Rjazanova-Ermolova, Irina Evgen'evna, International Tennis Champion

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You'll all have to bear with me a bit with this enormous group. There are over 150 awards as well as other bits - over half of which are too big for an A4 scanner. The group spans from 1952 to the 1990's and is only partial - as Mrs Ermolova is still alive.

She was a name on the international tennis scene in the late 1950's and early 1960's - becoming the first Georgian woman to play Wimbledon. In her native Georgia she is a tennis legend. She was three (consecutive) times female doubles champion of the Soviet Union (with Anna Vladimirovna Dmitrieva). She even once played Bill Jean King.

Unfortunately due to being Georgian she gets rather overlooked in Russia and due to the fact there are so many ways to transliterate her name it can be very difficult to collect information on her (coupled with the use of both maiden and married names).

In Georgian her maiden name was ირინა ევგენის-ასული რიაზანოვა (Irina Evgenis-asuli Riazanova) and married name ირინა ევგენის-ასული ერმოლოვა (Irina Evgenis-asuli Ermolova). In Russian her maiden name was Ирина Евгеньевна Рязанова (Irina Evgen'evna Rjazanova) and married name Ирина Евгеньевна Ермолова (Irina Evgen'evna Ermolova) but finding information on her from various European sources has brought up the following translations of her first and last names: Irina/Jrina Rjazanova/Ryazanova/Rjasanova/Ryasanova/Rjasanowa/Ryasanowa/Rjazanova/Rjazanowa Ermolova/Jermolova/Yermolova add in the hyphen and you can use some long times searching.

Although there will be film footage of her in action I've yet to locate any (not surprising with the naming issues).

Irina was born on 2nd April 1938 and the first award dates from when she was only 14.

All-Union Committee For Affairs Of Physical Culture And Sport Under The Soviet Of Ministries Of The USSR 1st Place in Youth Mixed Doubles in the All-Union Personal-Team Youth Competition Of Tennis 1952 in Moscow, 19th August 1952 - a national youth champion straight off the bat.

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First place 1953 Tbilisi Championship Doubles for 15-16 year olds (paired with M. Pat'at'ishvili).
First place for Mixed Doubles for 15-16 years olds (paired with V. K'anasiantan).
First place for Female Singles for 15-16 year olds.
First Place Team 15-16 year olds.

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A 30th March 1953 congratulations from the Tbilisi 14th Girls Middle School "For active participation in the work of the circle of young technicians and in the designing of visual aids and active models".

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1st Place in the 2nd Rank of Female Singles in the Personal-Team Tennis Championships Of Tbilisi May 1953.

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At the All-Union Tennis Championship of Dinamo of July 1953 she placed;

2nd, Female Singles (born 1937-38)
3rd, Mixed Doubles (born 1937-38)
3rd, Doubles

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At the National Championships Of The Soviet Union on 24th August 1953 she was placed second in the female youth singles.

[Rogi]

Fantastic grouping, I love Tennis and their stars :D

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On 29th August 1958 she was out again. 6th All-Union Annual Spartakiad Of Trade-Unions.

3rd Place in Mixed Doubles.

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Second Place in Female Singles.

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Champion in Women's Doubles - a full set of traffic lights.

Not a perfect year for the 19/20 year old but it did leave her ranked #7.