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Mal Anderson

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Mal Anderson

Malcolm James Anderson MBE (born 3 March 1935) is an Australian former tennis player who was active from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. He won the singles title at the 1957 U.S. National Championships and achieved his highest amateur ranking of No. 2 in 1957. He became a professional after the 1958 season and won the Wembley World Professional Tennis Championships in the 1959 season. In the Open Era, he was runner-up at the 1972 Australian Open.

A right-hander, Anderson started playing tennis when he was eight and became serious about the sport at 16.

Anderson is the brother-in-law of fellow Australian tennis star Roy Emerson.

Anderson's two best seasons were 1957 and 1958 when, as an amateur, he twice achieved a ranking of world No. 2.

In 1957, Anderson won the US Championships as an unseeded player. Earlier that year, he had reached the semifinals of the Australian Championships and won the French Championship doubles, partnering with Ashley Cooper, the man he went on to defeat in the final of the 1957 US Championships.

In 1958, Anderson was a finalist at both the Australian Championships and US Championships, losing both times to Cooper.

Anderson turned professional in late 1958. He finished fourth in the 4-man 1959 World Championship tour behind Gonzales, Hoad, and Cooper, although he won five matches against Hoad. In the 1959 Ampol world series of tournaments, Anderson finished tied for sixth place with Segura. At the Forest Hills Tournament of Champions, part of the Ampol series, Anderson lost a close quarterfinal to Hoad. Later in the Ampol series, Anderson won the Wembley Championships, defeating defending champion Frank Sedgman in the quarterfinal, and with close five-set victories over Ken Rosewall in the semifinal and Pancho Segura in the final. Anderson saved match point against Segura before winning. Following the win, Anderson stated that he would retire from pro tennis as soon as he had saved enough money to buy a farm in Australia. At the Sydney White City Tournament of Champions in December, also part of the Ampol series, Anderson reached the semifinal where he lost to Hoad.

Anderson announced his retirement from the pro tour following the 1963 Wembley tournament, citing eyesight problems.

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