Helen Kelesi

Helen Kelesi
Nickname:	Hurricane Helen
Nation:	Canada
Birthday:	15th November 1969
1st professional season:	1985
Resignation:	1998
Playing hand:	Right, two-handed backhand
Prize money:	$ 900,990
singles
Career record:	263: 182
Career title:	2 WTA , 3 ITF
Highest ranking:	13 (November 20 1989)
Grand Slam record
Double
Career record:	81: 109
Career title:	2 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest ranking:	26 (April 22 1991)
Grand Slam record
Sources: official player profiles at the ATP / WTA and ITF (see web links )

Helen Kelesi (born November 15, 1969 in Victoria , British Columbia ) is a former Canadian tennis player .

Career

Kelesi, who won 15 of her 25 games between 1986 and 1994 for the Canadian Fed Cup team , earned around 900,000 US dollars in prize money in her professional career. She reached her best position in the WTA world rankings in November 1989 with 13th place.

Her greatest successes in individual were victories at the WTA tournaments in Taranto and Tokyo as well as two quarter-finals at the French Open . She celebrated her greatest success in doubles at the side of Monica Seles when she won the 1990 Italian Open in Rome.

Kelesi also became known for her outbursts of anger on the tennis court, which earned her the nickname "Hurricane Helen" and made her unpopular with many colleagues. Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière once said she hated playing against Kelesi. Not because she doesn't like their tennis, but because she can't stand Kelesi.

Kelesi's career came to an abrupt end after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1994. After a successful operation, she was already training for her comeback when a surgically removed relapse was diagnosed.

Today the four-time (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990) Canadian tennis player of the year is a tennis trainer in Toronto as well as a sports commentator on Canadian television and a columnist in various newspapers.

Tournament victories

singles

No.	date	competition	category	Topping	Final opponent	Result
1.	October 19, 1986	Tokyo	WTA	Hard court	Bettina Fulco	6: 2, 6: 2
2.	May 1, 1988	Tarent	WTA Tier V	sand	Laura Garrone	6: 1, 6: 0

Double

No.	date	competition	category	Topping	Partner	Final opponents	Result
1.	May 1990	Rome	WTA Tier I	sand	Monica Seles	Laura Garrone Laura Golarsa	6: 3, 6: 4
2.	October 1990	Scottsdale	WTA Tier IV	Hard court	Elise Burgin	Sandy Collins Ronni Reis	6: 4, 6: 2

Web links

• WTA profile Helen Kelesi (English)
• ITF profile Helen Kelesi (English)
• Fed Cup stats by Helen Kelesi (English)