of the Australian Open. This was a big deal because her ranking was high enough.

On 2 February 2009, Melanie broke into the top 100 for the first time. She reached her career-high ranking of No. 99. This was a special moment for British tennis.

Melanie also played for Great Britain in the 2009 Fed Cup. She won her doubles matches with Sarah Borwell, helping Britain win against Hungary and Luxembourg. However, Britain lost in the playoffs to Poland.

She continued to play in various tournaments. She reached a final in Glasgow, UK, but lost to Johanna Larsson. In doubles, she won two titles with her partner Emma Laine. She also had a good win in doubles at Wimbledon.

ITF Tournament Finals

Melanie South played in many finals on the ITF Circuit.

Singles Finals: 12 (6 Wins, 6 Runner-ups)

Melanie won 6 singles titles and was the runner-up in 6 others.

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	3 March 2004	ITF Mumbai, India	Hard	Yanchong, ChenChen Yanchong	6–4, 6–4
Runner-up	2.	1 May 2004	ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom	Clay	Clijsters, ElkeElke Clijsters	6–3, 1–6, 2–6
Winner	3.	10 April 2005	ITF Bath, United Kingdom	Hard	Keothavong, AnneAnne Keothavong	6–4, 4–6, 6–4
Runner-up	4.	8 May 2005	ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Clay	Ekaterina Kozhokina	4–6, 3–6
Winner	5.	29 January 2006	ITF Hull, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Pavlovic, IrenaIrena Pavlovic	6–4, 6–1
Winner	6.	30 July 2006	ITF Chengdu, China	Hard	Jingjing, LuLu Jingjing	7–5, 7–6(5)
Winner	7.	23 March 2008	ITF Sorrento, Italy	Hard	Wheeler, ChristinaChristina Wheeler	7–5, 6–7(6), 6–4
Runner-up	8.	12 October 2008	ITF Traralgon, Australia	Hard	Gajdošová, JarmilaJarmila Gajdošová	3–6, 6–3, 1–6
Runner-up	9.	19 October 2008	ITF Mount Gambier, Australia	Hard	Grandin, NatalieNatalie Grandin	6–7(2), 4–6
Winner	10.	26 October 2008	ITF Port Pirie, Australia	Hard	Sema, YurikaYurika Sema	6–3, 6–4
Runner-up	11.	15 November 2008	Pune Championships, India	Hard	Lu Jingjing	3–6, 2–6
Runner-up	12.	25 October 2009	GB Pro-Series Glasgow, UK	Hard	Johanna Larsson	1–6, 6–1, 3–6

Doubles Finals: 45 (24 Wins, 21 Runner-ups)

Melanie won 24 doubles titles and was the runner-up in 21 others.

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1.	1 February 2004	ITF Tipton, United Kingdom	Hard	Rebecca Llewellyn	Klaudia Jans Alicja Rosolska	2–6, 6–1, 6–4
Runner-up	2.	23 January 2005	ITF Tipton, United Kingdom	Hard	Katie O'Brien	Surina De Beer Rebecca Llewellyn	4–6, 2–6
Runner-up	3.	30 January 2005	ITF Hull, United Kingdom	Hard	Katie O'Brien	Irena Bulykina Vasilisa Davydova	6–4, 3–6, [5–10]
Winner	4.	3 April 2005	ITF Bath, United Kingdom	Hard	Surina De Beer	Ekaterina Kozhokina Trudi Musgrave	6–2, 7–5
Winner	5.	1 May 2005	ITF Bournemouth, UK	Clay	Claire Peterzan	Anna Hawkins Holly Richards	5–7, 6–4, 6–3
Winner	6.	8 May 2005	ITF Edinburgh, UK	Clay	Rebecca Llewellyn	Leonie Mekel Bibiane Schoofs	6–0, 3–6, 6–3
Runner-up	7.	5 February 2006	ITF Jersey, UK	Hard	Katie O'Brien	Andrea Hlaváčková Matea Mezak	3–6, 1–6
Winner	8.	1 October 2006	ITF Nottingham, UK	Hard	Karen Paterson	Katie O'Brien Margit Rüütel	6–2, 2–6, 7–6(1)
Winner	9.	8 October 2006	Open Nantes, France	Hard	Rebecca Llewellyn	Sabine Lisicki Irena Pavlovic	6–2, 6–0
Runner-up	10.	16 February 2007	ITF Stockholm, Sweden	Hard	Sorana Cîrstea	Danica Krstajić Olga Panova	2–6, 6–0, 2–6
Runner-up	11.	17 March 2007	ITF Gran Canaria, Spain	Hard	Claire Curran	Sorana Cîrstea Mădălina Gojnea	6–4, 6–7(5), 4–6
Runner-up	12.	30 March 2007	ITF La Palma, Spain	Hard	Arantxa Parra Santonja	Petra Cetkovská Andrea Hlaváčková	3–6, 2–6
Winner	13.	8 June 2007	Surbiton Trophy, UK	Grass	Karen Paterson	Elena Baltacha Naomi Cavaday	6–1, 6–4
Winner	14.	14 July 2007	ITF Felixstowe, UK	Grass	Karen Paterson	Jade Curtis Rebecca Llewellyn	6–3, 6–3
Winner	15.	28 July 2007	ITF La Coruña, Spain	Hard	Marina Erakovic	Andrea Hlaváčková Justine Ozga	6–1, 4–6, [10–4]
Runner-up	16.	7 October 2007	Open Nantes, France	Hard	Caroline Maes	Sofia Arvidsson Johanna Larsson	6–4, 5–7, [7–10]
Winner	17.	21 March 2008	ITF Sorrento, Italy	Hard	Monique Adamczak	Chang Kai-chen Hwang I-hsuan	6–2, 6–4
Runner-up	18.	4 May 2008	Kangaroo Cup, Japan	Carpet	Nicole Thyssen	Kimiko Date-Krumm Kurumi Nara	1–6, 7–6(8), [7–10]
Winner	19.	11 May 2008	Fukuoka International, Japan	Carpet	Nicole Thijssen	Maya Kato Julia Moriarty	4–6, 6–3, [14–12]
Runner-up	20.	9 August 2008	ITF Monterrey, Mexico	Hard	Monique Adamczak	Jelena Pandžić Magdaléna Rybáriková	6–4, 4–6, [8–10]
Winner	21.	29 November 2008	ITF Toyota, Japan	Carpet (i)	Emma Laine	Kimiko Date-Krumm Han Xinyun	6–1, 7–5
Winner	22.	3 October 2009	ITF Helsinki, Finland	Hard (i)	Emma Laine	Anna Smith Johanna Larsson	6–3, 6–3
Winner	23.	25 October 2009	GB Pro-Series Glasgow, UK	Hard (i)	Emma Laine	Evelyn Mayr Julia Mayr	6–3, 6–2
Runner-up	24.	22 March 2010	ITF Jersey, UK	Hard (i)	Jarmila Gajdošová	Maret Ani Anna Smith	7–5, 6–4
Runner-up	25.	26 May 2010	Kangaroo Cup, Japan	Clay	Ksenia Lykina	Erika Sema Tomoko Yonemura	3–6, 6–2, 7–10
Winner	26.	14 August 2010	ITF Tallinn, Estonia	Hard	Emma Laine	Lu Jingjing Sun Shengnan	6–3, 6–4
Runner-up	27.	26 October 2010	ITF Port Pirie, Australia	Clay	Remi Tezuka	Bojana Bobusic Alenka Hubacek	3–6, 2–6
Winner	28.	28 November 2010	ITF Traralgon, Australia	Hard	Tímea Babos	Jarmila Gajdošová Jade Hopper	6–3, 6–2
Winner	29.	3 December 2010	Bendigo International, Australia	Hard	Tímea Babos	Jarmila Gajdošová Jade Hopper	6–3, 6–2
Winner	30.	4 February 2011	ITF Sutton, UK	Hard	Emma Laine	Marta Domachowska Darija Jurak	6–3, 5–7, [10–8]
Runner-up	31.	5 March 2011	ITF Hammond, U.S.	Hard	Mervana Jugić-Salkić	Christina Fusano Julie Ditty	3–6, 3–6
Runner-up	32.	16 July 2011	ITF Woking, UK	Hard	Emma Laine	Julie Coin Eva Hrdinová	1–6, 6–3, [8–10]
Runner-up	33.	24 July 2011	ITF Wrexham, UK	Hard	Lenka Wienerová	Anna Fitzpatrick Jade Windley	2–6, 6–4, [3–10]
Winner	34.	4 February 2012	Burnie International, Australia	Hard	Arina Rodionova	Stephanie Bengson Tyra Calderwood	6–2, 6–2
Winner	35.	17 February 2012	ITF Sydney, Australia	Hard	Arina Rodionova	Duan Yingying Han Xinyun	3–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Runner-up	36.	19 March 2012	GB Pro-Series Bath, UK	Hard (i)	Julie Coin	Tatjana Maria Stephanie Vogt	3–6, 6–3, [3–10]
Runner-up	37.	14 May 2012	Kurume Cup, Japan	Grass	Ksenia Lykina	Han Xinyun Sun Shengnan	1–6, 0–6
Winner	38.	14 January 2013	GB Pro-Series Glasgow, UK	Hard (i)	Tara Moore	Anna Smith Francesca Stephenson	7–6(5), 6–3
Runner-up	39.	23 January 2013	ITF Preston, UK	Hard (i)	Tara Moore	Samantha Murray Jade Windley	3–6, 6–3, [5–10]
Winner	40.	4 February 2013	ITF Rancho Mirage, United States	Hard	Tara Moore	Jan Abaza Louisa Chirico	4–6, 6–2, [12–10]
Runner-up	41.	22 April 2013	ITF Phuket, Thailand	Hard (i)	Tara Moore	Nicha Lertpitaksinchai Peangtarn Plipuech	3–6, 7–5, [9–11]
Runner-up	42.	22 July 2013	ITF Wrexham, UK	Hard	Anna Smith	Kanae Hisami Mari Tanaka	3–6, 6–7(2)
Winner	43.	29 July 2013	ITF Nottingham, UK	Hard	Anna Smith	Daneika Borthwick Anna Fitzpatrick	6–4, 6–2
Runner-up	44.	26 August 2013	ITF Antalya, Turkey	Hard	Emma Laine	Andrea Benítez Carla Forte	6–4, 3–6, [8–10]
Winner	45.	2 September 2013	ITF Antalya, Turkey	Hard	Emma Laine	Patcharin Cheapchandej Tanaporn Thongsing	6–4, 6–3

Grand Slam Results

Grand Slams are the four biggest tennis tournaments each year. These are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.

Singles Performance

Doubles Performance

Mixed Doubles Performance

Fed Cup Matches

Melanie also represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup. This is a big international team competition in women's tennis.

Europe/Africa Group I
Date	Venue	Surface	Round	Opponent	Final match score	Match	Opponents	Rubber score
30–31 January 2008	Budapest	Carpet (i)	RR	Switzerland	1–2	Doubles (with Elena Baltacha)	Gagliardi/Schnyder	3–6, 3–6 (L)
				Hungary	1–2	Doubles (with Elena Baltacha)	Arn/Szávay	2–6, 2–6 (L)
4–6 February 2009	Tallinn	Hard (i)	RR	Hungary	3–0	Doubles (with Sarah Borwell)	Marosi/Szávay	6–4, 6–3 (W)
				Luxembourg	3–0	Singles	Fabienne Thill	6–0, 6–2 (W)
						Doubles (with Sarah Borwell)	Minella/Thill	w/o (W)

Images for kids

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  Melanie South at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships