Linda Tuero
Encyclopedia
Linda Tuero was a standout American amateur and professional tennis
player. She was the Girls 14 and Girls 16 Champion in the USTA National Hard Court Championships, and the Girls 18 Singles Champion at the USTA National Clay Court Championships in both 1967 and 1968. She also was the US Interscholastic Girls 18 Champion in 1968, the first year the event was held for girls. In 1969, she claimed championships in the National Junior Clay Courts and the U.S. Amateur Singles. She added the National Clay Courts title in 1970.
She was the first female to secure an athletic scholarship at Tulane University, and the only female to play on its male tennis team, and the first woman to win a varsity letter at Tulane.
Turning pro, she won at the Cincinnati
in 1968, reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1971, and won the singles titles at the Italian Open
in 1972. She successfully represented the United States Federation Cup team in 1972 and 1973. When she retired, she was ranked 10th in the world.
She had a brief part in the film, The Exorcist
, where she met its writer, William Peter Blatty
, whom she married on July 20, 1975. Blatty won an Academy Award for the screenplay. It was her first marriage and his third. Asked what moved him to wed, Blatty replied: "An angel made me do it." Tuero later had a small part in another film, The Ninth Configuration
, which was both written and directed by Blatty. She has three children and lives in Savannah, Ga.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. She was the Girls 14 and Girls 16 Champion in the USTA National Hard Court Championships, and the Girls 18 Singles Champion at the USTA National Clay Court Championships in both 1967 and 1968. She also was the US Interscholastic Girls 18 Champion in 1968, the first year the event was held for girls. In 1969, she claimed championships in the National Junior Clay Courts and the U.S. Amateur Singles. She added the National Clay Courts title in 1970.
She was the first female to secure an athletic scholarship at Tulane University, and the only female to play on its male tennis team, and the first woman to win a varsity letter at Tulane.
Turning pro, she won at the Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
in 1968, reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1971, and won the singles titles at the Italian Open
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
in 1972. She successfully represented the United States Federation Cup team in 1972 and 1973. When she retired, she was ranked 10th in the world.
She had a brief part in the film, The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
, where she met its writer, William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
, whom she married on July 20, 1975. Blatty won an Academy Award for the screenplay. It was her first marriage and his third. Asked what moved him to wed, Blatty replied: "An angel made me do it." Tuero later had a small part in another film, The Ninth Configuration
The Ninth Configuration
The Ninth Configuration, is an American-made film, released in 1980, directed by William Peter Blatty...
, which was both written and directed by Blatty. She has three children and lives in Savannah, Ga.