Mal Anderson

Anderson started playing tennis when he was 8 and became serious about the sport at 16.
An Australian through and through, Anderson made his presence known from his early twenties to the tail end of his thirties.
His two best seasons statistics-wise were 1957 and 1958 when as an amateur he twice achieved a ranking of World No. 2.
Surging forward whenever he could, volleying with gusto and conviction, Anderson’s crowning moment in singles came in 1957, when he became the first unseeded man ever to secure the U.S. Championships. He beat the top three seeds-Luis Ayala, Dick Savitt, and Sven Davidson-to reach the final, and dismantled compatriot Ashley Cooper in the championship match.
In 1958, Anderson was a finalist at both the Australian Championships and US Championships, losing both times to Cooper. Anderson turned professional in late 1958 and went on to win the Wembley Championship in 1959, with a thrilling 5-set victory over former 3-time US Pro champion, Pancho Segura.
Anderson did not appear in another major final until 1972, when at age 36, he was a finalist at the Australian Open, losing to Ken Rosewall. In 1973, he captured the Australian Open doubles title along with John Newcombe.

Anderson played on four Australian Davis Cup teams, in 1957, 1958, 1972 and 1973, the team winning twice (1957 and 1973).

He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000 and one year later into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.