Amanda Coetzer

Amanda Coetzer is a tennis player from South Africa who made her runs at championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Coetzer turned pro in 1988 and began a steady if unspectacular career: her highest world ranking was #3 late in the 1997 season. By the end of 2000 she had won seven singles and seven doubles tournament titles. Her best showing in Grand Slam tournaments came in reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open (1996 and '97) and the French Open (1997). Coetzer was sometimes called a "giant-killer," thanks to her height (only 5'2") and her habit of beating higher-ranked players, including multiple victories over Steffi Graf in the 1990s. Coetzer had her last big victory in 2003; as with Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis, Coetzer's blonde good looks made her a favorite with Internet fans.