Former WTA no. 9 Lisa Bonder shares her US Open memories…
“The US Open – simply the best. The US Open is more than just a tournament for me – it has really been a part of the fabric of my whole life. Yes, it’s noisy and rowdy – but that’s New York, and I love it. As an American it’s special, I grew up watching and dreaming of playing there as a child and I was lucky enough to play my first game there in 1981 when I got a wild card after winning the USTA Girls 18s National Championships. I lost in the first round to Joanne Russell, but just being there at the age of 15 was such an incredible experience. I turned pro shortly after, so the US Open was the jumping off point for my career. And it also really signposted the end of my career too. In 1988 I played Helena Sukova when I was four months pregnant – as you can imagine I wasn’t quite as nimble on my toes as I might have been! Kids eh! And back in those days the girls didn’t have the back-up and resources to come back after having a child. So, at 23 that was that really. Too short, but so many great memories of the best tournament in the world. I go back every year, to meet up with old friends and some of the great players from my days. I love it almost as much as a spectator as I did a player. Almost.”
Two years after her US Open debut, Bonder reached the fourth round of US Open and reached no. 9 in the world. She won four WTA singles titles, two in 1982 in Hamburg and Tokyo and then two more in 1983, both in Tokyo.
Bonder’s life off the tennis court may have been more colorful than her athletic career though.
She married Tom Kreiss in January 1988, and changed her surname to Bonder-Kreiss. She and Kreiss have a son named Taylor Jennings Kreiss. In 1999, Bonder-Kreiss then divorced Kreiss to marry the much older billionaire Kirk Kerkorian but she would seek a divorce from Kerkorian within one month (28 days to be exact).
Bonder, 23, and Kerkorian, 71, engaged in a high-profile child support lawsuit with Kirk Kerkorian. Kerkorian suspected that Bonder ex-boyfriend Steve Bing, was the actual father of her daughter (Bing inherited $600 million from his grandfather). Kerkorian then hired the famous private investigator Anthony Pellicano to collect data on Bing. It was reported that Pellicano confiscated used dental floss from Bing’s discarded garbage to obtain DNA paternity testing. Pellicano’s dirty digging confirmed that Bing was indeed the father. Pellicano also wiretapped Bonder’s phone calls. Pellicano subsequently was convicted on various charges, including wiretapping and racketeering, involving this case and many other cases, and he received a 15-year prison sentence. One of Kerkorian’s attorneys was convicted of racketeering for hiring Pellicano to tap Bonder’s phone and received a three-year prison sentence, later confirmed on appeal.
Kerkorian married one more time (fourth) after the messy split with Bonder, in 2014 with Una Davis (born in 1966). That marriage was also short-lived and lasted 57 days. Kerkorian and Davis were involved in divorce proceedings until he passed away in Beverly Hills, CA in June 2015 at age 98.
Most of Kerkorian’s $2 billion estate was bequeathed to charity by a three-person committee designated to distribute the funds within three years. In December 2018 the estate settled with fourth wife Davis for $12.5 million, along with $10 million and $50 million for two philanthropic foundations, advised by Davis.
Bonder achieved career wins against Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez and Andrea Jaeger. Her last Grand Slam appearances were first round losses at 1991 Wimbledon and 1991 US Open.
Kirk Kerkorian · Lisa Bonder-Kerkorian · US Open · WTA
