Helen Crook
{{Short description|British tennis player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name = Helen Crook
| image =
| country_represented = {{GBR2}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|11|20|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Essex, England
| death_town =
| death_place =
| height = 1.75 cm (5 foot 9 inches)
| plays = Right handed
| college = University of South Carolina
| careerprizemoney = $98,388
| singlesrecord = 140–161
| singlestitles = 0
| highestsinglesranking = No. 257 (16 July 2001)
| doublesrecord = 192–178
| doublestitles = 0 WTA, 11 ITF
| highestdoublesranking = No. 155 (24 May 1999)
| WimbledonDoublesresult = 2R (2003)
| WimbledonMixedresult = 1R (2001, 2003)
}}
Helen Crook (born 20 November 1971) is a British former professional tennis player.
Biography
Before turning professional, Crook attended college in the United States, as a journalism student at the University of South Carolina. She formed a doubles partnership in college tennis with another British player, Victoria Davies. The pair made the semifinals of the 1994 NCAA Doubles Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/stories/050806aaj.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421030528/http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/stories/050806aaj.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2018|title=USC Women's Tennis Gearing Up For NCAA Regionals|date=8 May 2006|work=CBS Sports Network|accessdate=20 April 2018}}
Crook, who was based in Essex, began competing on the international circuit in 1996. All of her WTA Tour and Wimbledon main-draw appearances were in doubles, a format in which she reached No. 155 in the world. She made two WTA Tour doubles quarterfinals, both with regular doubles partner Victoria Davies, at the 1999 Warsaw Cup and the 2001 Birmingham Classic. She featured in the women's doubles at Wimbledon on eight occasions and twice in mixed doubles. Her only grand slam win came when partnering Anna Hawkins at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, with the pair overcoming Barbara Schett and Patty Schnyder, before being beaten in the second round by Martina Navratilova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/2406771/Relentless-Navratilova-has-British-pair-in-awe.html|title=Relentless Navratilova has British pair in awe|date=28 June 2003|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=20 April 2018}}
She was one of the founders of GB Tennis Girls, an organisation supporting women's tennis.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/casting-the-net-in-hope-of-filling-gaps-in-system-44755.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/casting-the-net-in-hope-of-filling-gaps-in-system-44755.html |archive-date=9 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Casting the net in hope of 'filling gaps in system'|date=26 June 2004|work=The Independent|accessdate=20 April 2018}}
ITF Circuit finals
=Singles (0–2)=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; width:14%;" |
| style="background:#addfad;"
| $50,000 tournaments |
| style="background:#ffe4c4;"
| $40,000 tournaments |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| $25,000 tournaments |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| $10,000 tournaments |
| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
!Result !No. !Date !Location !Surface !Opponent !Score |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1. | 17 January 1996 | Miami, United States | Hard | {{flagicon|RUS}} Alina Jidkova | 2–6, 5–7 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 2. | 23 July 2000 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Samantha Smith | 3–6, 0–6 |
=Doubles (11–15)=
| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
!Result !No. !Date !Location !Surface !Partner !Opponents !Score |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 1. | 11 July 1994 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|RUS|1991}} Natalia Egorova | 6–3, 6–2 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 2. | 10 July 1995 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|AUS}} Robyn Mawdsley | 1–6, 1–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 3. | 28 August 1995 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|TUR}} Duygu Akşit Oal | 6–4, 6–4 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 4. | 27 January 1996 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GBR}} Frances Hearn | 7–6(3), 7–6(4) |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 5. | 26 April 1996 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GBR}} Julie Pullin | 6–2, 6–0 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 6. | 1 June 1996 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies] | {{flagicon|GBR}} Emily Bond | 6–7(4), 4–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 7. | {{dts|format=dmy|1997|7|11}} | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|RSA}} Surina De Beer | 5–7, 5–7 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 8. | 26 September 1997 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Carpet (i) | {{flagicon|RSA}} Mareze Joubert | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | 6–2, 6–4 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 9. | 6 December 1997 | Pretoria, South Africa | Hard | {{flagicon|RSA}} Mareze Joubert | {{flagicon|RSA}} Lucinda Gibbs | 6–2, 7–5 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 10. | 26 March 1998 | Wodonga, Australia | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|AUS}} Lisa McShea | 4–6, 4–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 11. | 19 April 1998 | Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | Clay | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|NED}} Yvette Basting | 6–3, 6–3 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 12. | 31 July 1998 | Ilkley, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lizzie Jelfs | 3–6, 4–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 13. | 26 September 1998 | Sunderland, Great Britain | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GBR}} Lizzie Jelfs | 1–6, 1–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 14. | 3 October 1998 | Glasgow, Great Britain | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|DEN}} Eva Dyrberg | 4–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 15. | 2 April 2000 | Pontevedra, Spain | Hard | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|NED}} Natasha Galouza | 3–6, 6–2, 2–6 |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 16. | 23 April 2000 | San Luis Potosí, Mexico | Clay | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|ARG}} María Fernanda Landa | 4–6, 6–7(7) |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 17. | 14 May 2000 | Tampico, Mexico | Hard | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|MEX}} Melody Falcó | 4–6, 3–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 18. | 22 July 2000 | Frinton-on-Sea, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|RSA}} Mareze Joubert | 6–2, 6–4 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 19. | {{dts|3 February 2001}} | Tipton, Great Britain | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GRE}} Eleni Daniilidou | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 20. | 20 May 2001 | Edinburgh, Great Britain | Clay | {{flagicon|GBR}} Victoria Davies | {{flagicon|GBR}} Julie Pullin | 2–6, 1–6 |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 21. | 10 February 2002 | Redbridge, Great Britain | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|CHN}} Sun Tiantian | {{flagicon|ROU}} Magda Mihalache | 6–4, 4–6, 4–6 |
| style="background:#ffe4c4;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 22. | 8 March 2003 | Nuevo Laredo, Mexico | Hard | {{flagicon|GRE}} Christina Zachariadou | {{flagicon|GER}} Caroline-Ann Basu | 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 |
| style="background:#ffe4c4;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 23. | 22 March 2003 | Monterrey, Mexico | Hard | {{flagicon|GRE}} Christina Zachariadou | {{flagicon|GER}} Caroline-Ann Basu | 6–2, 6–0 |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 24. | 12 April 2003 | Coatzacoalcos, Mexico | Hard | {{flagicon|GRE}} Christina Zachariadou | {{flagicon|ARG}} Erica Krauth | 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 25. | {{dts|format=dmy|2004|2|15}} | Sunderland, Great Britain | Hard (i) | {{flagicon|GER}} Martina Müller | {{flagicon|IRL}} Claire Curran | 4–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 26. | 11 July 2004 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Karen Paterson | {{flagicon|GBR}} Hannah Collin | 4–6, 4–6 |
References
{{Reflist}}