Leila Meskhi

Leila Meskhi was a Georgian tennis player who played professionally from 1986 to 1995. Meskhi achieved a career-best singles ranking of #12 in the world in August 1991, and a doubles ranking of #21 in the world in April 1995. She won two gold medals at the Summer Universiade and a bronze at the Olympics.

Meskhi won her first WTA singles title in November 1989 at the Virginia Slims of Nashville tournament with a straight sets victory against Helen Kelesi. Her first WTA doubles title came three months later at the 1990 Auckland Open with her partner Natalia Medvedeva. Meskhi won a total of five WTA singles and five WTA doubles titles during her career.

At Grand Slams Meskhi’s best singles performance came at the 1990 US Open where she reached the quarter-finals, losing to the eventual tournament winner Gabriela Sabatini. Her best doubles performance was also at the US Open when she reached the semi-finals in 1991 with Mercedes Paz as her partner.

At the 1987 Summer Universiade Meskhi won gold medals in the singles and doubles, and a silver in the mixed doubles. The following year she competed in the singles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where she lost in the second round to the eventual gold medallist Steffi Graf. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Meskhi won a doubles bronze medal with her partner Natasha Zverava.