Quick Facts
Biography
Brian Fairlie (born 13 June 1948), is a retired tennis player from New Zealand. During his career from 1968 to 1979 he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei, and ten singles titles in the Open era (and at least two more in 1967).
Playing career
Juniors
Fairlie was the 1967 Boys' Singles champion of the Australian Championships.
Professional
The 5' 8" player's best Grand Slam result was reaching the Men's Doubles semi-finals at the French Open in 1971 with partner Frew McMillan. A year earlier, he reached the singles quarter-finals of the U.S. Open before losing to Tony Roche.
Whilst his highest ATP singles ranking was World No. 24 (in September 1973), Fairlie was ranked inside the world's Top 20 in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In 1969, his first full year on the circuit, he upset former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion John Newcombe in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open in Auckland. It was the year "Auckland Tennis went 'open'," attracting star players such as Newcombe and his countryman, top-ranked Rod Laver. The tournament's website describes the atmosphere at the event that year: "There was wild excitement in a packed stadium when Kiwi Brian Fairlie pulled off an upset win over Newcombe in five hard-fought sets. When he went on to face Laver, the gates had to be closed against the huge crowds wanting to get in." In both 1975 and 1976 Fairlie reached the finals of that tournament, losing on both occasions to fellow New Zealander and Davis Cup doubles partner Onny Parun.
In 1976 Fairlie played in an Australian Open match notable for having the 13th oldest combined age in Grand Slam history. His age and that of his opponent, Hall of Fame player Frank Sedgman, averaged 37 years, 10 months, and 9 days.
In winning the second of his two singles titles (in Manila, Philippines, in 1976), he lost only one set during the entire tournament.
Davis Cup
From 1966 through 1979 he played in 48 Davis Cup matches for New Zealand, winning 13 in singles and 7 in doubles.
Team Tennis
In 1974, the inaugural year of World Team Tennis, he became a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms, a team that also included future Tennis Hall of Famers Fred Stolle and Billie Jean King. With King as player-coach, the team posted the new league's best record, 39-5.
ATP Tour singles titles (2)
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1973 | London WCT, England | Hard (i) |  Mark Cox | 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1976 | Manila, Philippines | Hard |  Ray Ruffels | 7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
ATP Tour doubles titles (4)
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1974 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Clay |  Ismail El Shafei | Geoff Masters Ross Case | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1976 | ATP Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | Ismail El Shafei | Syd Ball Kim Warwick | 7–5, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1977 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Ismail El Shafei |  Tim Gullikson Tom Gullikson | 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 |
| 1978 | Cairo, Egypt | Clay | Ismail El Shafei |  Lito Álvarez George Hardie | 6–3, 7–5, 6–2 |