Tina Samara (born July 26, 1974) is an American former professional tennis player.

Tina Samara
Country (sports) Norway
 United States
Born (1974-07-26) July 26, 1974 (age 49)
Oslo, Norway
Prize money$11,944
Singles
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 572 (August 11, 1997)
Grand Slam singles results
US OpenQ1 (1994, 1995)
Doubles
Career titles1 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 223 (September 28, 1998)

Biography

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Samara was born in Oslo, to a Norwegian mother and Sri Lankan father, before later settling in Laurel Hollow, New York.[1]

From 1992 to 1996, Samara attended the University of Georgia, where she was a two-time All-American in tennis. She was a member of Georgia's NCAA championship winning team in 1994, partnering with Stacy Sheppard to win the title deciding doubles match.[2] She and Sheppard became college tennis' top ranked doubles pairing in 1995.[3]

Samara represented her birth country Norway in the Fed Cup, appearing in a total of 12 ties between 1996 and 1998. As a professional player she was most successful in doubles, with a best ranking of 223 and one ITF title. She twice featured in the singles qualifying draw for the US Open.

An experienced coach in college tennis, since 2008 she has been a head coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, West Virginia University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of the Pacific.[4]

ITF finals

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$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments

Doubles: 7 (1–6)

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Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1. February 10, 1992 Swindon, Great Britain Carpet   Jacqueline Geller   Lorna Woodroffe
  Julie Pullin
4–6, 4–6
Loss 2. June 19, 1995 Peachtree, United States Hard   Stacy Sheppard   Melissa Beadman
  Nicole Oomens
6–7(7), 1–6
Loss 3. June 26, 1995 Hilton Head, United States Hard   Stacy Sheppard   Jane Chi
  Stephanie Chi
3–6, 6–7(5)
Win 1. April 14, 1997 Elvas, Portugal Hard   Aneta Soukup   Miriam D'Agostini
  Alicia Ortuño
6–4, 7–5
Loss 4. June 8, 1997 Little Rock, United States Hard   Erica Adams   Amy Jensen
  Samantha Reeves
0–6, 4–6
Loss 5. June 16, 1997 Mount Pleasant, United States Hard   Amanda Augustus   Keirsten Alley
  Liza Andriyani
6–2, 3–6, 4–6
Loss 6. June 23, 1997 Greenwood, United States Hard   Keirsten Alley   Melissa Beadman
  Amy Jensen
6–4, 2–6, 4–6

References

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  1. ^ "Badger Women's Tennis full of international flavor". WISC. September 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "Sport". Panama City News. May 18, 1994. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Tribe Believes, Achieves in Tennis". Daily Press. April 16, 1995.
  4. ^ "Tina Samara Named Pacific Women's Tennis Coach". wccsports.com. June 17, 2016.
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