 Franjo Punčec in 1936 | |
| Country (sports) |  Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
|---|---|
| Born | (1913-11-22)22 November 1913 |
| Died | 5 January 1985(1985-01-05) (aged 71) |
| Turned pro | 1931 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1950 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1939, "Sport" Magazine)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | SF (1938) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1938,1939) |
| US Open | 4R (1938) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1939) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1939) |
Franjo Punčec[2] ([frǎːɲopûːntʃěːts];[3] 25 November 1913 – 5 January 1985) was aYugoslavtennis player. He played for theYugoslavian team at theInternational Lawn Tennis Challenge from 1933 to 1946.[4]
Punčec started playing tennis at theČakovec sports club and was coached by Géza Legenstein. He was crowned junior champion of Yugoslavia in 1931.[5] He celebrated his first international match win at the 1931 Hungarian International Championships, over Wilhelm Brosch of Austria, at the age of 17. Though he lost in the second round in singles and first round of mixed doubles, he reached the quarterfinals of the doubles.[6] He was asked to be aline judge at the 1931Davis Cup tie againstJapan Davis Cup team inZagreb.[7] He then joined the CWC Concordia Zagreb tennis club.[5]
Punčec played for theKingdom of Yugoslavia Davis Cup team at theInternational Lawn Tennis Challenge, and later the Davis Cup, from 1933 to 1946.[8] His greatest successes were reaching the semifinals of theFrench Open in 1938, where he lost against CzechoslovakianRoderich Menzel, and reaching the semifinals atWimbledon, where he lost to AmericanDon Budge that same year. In 1939 he again reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, but lost to AmericanBobby Riggs. He was the first Croatian ever to be placed in the rankings list, reaching as high as World No. 4 inGordon Lowe's 1939 amateur rankings.[9] Punčec was also ranked World No. 10 byA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph in 1938.[10]Sport Magazine ofZürich ranked him first in the European rankings and third in the World's top ten.[1]
In 1933 Punčec fell in the semifinal of theItalian International Championships to eventual winnerEmanuele Sertorio in three straight sets.[11] The following year, he returned to the tournament and was more successful in the mixed doubles, partneringMadzy Rollin Couquerque; they ceded the title match victory toDorothy Andrus andAndré Martin-Legeay.[12]
In 1935 he traveled to India, where he clinched theMadras andPunjab city titles. The following year, he became the champion ofCape Town.[13]
In 1937 Punčec won the Paris International tournament and bestedKho Sin-Kie in four sets.[14] The same year, he reached the semifinal of the singles of theTennis Napoli Cup and the quarterfinals in the doubles.[15] He also won tournaments inVenice and inBåstad.[13]
In 1938 Punčec won theMonte Carlo international tournament and the International Championship of Scandinavia. On theFrench Riviera, he won the Beaulieu tournament after back-to-back victories overBunny Austin andFrantišek Cejnar.[16] According toJohn Bromwich, he was ranked 8th in the world that year.[17]
In 1939 he was a runner-up for thePacific Southwest Championship, losing to John Bromwich in what described as the best match of the tournament.[18] According to Bromwich, he was ranked 5th in the world that year.[17]
During World War II the Davis Cup was suspended and Yugoslavia was dissolved. Punčec joined the newly formedCroatian Tennis Association. Apart from the Davis Cup, he played for the Rome Cup and Danube Cup (substitutes for an international team competition). He last represented theKingdom of Yugoslavia in a friendly match against Hungary, which ended up in a tie.[19] In 1941 he was ranked sixth on the list of European rankings.[20] He representedCroatia in 1942 againstHungary inBudapest, which also ended in a tie. He played only an exhibition match at the meeting.[21]
In 1943 it was reported that Punčec was planning to change nationality and join the Hungarian tennis ranks, although the rumor was unconfirmed.[22]
Punčec returned to tennis in 1946 to represent Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup. The match inaugurated the upgradedStade Roland Garros, which had a sold-out crowd of 12,000. The French team kicked off with a 2–0 lead after the first two singles. Both players were so unfocused thatDragutin Mitić made sixfoot faults on serve, while Punčec botched four. In the doubles,Bernard Destremau andPierre Pellizza were leading 7–6 in the fifth deciding set when the Yugoslavian pair turned the tide and delivered a 10–8 victory. Mitić equaled the tally with his singles win the next day. The decider was fought betweenYvon Petra and Punčec. It was a "collision of playing styles" as Petra approached the net frequently while Punčec operated withpassing shots. Punčec led through five sets, not allowing his opponent to even hold his serve. During the final game, the Yugoslavs missed four match points but converted the fifth, winning the match and Punčec's last team victory.[23]
In Yugoslavia Punčec worked as a state official.[24] In 1943 he married Zora Punčec (1927–2012)[25] and moved toSouth Africa with her in 1948. They had three children, Frank, Victor, and Sylvia. The sons were also involved in tennis andFrank was featured in the singles main draw of the1983 French Open; he was ranked 179th in the world.[26]
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