Player data updated: 2026-09-01 02:16 UTC

Paula Smith

USA Age 69 170 cm / 5'7" Plays: Right-Handed WTA Tour years active: 1974–1988

Paula Smith represented USA on the WTA Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No. 194. In TennisDB's records, Paula Smith finished with a career record of 59–116 and one singles title. Weekly WTA ranking coverage before 1984 is incomplete outside audited No. 1 and year-end Top 10 anchors.

Peak ranking

194 (Nov 9, 1987)

Elo peak

1631 (44th percentile)

Career record

59–116 (33.7%)

Career titles

Prize money

$426,717

Records cover recorded main-draw singles results in TennisDB's WTA event archive, including credited walkovers; qualifying is shown separately below.

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WTA Matches full match log →

Paula Smith's recent, live, and scheduled WTA matches
Opponent	Score	Result	H2H	Match Data	Date	Round	Tournament	Category	Surface
Petra Huber #84	0-6 2-6	L	H2H	Match data	Apr 6, 1988*	R64	Hilton Head	WTA 500	Clay
Jill Hetherington #128	2-6 6-4 0-6	L	H2H	Match data	Feb 3, 1988*	R64	Wellington	WTA 250	Hard
Jill Hetherington #138	0-6 2-6	L	H2H	Match data	Jan 27, 1988*	R64	ASB Classic	WTA 250	Hard
Elizabeth Galphin #224	5-7 2-6	L	H2H	Match data	Jan 13, 1988*	R128	Australian Open	Grand Slam	Hard
Brenda Schultz-Mccarthy #150	3-6 2-6	L	H2H	Match data	Oct 14, 1987*	R64	San Juan	WTA 250	Hard

Rivals all rivalries →

Paula Smith's most-played WTA rivals
Opponent	W	L	M	Last Played	H2H
Betsy Nagelsen	1	4	5	Nov 23, 1983	H2H
Gigi Fernandez	1	2	3	Aug 2, 1984	H2H
Yvonne Vermaak	0	3	3	Jun 27, 1984	H2H
Mareen Louie Harper	1	2	3	Jan 12, 1984	H2H
Rosalyn Fairbank	2	1	3	Nov 17, 1983	H2H

Titles (1)

Paula Smith titles by season and category
Season	Age	Titles	GS	WTA 1000 including documented historical predecessor categories	WTA 500 including documented historical predecessor categories	WTA 250 including documented historical predecessor categories	WTA Finals	Tournaments
1979	22	1	—	—	—	1	—	St. Joseph
Total		1	—	—	—	1	—

Asterisked totals include editions mapped from documented historical predecessor categories. Mapping details.

Career Results

Paula Smith career results by season
Season	Age	W	L	M	Win %	Start Rank	End Rank
1974	17	0	2	2	0.0%	—	—
1976	19	0	2	2	0.0%	—	—
1977	20	3	4	7	42.9%	—	—
1978	21	3	9	12	25.0%	—	—
1979	22	4	6	10	40.0%	—	—
1980	23	13	22	35	37.1%	—	—
1981	24	9	18	27	33.3%	—	—
1982	25	6	15	21	28.6%	—	—
1983	26	11	15	26	42.3%	—	—
1984	27	8	13	21	38.1%	—	—
1985	28	1	1	2	50.0%	—	—
1986	29	0	1	1	0.0%	—	—
1987	30	1	4	5	20.0%	249	199
1988	31	0	4	4	0.0%	205	351
Career		59	116	175	33.7%	—	—

Career Results by Surface

Paula Smith career results by season and surface
Season	Age	Hard				Clay				Grass				Carpet				Total
Season	Age	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %
1974	17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	2	2	0.0%	—	—	—	—	0	2	2	0.0%
1976	19	0	2	2	0.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	2	2	0.0%
1977	20	—	—	—	—	1	1	2	50.0%	—	—	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%	3	4	7	42.9%
1978	21	0	3	3	0.0%	2	2	4	50.0%	1	2	3	33.3%	0	2	2	0.0%	3	9	12	25.0%
1979	22	0	2	2	0.0%	0	2	2	0.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	6	10	40.0%
1980	23	5	7	12	41.7%	5	4	9	55.6%	1	3	4	25.0%	2	8	10	20.0%	13	22	35	37.1%
1981	24	1	1	2	50.0%	4	7	11	36.4%	0	5	5	0.0%	4	5	9	44.4%	9	18	27	33.3%
1982	25	0	4	4	0.0%	5	5	10	50.0%	1	5	6	16.7%	0	1	1	0.0%	6	15	21	28.6%
1983	26	4	4	8	50.0%	4	5	9	44.4%	3	5	8	37.5%	0	1	1	0.0%	11	15	26	42.3%
1984	27	4	6	10	40.0%	4	4	8	50.0%	0	3	3	0.0%	—	—	—	—	8	13	21	38.1%
1985	28	—	—	—	—	1	1	2	50.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	2	50.0%
1986	29	0	1	1	0.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%
1987	30	1	3	4	25.0%	—	—	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%	—	—	—	—	1	4	5	20.0%
1988	31	0	3	3	0.0%	0	1	1	0.0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	4	4	0.0%
Career	—	15	36	51	29.4%	26	32	58	44.8%	6	26	32	18.8%	6	18	24	25.0%	59	116	175	33.7%

Career Results by Opponent Rank

Paula Smith career results by season and opponent rank
Season	Age	1-10				11-30				31-100				100+				Total
Season	Age	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %	W	L	M	Win %
1984	27	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	1	5	6	16.7%	1	1	2	50.0%	2	6	8	25.0%
1985	28	0	1	1	0.0%	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%
1986	29	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%
1987	30	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%	0	3	3	0.0%	0	4	4	0.0%
1988	31	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	1	1	0.0%	0	3	3	0.0%	0	4	4	0.0%
Career		0	1	1	0.0%	0	0	—	—	1	8	9	11.1%	1	7	8	12.5%	2	16	18	11.1%

Opponent ranking data available for 18/175 (10.3%) of Paula Smith's WTA main draw matches.

Advanced Stats

Paula Smith advanced statistics by season
Season	Age	Elo	P+	Serve+	Return+	PD	TPW%	Hard Elo	Clay Elo	Grass Elo	Set Win %	Set Margin	Dec. Set	Tiebreak	Pressure+	Schedule
1974	17	1483	97.2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.0%	-2.50	—	—	—	+0.19
1976	19	1463	96.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.0%	-3.50	—	—	—	+0.20
1977	20	1473	108.3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	50.0%	+0.50	0–2	—	—	+0.67
1978	21	1454	103.3	—	—	—	—	+31	+87	+75	32.1%	-0.86	1–5 (17%)	0–3 (0%)	—	+0.90
1979	22	1513	125.1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	38.1%	-0.90	1–2 (33%)	2–0	—	-0.67
1980	23	1576	117.5	—	—	—	—	-113	-9	-44	38.2%	-0.84	3–3 (50%)	2–4 (33%)	99.3	+0.39
1981	24	1516	113.0	—	—	—	—	+52	+48	-54	39.1%	-0.53	3–7 (30%)	2–4 (33%)	96.3	+2.31
1982	25	1505	119.6	—	—	—	—	-32	+90	-41	32.6%	-1.06	1–3 (25%)	0–3 (0%)	96.1	-0.87
1983	26	1591	111.2	—	—	—	—	-51	+63	-106	39.3%	-1.10	7–4 (64%)	2–0	—	+0.18
1984	27	1542	104.1	—	—	—	—	-19	+90	-68	44.9%	-0.61	1–6 (14%)	1–4 (20%)	92.8	+2.63
1985	28	1553	105.5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	50.0%	-0.50	—	—	—	+0.02
1986	29	1541	94.8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0.0%	-5.50	—	—	—	+0.06
1987	30	1492	91.9	—	—	—	—	-12	—	—	27.3%	-2.09	0–1	1–0	—	+0.84
1988	31	1443	86.9	—	—	—	—	-32	—	—	11.1%	-3.78	0–1	—	—	+0.04
Career		1631	114.3	—	—	—	—	-39	+58	-52	37.2%	-0.94	17–34 (33%)	10–18 (36%)	90.4	+3.96

Tournament Results by Category

Grand Slams

Paula Smith Grand Slams results by season
Season	Age	AO	RG	W	USO	W-L Win %
1978	21	—	R64	R64	R128	1–3 (25%)
1979	22	—	R64	—	R128	0–2 (0%)
1980	23	—	R32	R128	R32	3–3 (50%)
1981	24	R64	R64	R64	R64	2–4 (33%)
1982	25	R64	R32	R64	R128	2–4 (33%)
1983	26	R64	R32	R128	R128	2–4 (33%)
1984	27	—	R64	R128	R128	1–3 (25%)
1986	29	—	—	—	R128	0–1 (0%)
1988	31	R128	—	—	—	0–1 (0%)
W-L		0–4 (0%)	6–7 (46%)	2–6 (25%)	3–8 (27%)	11–25 (31%)

WTA 500

Paula Smith WTA 500 results by season
Season	Age	BRI	NAP	SDG	BER	CAR	HIL	SYD	W-L Win %
1979	22	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	0–1 (0%)
1980	23	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	1–1 (50%)
1981	24	—	—	—	R64	—	—	R64	0–2 (0%)
1982	25	R64	—	R64	—	—	—	R64	0–3 (0%)
1983	26	R32	—	—	—	—	—	R64	1–2 (33%)
1984	27	—	R64	QF	—	—	—	—	2–2 (50%)
1985	28	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	1–1 (50%)
1987	30	—	—	R64	—	—	—	—	0–1 (0%)
1988	31	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	0–1 (0%)
W-L		1–2 (33%)	1–2 (33%)	3–4 (43%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	0–3 (0%)	5–14 (26%)

WTA 250

Paula Smith WTA 250 results by season
Season	Age	ATL	ASB	DAL	EAS	HOU	MIA	NAP	NWP	TKY	AME	BIR	CAN	CHI	CHI	DEE	DEN	DET	EDM	FT.	HAV	HER	HIL	KAU	KON	LIT	LUG	MAH	MAN	MAR	MIN	MON	NAS	OAK	ORA	ORL	PAL	PEN	PER	PER	PER	PHI	PHO	PIT	RAL	RIC	SAL	SAN	SEA	ST.	TAM	WEL	W-L Win %
1974	17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0–2 (0%)
1976	19	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0–2 (0%)
1977	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	QF	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3–4 (43%)
1978	21	R32	—	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	R32	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2–6 (25%)
1979	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	QF	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	QF	—	—	—	—	—	W	—	—	4–3 (57%)
1980	23	R16	—	R32	R32	R32	—	R32	—	R32	—	—	—	—	R64	R16	—	R32	R16	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	R32	—	—	—	QF	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	R32	—	9–18 (33%)
1981	24	—	—	—	R64	—	—	R64	—	—	R64	—	—	R32	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	R16	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	R64	R64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	7–12 (37%)
1982	25	R32	—	—	R64	—	—	R64	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	R32	R64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4–8 (33%)
1983	26	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	R64	R64	—	—	R16	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	R32	—	—	R32	—	—	SF	—	—	—	—	—	8–9 (47%)
1984	27	—	—	—	—	—	QF	—	R32	—	—	R64	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	R16	—	—	—	—	—	5–8 (38%)
1987	30	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	R32	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	—	—	—	—	1–3 (25%)
1988	31	—	R64	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	R64	0–2 (0%)
W-L		1–3 (25%)	1–2 (33%)	0–1 (0%)	3–4 (43%)	0–1 (0%)	2–1 (67%)	3–5 (38%)	0–2 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	1–2 (33%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	1–1 (50%)	0–2 (0%)	1–1 (50%)	0–1 (0%)	2–2 (50%)	0–2 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	1–1 (50%)	6–3 (67%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	2–3 (40%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	1–3 (25%)	0–2 (0%)	1–2 (33%)	1–1 (50%)	1–1 (50%)	1–1 (50%)	1–1 (50%)	1–1 (50%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	2–3 (40%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	2–2 (50%)	1–1 (50%)	0–1 (0%)	4–2 (67%)	0–1 (0%)	0–1 (0%)	2–0 (100%)	1–1 (50%)	0–1 (0%)	43–77 (36%)

Results show the best round reached per tournament and season.

WTA Ranking History full ranking history →

Career high

194

Career-high date

Nov 9, 1987

First Top 100

—

First Top 50

—

First Top 20

—

First Top 10

—

Ranking History Matrix

Paula Smith ranking history by month and season
Season	Age	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1987	30	264	247	255	251	241	237	210	222	212	207	196	199
1988	31	200	223	235	241	245	252	307	317	325	—	339	351
1989	32	393	393	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Data coverage: Weekly WTA ranking snapshots are unavailable before 1984. Audited official No. 1 change dates and year-end Top 10 ranks are included, but weekly counts and ranks outside those anchors remain incomplete.

Similar Players

Other WTA players with comparable peak level, era, career record, and career scale.

Paula Smith's most statistically similar WTA players
Player	Country	Peak Rank	Peak Elo	Titles	M	W	L	Win %	Years	Match Log
Katerina Bohmova	CZE	196	1,591	0	111	34	77	30.6%	1978–1987	Match log
Beth Norton	USA	233	1,815	1	155	62	93	40.0%	1975–1986	Match log
Jamie Golder	USA	165	1,633	0	66	24	42	36.4%	1982–1988	Match log
Elizabeth Galphin	USA	185	1,522	0	10	4	6	40.0%	1985–1988	Match log
Jane Forman	USA	161	1,573	1	48	19	29	39.6%	1981–1988	Match log
Amy Holton	USA	162	1,578	0	89	27	62	30.3%	1980–1987	Match log
Rene Blount	USA	153	1,622	0	115	31	84	27.0%	1975–1986	Match log
Amanda Tobin	AUS	138	1,632	3	122	45	77	36.9%	1976–1988	Match log
Pam Whytcross	AUS	150	1,638	4	182	66	116	36.3%	1972–1984	Match log
Patty Oreilly	USA	206	1,544	0	17	5	12	29.4%	1985–1993	Match log
Cheryl Jones	USA	250	1,544	0	11	5	6	45.5%	1981–1987	Match log
Kristin Kinney	USA	117	1,531	0	59	16	43	27.1%	1983–1987	Match log

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Paula Smith?: Paula Smith is 69 years old, born on January 10, 1957.
Which country does Paula Smith represent?: Paula Smith represents USA in TennisDB's WTA records.
How tall is Paula Smith?: Paula Smith is 170 cm / 5'7".
Is Paula Smith left-handed or right-handed?: Paula Smith plays right-handed.
How many Grand Slams has Paula Smith won?: Paula Smith has not won a Grand Slam title.
How many WTA 1000 titles has Paula Smith won?: TennisDB does not group any of Paula Smith's titles under the modern WTA 1000 category.
How many WTA titles has Paula Smith won?: Paula Smith has won 1 WTA singles title across all categories. The most recent was St. Joseph in 1979.
What is Paula Smith's highest WTA ranking?: Paula Smith's career-high WTA singles ranking is world No. 194, first achieved on November 9, 1987.
What is Paula Smith's career win-loss record?: Paula Smith has a career WTA singles record of 59 wins and 116 losses (33.7%).
How much career prize money has Paula Smith earned?: Paula Smith has earned at least $426,717 in career prize money from professional tennis.
Which seasons of Paula Smith's career appear in TennisDB?: Paula Smith appears in TennisDB's WTA main-tour match records from 1974 through 1988.
On which surface does Paula Smith have the highest recorded win rate?: Among surfaces with at least 20 recorded matches, Paula Smith's highest WTA main-draw win rate is on clay: 44.8% (26–32).
Who has Paula Smith faced most often?: Paula Smith's most frequent opponent is Betsy Nagelsen, with a head-to-head record of 1–4 across 5 meetings.