Rita Bentley

Rita Bentley
Country (sports) Great Britain
Born(1931-07-16)16 July 1931
Died26 October 2016(2016-10-26) (aged 85)
Turned pro1951 (ILTF circuit)
Retired1981
Singles
Career record415–235
Career titles34
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1963)
French Open3R (1963)
Wimbledon4R (1959, 1960)
US OpenQF (1967)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1964)
French Open3R (1959, 1962)
WimbledonQF (1964)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenQF (1963)
French Open2R (1962)
WimbledonQF (1957, 1960)

Rita Bentley (16 July 1931 - 26 October 2016), Rita Lauder after marriage, was a British tennis player of the 1950s and 1960s.[1] She also played field hockey and represented the England women's national team.[2]

A native of Blackpool, Bentley was a member of Great Britain's 1966 Wightman Cup team, in a squad which included Ann Haydon-Jones and Virginia Wade. She was used for the deciding doubles rubber, which the Americans won.[3]

Bentley twice reached the singles round of 16 at Wimbledon and was the All England Plate winner in 1961. Other career titles include the Queen's Club in 1962 and the Canadian Championships in 1966. She was a singles quarter-finalist at both the 1963 Australian Championships and 1967 U.S. National Championships.

  1. ^ "Rita Bentley wins in N.Z." The Canberra Times. 2 January 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Sparkling Play In International Hockey Series". The Canberra Times. 5 June 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ "A roundup of the sports information of the week". Sports Illustrated. 20 June 1966. Retrieved 2 January 2022.