Ricardo Balbiers is a former

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 active in the 1940s and 1950s. Balbiers played soccer in his youth and didn't pick up tennis until the age of 13, when his sister needed someone to compete against. In 1947 he came to the United States as the reigning Chilean national champion and joined the collegiate team at Rollins College. He was runner-up to

Herbert Flam Herbert Flam (November 7, 1928 – November 25, 1980) was an American tennis player who in 1957 was ranked by Lance Tingay as the World No. 4 amateur (and World No. 5 by Adrian Quist).

for the 1950 NCAA singles title. On tour, Balbiers twice reached the singles third round of the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

. He was seeded 16th for the 1949 French Championships and made it through to the round of 16, losing to the champion that year Frank Parker. Balbiers won the 1950 Florida State Championships on clay, defeating

Tony Vincent Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

in the final in three straight sets. Balbiers played Davis Cup for Chile in 1949, 1952 and 1954, winning seven singles and two doubles rubbers. Two daughters, Alina and Jeannine, both played professional tennis. Elder daughter Alina competed for Mexico in the Federation Cup and married tennis player Luis Baraldi. Jeannine is better known for her collegiate career with Arizona State and married Paul Sullivan, who was also a tennis player.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balbiers, Ricardo Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Chilean male tennis players Rollins Tars athletes College men's tennis players in the United States Place of birth missing (living people)

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