1. Overview
Lisa Bonder is an American former professional tennis player who competed on the WTA tour from 1981 to 1991. During her career, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 9 in August 1984 and won four singles titles. Beyond her athletic achievements, Bonder's personal life attracted significant public attention, particularly in Japan where she gained idol-like popularity due to her beauty, and later through a high-profile child support lawsuit involving her ex-husband and a private investigator that raised questions about privacy and ethical conduct.
2. Early Life and Background
Lisa Bonder's early life was marked by her birth in Columbus, Ohio, and her upbringing in Saline, Michigan, where her family later moved.
2.1. Birth and Family
Lisa Bonder was born on October 16, 1965, in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents were Seth Bonder and Julia Bonder. Her father, Seth, was an American engineer who founded Vector Research, Inc.. He was born in the Bronx, New York, to Russian emigrants who worked in the garment district. Her parents later divorced. Lisa was the second child of Seth Bonder.
2.2. Childhood and Education
Bonder spent her formative years and was raised in Saline, Michigan, after her family relocated from Columbus, Ohio. Details regarding her specific educational background are not extensively documented in available sources.
3. Tennis Career
Lisa Bonder's professional tennis career spanned a decade, during which she achieved notable success on the international circuit, including multiple tournament victories and significant Grand Slam performances.
3.1. Professional Debut and Tour Activities
Bonder officially turned professional on June 21, 1982. She actively competed on the WTA tour from 1981 until her retirement in 1991. Throughout her career, she participated in various tournaments globally, showcasing her skills on different surfaces.
3.2. Career Highlights and Achievements
Bonder secured four singles titles on the WTA circuit. Her first title came in July 1982 at the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, West Germany. She then achieved three victories in Tokyo, Japan: the 1982 Borden Classic in October, the 1983 Queens Grand Prix in September, and the 1983 Borden Classic in October.
She reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 9 on August 20, 1984. In Grand Slam tournaments, Bonder reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1984. She also made it to the fourth round of the US Open in both 1983 and 1984, and the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1984. Her notable career victories include wins against prominent players such as Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, and Andrea Jaeger.
3.3. Singles and Doubles Finals
Throughout her career, Lisa Bonder reached five singles finals, winning four, and one doubles final.
3.3.1. Singles Finals: 5 (4-1)
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1-0 | Jul 1982 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Renáta Tomanová | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Win | 2-0 | Oct 1982 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Shelley Solomon | 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 |
| Win | 3-0 | Sep 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | Andrea Jaeger | 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 |
| Win | 4-0 | Oct 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Laura Arraya | 6-1, 6-3 |
| Loss | 4-1 | Aug 1984 | Indianapolis, US | Clay | Manuela Maleeva | 4-6, 3-6 |
3.3.2. Doubles Finals: 1 (0-1)
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0-1 | Nov 1985 | Tampa, US | Hard | Laura Gildemeister | Carling Bassett Gabriela Sabatini | 0-6, 0-6 |
3.4. Grand Slam Singles Performance Timeline
Lisa Bonder's performance in the four Grand Slam tournaments across her career is detailed below.
| Tournament | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | NH | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| French Open | A | 3R | 3R | QF | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 7 |
| US Open | 1R | 2R | 4R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 9 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 24 |
| Year-end ranking | 122 | 41 | 34 | 16 | 36 | 55 | 49 | 126 | 300 | 303 | 110 |
3.5. Career Statistics and Rankings
Lisa Bonder concluded her professional career with a singles win-loss record of 139-126 and a doubles record of 30-70. Her highest singles ranking was No. 9, achieved on August 20, 1984. In doubles, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 158 on December 21, 1986. Her total career prize money amounted to 212.40 K USD.
4. Personal Life
Lisa Bonder's personal life has included two marriages, the birth of her children, and a highly publicized legal dispute that garnered significant media attention.
4.1. Marriages and Children
On January 10, 1988, Lisa Bonder married fellow tennis player Tom Kreiss. They had a son named Taylor Jennings Kreiss, born in February 1989. Following her divorce from Kreiss, Bonder married billionaire businessman Kirk Kerkorian in 1999. However, their marriage was brief, lasting only 28 days before they divorced. Bonder also has a daughter named Kira.
4.2. Name Changes
Following her marriage to Tom Kreiss, Lisa Bonder changed her surname to Bonder-Kreiss. After her marriage to Kirk Kerkorian, she became known as Lisa Bonder-Kerkorian.
4.3. Child Support Lawsuit and Controversy
Bonder was involved in a high-profile child support lawsuit with her ex-husband, Kirk Kerkorian, regarding their daughter, Kira. Kerkorian, who was 48 years Bonder's senior, harbored suspicions that Kira's biological father was not himself but Steve Bing, an ex-boyfriend of Bonder's.
During the course of the dispute, Kerkorian hired Anthony Pellicano, a private investigator known as "private eye to the stars." Pellicano controversially obtained used dental floss from Bing's discarded waste to conduct a DNA paternity test. This test confirmed that Steve Bing was, in fact, Kira's biological father.
The controversy deepened when it was revealed that Pellicano had also wiretapped Bonder's phone calls. Subsequently, Pellicano was convicted on various charges, including wiretapping and racketeering, stemming from this and other cases. He received a 15-year prison sentence. Furthermore, one of Kerkorian's attorneys was also convicted of racketeering for hiring Pellicano to tap Bonder's phone, receiving a three-year prison sentence that was later upheld on appeal. This case highlighted significant ethical and privacy concerns related to the methods employed in legal disputes.
5. Other Activities
Beyond her professional tennis career, Lisa Bonder engaged in other public activities. She notably appeared in a commercial for Sportus Spray, a product by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical in Japan.
6. Public Reception and Impact
Lisa Bonder's career and personal life were widely followed, particularly in Japan, where she achieved significant popularity. Her beauty garnered her an "idol-like" status among the Japanese public. Her high-profile child support lawsuit and the revelations surrounding it also drew considerable media and public attention, contributing to her public profile beyond her athletic achievements.