Rene Simpson
Major Accomplishments
Career-high rankings of No. 70 in singles (April 10, 1989) and No. 32 in doubles (August 21, 1995)
Won three WTA doubles titles, in Taiwan in 1994 and San Juan, Puerto Rico and Zagreb, Croatia in 1995
Advanced to the third round of the 1989 French Open, her best Slam result
Was a 1996 US Open doubles quarter-finalist with Sonya Jeyaseelan
Canadian Fed Cup team member, 1988-1998
Canadian Fed Cup captain, 2001-2010
Biography
Before Rene Simpson joined the professional ranks, she played NCAA tennis at Texas Christian University, where she was a standout player. To this day, she still holds the single-season record for wins with 42 singles victories in the 1987-88 school year.
Upon entering the WTA Tour, she rose fast in the rankings and hit a career-high of No. 70 in 1989. That same year she achieved her best Slam result with an appearance in the third round of Roland Garros. She also reached the second round at majors six other times.
In doubles, she enjoyed even more success, climbing to No. 32 and claiming three WTA titles – in Taiwan in 1994 and San Juan and Zagreb in 1995. In 1992, she was named one-half of Tennis Canada’s Doubles Team of the Year with Helen Kelesi. Four years later, alongside Sonya Jeyaseelan, she advanced to the 1996 US Open quarter-finals.
She competed for Canada in singles and doubles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and much of her contributions to Canadian tennis occurred while wearing the red maple leaf. She was a Fed Cup regular for years, always ready and proud to represent her country. Behind Jill Hetherington, she is the second-longest serving member of the team. She holds an overall win-loss mark of 20-16 and was also part of the nation’s No. 1 doubles duo with Jeyaseelan, possessing an impressive 6-1 record.
In 2001, after Simpson had ended her professional career, she continued to support Canada with passion by becoming captain of the Fed Cup team, using her experience as a player to help guide the next generation. She led Canada to an appearance in World Group II in 2007, its best result in over 10 years, before stepping down in early 2010.