| Country (sports) | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa Namibia |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1966 Windhoek, South West Africa |
| Prize money | $22,480 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 44–99 |
| Highest ranking | No. 447 (18 December 1989) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 67–83 |
| Career titles | 2 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 280 (7 November 1994) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | Q3 (1991) |
Elizma Nortje (born 1 February 1966) is a Namibian tennis coach and former professional player.[1][2] She is the most successful Namibian woman to have played professionally and was the first to be ranked on the WTA Tour.[3][4]
Born in Windhoek in 1966, Nortje represented South Africa as a junior and early in her professional career, before Namibian independence.[5] She played collegiate tennis for United States International University in San Diego, competing in the NCAA Division I Championships.[6] In the early 1990s she made appearances in the doubles qualifying draws at Wimbledon and won two ITF doubles tournaments.[7]
Nortje served as president of the Namibian Tennis Association from 1996 to 1999 and was Namibia's team captain when the country made its Fed Cup debut in 2004. A certified ITF Level 3 coach, she is now the head tennis professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in South Carolina.[8]
ITF finals
Singles: 1 (0–1)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 3 April 1994 | Marsa, Malta | Clay |  Caroline Schneider |
6–7(2), 4–6 |
Doubles: 11 (2–9)
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 28 April 1991 | Bracknell, United Kingdom | Hard |  Barbara Griffiths |
 Lynn Nabors Merete Balling-Stockmann |
6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1. | 4 August 1991 | Haifa, Israel | Hard | Janine Humphreys |
Tessa Price Kirsten Dreyer |
1–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 2. | 11 August 1991 | Ramat HaSharon, Israel | Hard | Janine Humphreys |
 Ilana Berger Robyn Field |
0–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 3. | 5 April 1992 | Windhoek, Namibia | Hard | Louise Venter |
Cindy Summers Nicole Simunic |
6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 2. | 12 April 1992 | Gaborone, Botswana | Hard | Louise Venter |
Liezel Horn Estelle Gevers |
6–0, 6–7(2), 6–4 |
| Loss | 4. | 19 July 1992 | Frinton, United Kingdom | Grass | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Robyn Mawdsley |
Caroline Billingham Danielle Thomas |
2–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
| Loss | 5. | 6 February 1994 | Tipton, United Kingdom | Hard |  Paula Iversen |
Alison Smith Sara Tse |
6–4, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 6. | 3 April 1994 | Marsa, Malta | Clay |  Ivana Havrlíková |
 Isabela Listowska Petra Winzenhöller |
6–7(5), 3–6 |
| Loss | 7. | 24 April 1994 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard |  Caroline Stassen |
Shannon Peters Nicole Oomens |
5–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 8. | 30 October 1994 | Negril, Jamaica | Hard |  Ximena Rodríguez |
 Kim Grant Claire Sessions Bailey |
2–6, 7–6(6), 3–6 |
| Loss | 9. | 18 June 1995 | Morelia, Mexico | Hard | Ximena Rodríguez |
Tracey Hiete .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Renata Kolbovic |
3–6, 5–7 |
References
- ↑ "Pieters appointed tennis CEO". The Namibian. 24 November 2011.
- ↑ "Tennis Talente". Allgemeine Zeitung. 14 February 2006.
- ↑ "Bright opportunities for Namibian tennis". Republikein. 8 February 2006.
- ↑ Maletsky, Christof (21 December 1994). "Swartz shocks Visser in two straight sets". The Namibian. p. 15.
- ↑ Ihuhua, Corry (7 August 2007). "Nortje recognised by tennis body". The Namibian.
- ↑ Cooper, Tony (19 April 1985). "USIU Looks to World's Courts : Like Its Campus, Gulls' Tennis Team Sports Decidedly Foreign Flair". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ "Jurgens jaag Wimbledon-droom". Republikein (in Afrikaans). 27 June 2005.
- ↑ "Namibia: Third PTA Tennis Tourney Served". Namibia Economist. AllAfrica. 22 April 2016.