Andrea Buchanan (April 6, 1955 – January 28, 1982) was an American professional
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player.
Biography
Born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Buchanan went to
Dorsey High School and turned professional in 1978. She was one of only several African American players competing on tour. Her best grand slam performances came at the
1981 Wimbledon Championships
The 1981 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 22 June until 4 July. It was the 95 ...
, where she beat
Barbara Hallquist
Barbara Hallquist DeGroot (born May 1, 1957) is a retired professional tennis player from the U.S. She was the first female student to receive an athletic scholarship from the University of Southern California (USC) as a result of Title IX legisl ...
before falling in the third round to second-seed
Hana Mandlíková
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962) is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia who later obtained Australian citizenship. During her career she won four Grand Slam singles titles - the 1980 Australian Open, 1981 French Op ...
. In what would be her last grand slam appearance she won a first round match against
Eva Pfaff
Eva Pfaff (born 10 February 1961) is a German former professional tennis player.
Career
During her career, she won one singles title and nine doubles titles on the WTA Tour. Her peak world rankings in the sport were 17th in singles (in 1983) an ...
at
1981 US Open.
Murder
On the morning of January 28, 1982, Buchanan was found mortally wounded on the floor of a Los Angeles fish market, where she was working part time as a cashier. She was rushed to Brotman Memorial Hospital in Culver City with multiple bullet wounds to her upper body, but never regained consciousness. Her boss, 57-year old Nathanial Brown, was pronounced dead at the scene. The case remains unsolved. Police ruled out robbery as a motive and believe that, unknown to Buchanan, Brown had been involved with dealing illicit substances.
Buchanan was a popular player on tour and her death was widely mourned.
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...
, one of her close friends, had to retire during her first round match at the
1982 Avon Championships of Detroit as she was unable to concentrate.
See also
*
List of unsolved murders
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Andrea
1955 births
1982 deaths
1982 murders in the United States
African-American tennis players
American female tennis players
American murder victims
Deaths by firearm in California
Female murder victims
People murdered in Los Angeles
Tennis players from Los Angeles
Unsolved murders in the United States