He claimed the prestigious singles title at the Italian Open in 1959, overcoming Nicola Pietrangeli in the semifinals and Neale Fraser in the final, both in four sets. The following year, he reached the final again but was defeated in five sets by Barry MacKay.[citation needed]
In 1960, Ayala also won the Madrid Championships, defeating Andrés Gimeno in the final. In 1961, he won the Hanover Championships, overcoming Ramanathan Krishnan in the final.[citation needed]
Professional career
Luis Ayala in 1964.
In 1961, Ayala turned professional and joined Jack Kramer's tour.[5] In 1964, he won the La Baule Professional Championships on clay, defeating Rod Laver in the semifinals and Lew Hoad in the final.[citation needed]
After retiring from professional play, Ayala became a tennis professional at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. He later served as the director of tennis at the Forest Club in Houston.[citation needed]
Davis Cup
Ayala represented Chile in the Davis Cup from 1952 to 1960, participating in 18 ties and compiling a record of 37 wins and 14 losses. His most notable performance came in 1955 when Chile reached the semifinals of the Europe Zone, where they were defeated by Sweden despite Ayala winning both of his singles matches against Lennart Bergelin and Sven Davidson.[6]
Death
Ayala died on 4 September 2024, at the age of 91.[7]
Ranking
Ayala was consistently ranked among the world's top ten tennis players by both Ned Potter and Lance Tingay between 1956 and 1961. Tingay of The Daily Telegraph ranked him as world No. 5 in 1958, and he was ranked No. 6 in 1959, No. 7 in 1960, and No. 7 again in 1961.[2]
.jpg)
,_Bestanddeelnr_916-7928.jpg)
