Ilana Berger

Ilana Berger (Hebrew: אילנה ברגר; born 1965) is a Mexican-born Israeli former professional tennis player and Olympian.

Ilana Berger

Native name	אילנה ברגר
Country (sports)	Israel
Residence	Herzliya, Israel
Born	(1965-12-31) December 31, 1965 (age 59) Mexico City, Mexico
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	$69,934
Singles
Career record	145–86
Career titles	0 WTA, 8 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 149 (10 August 1992)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (1988)
Doubles
Career record	125–62
Career titles	0 WTA, 15 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 153 (25 November 1991)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (1988, 1992)

Berger reached her highest individual ranking on the WTA Tour on 10 August 1992, when she became # 149 in the world. On 25 November 1991, she peaked at world number 153 in the doubles rankings.

Biography

Berger was born on 31 December 1965, in Mexico City, Mexico. She started playing tennis at the age of 7.

Tennis career

In the late 1980s, after serving for two years in the Israel Defense Forces, Berger became a professional tennis player. She won 7 singles titles in the ITF Women's Circuit.

Berger won 12 Maccabiah Games medals during her career, including gold, a few of them as a "veteran" while playing Mixed Doubles with Shlomo Glickstein.^[1] At the 1989 Maccabiah Games she beat American Andrea Berger to win a gold medal in women's singles.^[2]

Berger was elected as one of three best tennis players in Israel's history in the celebrations of Israel's first 50 years.

Berger was Israel's Women's National Champion for five years.

Berger competed for Israel at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Berger represented Israel in 26 meetings in the Federation Cup from 1986–92, going 19–21.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010 she was awarded a honorary medal by the Knesset "for her activities in tennis".^[3]

Journalism career

At the age of 26, she decided to study literature and journalism. She worked 7 years as a sports correspondent for Haaretz. She coaches tennis privately and is a freelance sports journalist. Today she is chief editor of the internet site of the Tel Aviv University Sports Center.

ITF Finals

Singles Finals: 13 (8-5)

$100,000 tournaments

$75,000 tournaments

$50,000 tournaments

$25,000 tournaments

$10,000 tournaments

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1.	10 November 1986	Jerusalem, Israel	Hard	Yvonne der Kinderen	6–2, 6–4
Win	2.	30 March 1987	Haifa, Israel	Hard	Cécille Calmette	6–2, 6–0
Loss	3.	6 April 1987	Arad, Israel	Hard	Hester Witvoet	2–6, 1–6
Win	4.	23 November 1987	Jerusalem, Israel	Hard	Dalia Koriat	6–3, 6–2
Loss	5.	24 October 1988	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Debbie Spence	3–6, 4–6
Loss	6.	23 April 1990	Ramat HaSharon, Israel	Hard	Robyn Field	3–6, 6–3, 5–7
Win	7.	13 August 1990	Chatham, United States	Hard	Shannan McCarthy	6–2, 7–6(7–4)
Win	8.	5 November 1990	Ashkelon, Israel	Clay	Tzipora Obziler	6–1, 6–3
Win	9.	12 November 1990	Ashkelon, Israel	Clay	Dalia Koriat	7–5, 6–1
Loss	10.	22 April 1991	Ramat HaSharon, Israel	Hard	Mariaan de Swardt	3–6, 6–4, 2–6
Win	11.	5 August 1991	Ramat HaSharon, Israel	Hard	Janine Humphreys	6–3, 6–3
Loss	12.	12 August 1991	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Tessa Price	6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–2), 3–6
Win	13.	19 August 1991	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Tessa Price	6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–4

Doubles Finals: 25 (15-10)

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1.	19 May 1986	Jaffa, Israel	Hard	Sagit Doron	Laura Bernard Paulette Roux	6–2, 6–7, 2–6
Win	2.	30 March 1987	Arad, Israel	Hard	Yael Shavit	Titia Wilmink Hester Witvoet	6–3, 6–2
Loss	3.	11 May 1987	Lee-on-Solent, United Kingdom	Clay	Titia Wilmink	Valda Lake Andrea Tiezzi	3–6, 2–6
Win	4.	17 August 1987	Manhasset, United States	Clay	Jane Thomas	Brenda Schultz-McCarthy Marianne van der Torre	6–4, 6–1
Win	5.	23 November 1987	Jerusalem, Israel	Hard	Rafeket Benjamini	Jana Koran Stefanie Rehmke	6–2, 6–1
Loss	6.	7 March 1988	Haifa, Israel	Hard	Yael Segal	Anne Aallonen Lena Sandin	1–6, 5–7
Win	7.	8 August 1988	Koksijde, Belgium	Clay	Anat Varon	Renata Kochta Hagit Ohayon	6–2, 1–6, 6–2
Loss	8.	15 August 1988	Rebecq, Belgium	Clay	Anat Varon	Elena Brioukhovets Viktoria Milvidskaia	2–6, 2–6
Win	9.	24 October 1988	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Hagit Ohayon	Medi Dadoch Yael Segal	7–5, 6–0
Win	10.	31 October 1988	Haifa, Israel	Hard	Hagit Ohayon	Robyn Field Lesley O'Halloran	6–3, 6–1
Win	11.	7 November 1988	Jaffa, Israel	Hard	Hagit Ohayon	Colette Sely Themis Zambrzycki	6–3, 6–4
Win	12.	15 May 1989	Jaffa, Israel	Hard	María José Llorca	Anne Aallonen Luciana Tella	6–3, 6–2
Loss	13.	30 July 1990	Roanoke, United States	Hard	Limor Zaltz	Dalia Koriat Medi Dadoch	6–2, 4–6, 4–6
Loss	14.	6 August 1990	Lebanon, United States	Hard	Limor Zaltz	Kathy Foxworth Vincenza Procacci	4–6, 1–4 RET.
Loss	15.	22 October 1990	Lyss, Switzerland	Clay	Rona Mayer	Sabine Lohmann Claire Wegink	1–6, 5–7
Win	16.	5 November 1990	Ashkelon, Israel	Clay	Limor Zaltz	Daniella Blanke Yael Shavit	6–2, 6–1
Win	17.	12 November 1990	Ashkelon, Israel	Clay	Limor Zaltz	Dalia Koriat Medi Dadoch	4–6, 6–1, 6–1
Win	18.	22 April 1991	Ramat HaSharon, Israel	Hard	Julie Salmon	Anne Aallonen Simone Schilder	6–4, 6–4
Win	19.	5 August 1991	Ramat HaSharon, Israel	Hard	Robyn Field	Janine Humphreys Elizma Nortje	6–0, 6–1
Win	20.	12 August 1991	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Robyn Field	Kirsten Dreyer Tessa Price	w/o
Loss	21.	19 August 1991	Jerusalem, Israel	Hard	Robyn Field	Barbara Griffiths Jane Wood	3–6, 7–6, 1–6
Loss	22.	2 September 1991	Arzachena, Italy	Hard	Louise Pleming	Nanne Dahlman Jana Pospíšilová	6–3, 3–6, 1–6
Win	23.	11 November 1991	Swindon, United Kingdom	Carpet	Tessa Price	Els Callens Michèle Strebel	6–2, 7–5
Win	24.	25 May 1992	Ashkelon, Israel	Hard	Petra Kamstra	Michelle Anderson Limor Zaltz	6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Loss	25.	10 October 1994	Burgdorf, Switzerland	Carpet (i)	Tzipora Obziler	Lenka Cenková Adriana Gerši	6–4, 3–6, 4–6

See also

• List of select Jewish tennis players