| Elizma Nortje | |
| Country Represented: | |
| Birth Date: | 1 February 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Windhoek, South West Africa |
| Careerprizemoney: | $22,480 |
| Singlesrecord: | 44–99 |
| Highestsinglesranking: | No. 447 (18 December 1989) |
| Doublesrecord: | 67–83 |
| Doublestitles: | 2 ITF |
| Highestdoublesranking: | No. 280 (7 November 1994) |
| Wimbledondoublesresult: | Q3 (1991) |
Elizma Nortje (born 1 February 1966) is a Namibian tennis coach and former professional player.[1] [2] She is the most successful Namibian woman to have played professionally and was the first to be ranked on the WTA Tour.[3] [4]
Born in Windhoek in 1966, Nortje represented South Africa as a junior and early in her professional career, before Namibian independence.[5] She played collegiate tennis for United States International University in San Diego, competing in the NCAA Division I Championships.[6] In the early 1990s she made appearances in the doubles qualifying draws at Wimbledon and won two ITF doubles tournaments.[7]
Nortje served as president of the Namibian Tennis Association from 1996 to 1999 and was Namibia's team captain when the country made its Fed Cup debut in 2004. A certified ITF Level 3 coach, she is now the head tennis professional at the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy in South Carolina.[8]
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | 28 April 1991 | Bracknell, United Kingdom | Hard |  Barbara Griffiths |  Lynn NaborsMerete Balling-Stockmann | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 1. | 4 August 1991 | Haifa, Israel | Hard | Janine Humphreys | Tessa Price Kirsten Dreyer | 1–6, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 2. | 11 August 1991 | Ramat HaSharon, Israel | Hard | Janine Humphreys |  Ilana Berger Robyn Field | 0–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 3. | 5 April 1992 | Windhoek, Namibia | Hard | Louise Venter | Cindy Summers Nicole Simunic | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 2. | 12 April 1992 | Gaborone, Botswana | Hard | Louise Venter | Liezel Horn Estelle Gevers | 6–0, 6–7(2), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 4. | 19 July 1992 | Frinton, United Kingdom | Grass |  Robyn Mawdsley | Caroline Billingham Danielle Thomas | 2–6, 6–4, 6–7 | |
| Loss | 5. | 6 February 1994 | Tipton, United Kingdom | Hard | Paula Iversen | Alison Smith Sara Tse | 6–4, 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 6. | 3 April 1994 | Marsa, Malta | Clay |  Ivana Havrlíková |  Isabela Listowska Petra Winzenhöller | 6–7(5), 3–6 | |
| Loss | 7. | 24 April 1994 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard | Caroline Stassen | Shannon Peters Nicole Oomens | 5–7, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 8. | 30 October 1994 | Negril, Jamaica | Hard |  Ximena Rodríguez | Kim Grant Claire Sessions Bailey | 2–6, 7–6(6), 3–6 | |
| Loss | 9. | 18 June 1995 | Morelia, Mexico | Hard | Ximena Rodríguez | Tracey Hiete  Renata Kolbovic | 3–6, 5–7 |