View source for Beth Herr

{{short description|American tennis player}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name                  = Beth Herr Bellamy
| image                 = 
| country               = {{USA}}
| residence             = 
| birth_date            = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|5|28}}
| birth_place           = [[Middletown, Ohio|Middletown]], Ohio<ref name="wot1984">{{cite book |editor=[[John Barrett (tennis)|John Barrett]] |title=World of Tennis 1984: The Official Yearbook of the International Tennis Federation |publisher=Willow Books |location=London |year=1984 |page=300 |isbn=0002181223}}</ref>
| height                = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}<ref name="wot1984"/>
| turnedpro             = 1981
| retired               = 1990
| plays                 = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney      = US$ 391,346
| singlesrecord         = 
| singlestitles         = 1
| highestsinglesranking = No. 31 (15 August 1983)
| AustralianOpenresult  = 1R (1983, 1984, 1989)
| FrenchOpenresult      = 3R (1982)
| Wimbledonresult       = 3R (1987)
| USOpenresult          = 3R (1982)
| doublesrecord         = 
| doublestitles         = 5
| highestdoublesranking = No. 26 (10 October 1988)
| USOpenDoublesresult   = QF (1982)
| FrenchOpenMixedresult = SF (1986)
| WimbledonMixedresult  = QF (1988)
}}

'''Beth Herr''' (born 28 May 1964) is an American tennis player from [[Centerville, Ohio]], who won four Junior Grand Slam titles, the NCAA singles and team titles and one professional tennis tournament. In her home state of Ohio, she was a two-time high school singles state champion (1980-1981). Her [[NCAA Women's Tennis Championship|NCAA singles title]] came in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/records/gterecrd.pdf|title=OHSAA State Tennis Tournament Records|website=ohsaa.org|access-date=5 August 2023}}</ref>

==College==
Herr became the number-one junior tennis player in the world at the age of 16. Upon graduation from [[Centerville High School (Ohio)|Centerville High School]], she was the No. 1 college recruit in 1982 and played for the [[University of Southern California]], where she won the NCAA singles title and team title in her first year. She beat [[Clemson University]]'s [[Gigi Fernández]] in the third-set tiebreak, having faced a match point, to win the NCAA singles final.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beth Herr Wins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/23/sports/beth-herr-wins.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=23 May 1983 |access-date=26 April 2010}}</ref>

==Junior Grand Slam titles==
In 1982, Herr won the [[1982 French Open|1982 French Open girls' doubles championship]] with [[Janet Lagasse]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ubitennis.com/english/sport/tennis/2010/06/05/341603-tomorrow_stars.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228081929/http://www.ubitennis.com/english/sport/tennis/2010/06/05/341603-tomorrow_stars.shtml|url-status=dead|title=UBItennis Tomorrow's Stars|archive-date=28 February 2014}}</ref> Herr also won the Wimbledon girls' doubles and US Open girls' doubles with [[Penny Barg]] and won the US Open girls' singles in the same year.

==Professional career==
Herr cut short college and went directly into professional tennis after the NCAA Championship, and played on tour for 11 years, with wins over [[Pam Shriver]], [[Hana Mandlíková]], [[Martina Navratilova]], [[Virginia Wade]], and [[Mary Joe Fernández]]. In 1983, she lost a second-round singles match to [[Billie Jean King]] at [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], 6–8 in the third set.<ref>{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Geoffrey |title=King survives scare from Herr |url=http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1983/06/23&EntityId=Ar01001 |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Collegian (Penn State)|The Daily Collegian]] |date=23 June 1983 |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004010352/http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG%2F1983%2F06%2F23&EntityId=Ar01001 |archive-date=4 October 2011}}</ref> Commentators on [[HBO]] mentioned her ability to hit numerous swinging volleys for winners, something for which no female had previously been noted.

==WTA career finals==
{|class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! Legend
|- style="background:#f3e6d7;"
| Grand Slam ||0–0||0–0
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| Tier I ||0–0||0–0
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| Tier II ||0–0||0–0
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| Tier III ||0–0||2–0
|- style="background:#6cf;"
| Tier IV & V ||1–0||0–3
|}

===Singles: 1–0 ===
{|class="sortable wikitable"
!Result
!style="width:30px" class="unsortable"|W-L
!style="width:50px"|Date
!style="width:140px"|Tournament
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:140px"|Opponent
!style="width:110px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-style="background:#6cf;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
|1–0
|Mar 1986
|[[Virginia Slims of Arizona|Phoenix]], US
|Clay
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Ann Henricksson]]
|6–0, 3–6, 7–5
|}

===Doubles: 5–2===

{|class="sortable wikitable" 
!Result
!style="width:30px" class="unsortable"|W-L
!style="width:50px"|Date
!style="width:140px"|Tournament
!style="width:50px"|Surface
!style="width:140px"|Partner
!style="width:140px"|Opponents
!style="width:115px" class="unsortable"|Score
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 0–1
| Aug 1983
| [[U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships|Indianapolis]], U.S.
| Clay
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Gigi Fernández]] 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kathleen Horvath]]<br />{{flagicon|ROU|1965}} [[Virginia Ruzici]] 
| 5–7, 4–6
|- 
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss
| 0–2
| Oct 1985
| [[Japan Open Tennis Championships|Tokyo]], Japan
| Hard
| {{flagicon|PER}} [[Laura Arraya]]
| {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Belinda Cordwell]] <br /> {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Julie Richardson]]
| 4–6, 4–6
|- 
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 1–2
| Jul 1986
| [[Northern California Open (tennis)|Berkeley]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Alycia Moulton]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Amy Holton]] <br /> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} [[Elna Reinach]]
| 6–1, 6–2
|- 
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 2–2
| Jul 1986
| [[Southern California Open|San Diego]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Alycia Moulton]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} Elise Burgin <br /> {{flagicon|RSA|1928}} Rosalyn Fairbank
| 5–7, 6–2, 6–4
|- 
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 3–2
| Mar 1987
| [[Virginia Slims of Arizona|Phoenix]], U.S.
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Penny Barg]]
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mary-Lou Piatek]] <br> {{flagicon|USA}} [[Anne White]]
| 2–6, 6–2, 7–6<sup>(7–2)</sup>
|-
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 4–2
| Aug 1988
| Cincinnati, US
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Candy Reynolds]] 
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lindsay Bartlett]] <br /> {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Helen Kelesi]]
| 4–6, 7–6, 6–1
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win
| 5–2
| [[1988 Virginia Slims of New Orleans – Doubles|Oct 1988]]
| [[Virginia Slims of New Orleans|New Orleans]], US
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Candy Reynolds]] 
| {{flagicon|USA}} Lori McNeil <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} Betsy Nagelsen
| 6–4, 6–4
|}

==Paddle tennis==
Beth was the winningest player in paddle tennis history winning virtually every event she ever played including the US Open and World Championships of [[paddle tennis]] With teammate, Scotty Freedman to become the greatest mixed-doubles team in the sports' history, as they were undefeated as a team from 2000 to 2007.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==Pickleball==
In her 2022 season, Beth finished #1 in singles, gender doubles and mixed doubles and won a gold medal in all 27 events that she played.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Personal life==
After tennis, she finished her undergraduate degree at UCLA and then went to law school at UCLA. She married [[Tennis Channel]] founder [[Steve Bellamy]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=tennis&id=3500836 | title=Several tennis pros to play in unisex tourney | agency=Associated Press | work=[[ESPN.com]] | date=2008-07-22 | access-date=2009-02-07 }}</ref> and after a short stint as a lawyer at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{WTA}}
* {{ITF profile}}

{{US Open girls' singles champions}}
{{French Open girls' doubles champions}}
{{Wimbledon girls' doubles champions}}
{{US Open girls' doubles champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herr, Beth}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:American female tennis players]]
[[Category:American lawyers]]
[[Category:Paddle tennis players]]
[[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]]
[[Category:USC Trojans women's tennis players]]
[[Category:Wimbledon junior champions]]
[[Category:US Open (tennis) junior champions]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' singles]]
[[Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' doubles]]
[[Category:American women lawyers]]
[[Category:UCLA School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Tennis players from Ohio]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]