{{short description|Puerto Rican tennis player}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Ernie Fernández | image = | caption = | country = {{flag|Puerto Rico}} | residence = Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1960|6|8}} | birth_place = Santurce, Puerto Rico | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=6|in=3}} | turnedpro = | plays = Right-handed | careerprizemoney = | singlesrecord = 8–11 | singlestitles = 0 | highestsinglesranking = No. 183 (15 October 1984) | USOpenresult = 1R (1981) | doublesrecord = 27–35 | doublestitles = 0 | highestdoublesranking = No. 66 (30 July 1984) | WimbledonDoublesresult = 1R (1985) | USOpenDoublesresult = 3R (1985) }} '''Ernesto "Ernie" Fernández''' (born 8 June 1960) is a former professional tennis player from Puerto Rico.<ref>[http://itftennis.com/ProCircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?PlayerID=10005313 IFT Tennis Profile]</ref>
==Career== The Puerto Rican played collegiate tennis at the Ohio State University and was the singles champion of the Big Ten Conference in 1979, 1981 and 1982, just the third player in history to be a triple winner. He was also a dual NCAA All-American, in 1980 and 1981.<ref name=ATP>[http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Fe/E/Ernie-Fernandez.aspx ATP World Tour profile]</ref> In the 1981 US Open, his only appearance in the singles draw at a Grand Slam, Fernández was beaten in the first round by Gilles Moretton, but managed to take the match to a fifth set.<ref name=ATP/> His best performances on the Grand Prix tennis circuit included reaching the quarter-finals at Cleveland in 1981 and wins over both Mike Bauer and Vitas Gerulaitis in the 1984 Congoleum Classic.<ref name=ATP/>
Fernández was most prominent on the doubles tour and reached two Grand Prix finals.<ref name=ATP/> With Gary Donnelly, Fernández was runner-up at Forest Hills in 1984 and later that year lost another final, in Boston, partnering David Pate.<ref name=ATP/> He teamed up with Ricardo Acuña to reach the third round of the 1985 US Open, which was the furthest he would go in a Grand Slam.<ref name=ATP/>
Puerto Rico didn't start competing in the Davis Cup tennis until 1992, six years after Fernández last appeared on tour. However, in 1997, he came out of retirement and spent two years playing for the Puerto Rico Davis Cup team. He took part in five ties and played eight rubbers, of which he won three.<ref>[http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player.aspx?id=800177507 Davis Cup profile]</ref>
==Grand Prix career finals==
===Doubles: 2 (0–2)=== {|class="sortable wikitable" !Result !W/L !style="width:50px"|Date !style="width:150px"|Tournament !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:120px"|Partner !style="width:120px"|Opponents !style="width:80px" class="unsortable"|Score |- |style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss |0–1 |May 1984 |Forest Hills, United States |Clay |{{flagicon|USA}} David Pate |{{flagicon|USA}} David Dowlen<br />{{flagicon|NGR}} Nduka Odizor |6–7, 5–7 |- |style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss |0–2 |Jul 1984 |Boston, United States |Clay |{{flagicon|USA}} Gary Donnelly |{{flagicon|USA}} Ken Flach<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Robert Seguso |4–6, 4–6 |}
==Challenger titles==
===Doubles: (1)=== {|class="sortable wikitable" style=font-size:97% !No. !style="width:30px"|Year !style="width:120px"|Tournament !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:140px"|Partner !style="width:140px"|Opponents !style="width:80px" class="unsortable"|Score |- |1. |1984 |Tunis, Tunisia |Clay |{{flagicon|DEN}} Michael Mortensen |{{flagicon|FRG}} Peter Elter<br />{{flagicon|FRG}} Andreas Maurer |6–3, 6–4 |}
==References== {{reflist|1}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Ernie}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Puerto Rican male tennis players Category:Sportspeople from Santurce, Puerto Rico Category:Tennis players from San Juan, Puerto Rico Category:Tennis players at the 1979 Pan American Games Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists in tennis Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for Puerto Rico Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's tennis players Category:20th-century American sportsmen