Durr, Françoise (1942—)
Durr, Françoise (1942—)
French tennis player. Name variations: Francoise; (nickname) Frankie. Born in Algiers in 1942; married Boyd Browning (an American); lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
Born a French national in Algiers during the years of World War II, Françoise Durr was a tennis-crowd favorite for her intensity, temperament, and eclectic style: she had a Western-grip forehand, an unorthodox backhand, and suffered from a weak serve. In 1967, Durr was the first Frenchwoman in 19 years to win the singles title at her home court of Roland Garros after successively routing Brazil's Maria Bueno , England's Ann Hayden Jones , and Australia's Lesley Turner . That same year, Durr won the German singles title and was a semifinalist at Forest Hills. Though she never had another year like 1967, and never again won a major singles title, Durr was a formidable doubles player throughout the 1960s and 1970s. For five years, she won the French doubles title, partnering Gail Sherriff (1967, 1970, 1971) and Ann Jones (1968, 1969). In America, she won the U.S. doubles twice, with Darlene Hard in 1969 and with the Netherlands' Betty Stove in 1972. Though she never took a doubles match at Wimbledon, Durr reached the finals six times. She also won the French mixed doubles with Jean Claude Barclay in 1968, 1971, 1973, before retiring in 1980.