Horst Skoff
Country (sports) | |
---|---|
Born | Klagenfurt, Austria | 22 August 1968
Died | 7 June 2008 Hamburg, Germany | (aged 39)
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Turned pro | 1985 |
Retired | 1999 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Coach | Günter Bresnik[1] Dumitru Hărădău |
Prize money | $1,651,858 |
Singles | |
Career record | 228–203 |
Career titles | 4 |
Highest ranking | No. 18 (1 January 1990) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995) |
French Open | 2R (1987, 1989, 1991) |
Wimbledon | 2R (1991) |
US Open | 2R (1991) |
Other tournaments | |
Olympic Games | 1R (1988, 1992) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 48–57 |
Career titles | 2 |
Highest ranking | No. 70 (18 September 1989) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
French Open | 1R (1989) |
US Open | 1R (1988, 1989) |
Other doubles tournaments | |
Olympic Games | 2R (1988) |
Team competitions | |
Davis Cup | SF (1990) |
Horst Skoff (22 August 1968 – 7 June 2008) was a professional tennis player from Austria, who won four tournaments at the top-level.
Biography
[edit]Skoff was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, and started playing tennis at age 6.[2] In 1984 he won the singles title at the 16-and-under category of the Orange Bowl.[1] He turned professional in 1985. Skoff won his first top-level singles title in 1988 at Athens. Over the course of his career he won four top-level singles titles and two tour doubles titles. His career-high rankings were world No. 18 in singles and world No. 70 in doubles. His career prize money totalled US$1,651,858.
Skoff played on Austria's Davis Cup team for nine years, compiling a 22–17 win–loss record. He helped the team reach the World Group semi-finals in 1990. Memorable Davis Cup rubbers which Skoff was involved in include a five-set win over world No. 2 Mats Wilander in the 1989 quarterfinal that lasted more than six hours; and a five-set loss to Michael Chang in the 1990 semifinal.[3][4]
Despite Skoff's relative success during his career of winning four top-level tournaments, his memorable Davis Cup moments, and reaching a career high world ranking of 18 in singles competition, he never managed to progress beyond the second round at any Grand Slam event.
Skoff played in his last top-level tournament in August 1995, at the San Marino Open. From 1996–1999, due to his lower world ranking, Skoff played in challenger and futures tournaments. He retired in August 1999, after playing his last match in Sylt, Germany.
Skoff died on 7 June 2008 in Hamburg, Germany, following a heart attack at age 39.[3][5][6]
Career finals
[edit]Singles: 11 (4 wins, 7 losses)
[edit]Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Jun 1988 | Athens, Greece | Clay | 6–3, 2–6, 6–2 | |
Win | 2–0 | Oct 1988 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 | |
Loss | 2–1 | May 1989 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | 4–6, 1–6, 3–6 | |
Loss | 2–2 | Aug 1989 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Clay | 5–7, 6–7 | |
Loss | 2–3 | Sep 1989 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | 4–6, 4–6, 2–6 | |
Win | 3–3 | Sep 1990 | Geneva, Switzerland | Clay | 7–6(10–8), 7–6(7–4) | |
Loss | 3–4 | Oct 1990 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | 3–6, 3–6, 1–6 | |
Loss | 3–5 | Jun 1991 | Florence, Italy | Clay | 2–6, 7–6(7–2), 4–6 | |
Loss | 3–6 | Sep 1991 | Geneva, Switzerland | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | |
Win | 4–6 | Jul 1993 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | 7–5, 1–6, 6–0 | |
Loss | 4–7 | Jul 1994 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | 4–6, 3–6 |
Doubles: 6 (2 wins, 4 losses)
[edit]Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Nov 1986 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 | ||
Loss | 1–1 | May 1988 | Florence, Italy | Clay | 6–7, 4–6 | ||
Loss | 1–2 | Aug 1988 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Clay | 5–7, 6–7 | ||
Win | 2–2 | Aug 1989 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Clay | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
Loss | 2–3 | Apr 1990 | Nice, France | Clay | 4–6, 6–7 | ||
Loss | 2–4 | Jul 1990 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
Singles performance timeline
[edit]W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Tournament | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | SR | W–L | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | NH | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | Q1 | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 0–5 | |
French Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | Q1 | A | A | Q3 | A | A | 0 / 6 | 3–6 | |
Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | |
US Open | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | |
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 21 | 5–21 | |
Grand Prix Championship Series / Super 9 tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
Indian Wells | Not GPCS | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 7 | 4–7 | ||
Key Biscayne | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | 4–6 | |
Monte Carlo | A | A | SF | 3R | SF | QF | SF | 1R | A | 3R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 8 | 18–8 | |
Hamburg | A | A | 2R | 3R | F | 1R | 2R | 3R | A | A | 1R | Q1 | A | A | A | 0 / 7 | 11–7 | |
Rome | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 3–5 | |
Stockholm | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | Not Super 9 | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | |||||
Paris | Not Grand Prix Champ. | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | ||||
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 6–4 | 4–5 | 13–7 | 6–5 | 8–6 | 3–5 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 39 | 43–39 | |
National representation | ||||||||||||||||||
Olympic Games | Not Held | 1R | Not Held | 1R | Not Held | A | Not Held | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||||
Davis Cup | A | Z1 | Z1 | Z1 | QF | SF | 1R | Z1 | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 21–13 | |
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
Overall win–loss | 1–2 | 16–8 | 23–23 | 28–19 | 38–23 | 34–25 | 34–30 | 22–25 | 19–19 | 11–16 | 2–13 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 228–203 | ||
Year-end ranking | 299 | 42 | 63 | 45 | 25 | 26 | 33 | 92 | 74 | 47 | 392 | 339 | 199 | 722 | 429 | 53% |
Top 10 wins
[edit]No. | Player | Rank | Tournament | Surface | Rd | Score | Skoff Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | |||||||
1. | 4 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 2R | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2 | 48 | |
1989 | |||||||
2. | 2 | Davis Cup, Vienna, Austria | Clay (i) | QF | 6–7, 7–6, 1–6, 6–4, 9–7 | 35 | |
3. | 2 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | SF | 7–6, 6–2 | 31 | |
1990 | |||||||
4. | 5 | Stuttgart, West Germany | Clay | 3R | 7–5, 0–6, 6–4 | 31 | |
5. | 8 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | QF | 6–4, 6–2 | 27 | |
6. | 7 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–2, 7–6 | 29 | |
1991 | |||||||
7. | 4 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | 2R | 6–0, 6–7, 6–3 | 32 | |
8. | 10 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | QF | 6–3, 6–3 | 32 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b John Barrett, ed. (1991). The International Tennis Federation : World of Tennis 1991. London: Collins Willow. p. 301. ISBN 9780002184038.
- ^ Franz Lidz (10 September 1990). "An Austrian not to be scoffed at". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ a b Harald Ottawa (7 April 2019). "Tennis: Die sechs Sternstunden des Horst Skoff". Kurier (in German).
- ^ "Als Horst Skoff Tennis-Geschichte schrieb". Wiener Zeitung (in German). 7 April 2018.
- ^ "Former player Horst Skoff dead". Montreal Gazette. 8 June 2008.
- ^ "Former tour player Skoff dies". The New York Times. 9 June 2008.