1969 World Championship Tennis circuit

Last updated • a couple of secsFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The 1969 World Championship Tennis circuit was the second edition [1] of the (WCT) one of the two rival professional male tennis tours of 1969 the other being the 1969 Men's National Tennis League. The tour began on 3 February in Philadelphia, United States and ended on 29 April in Midland, Texas, United States.

Contents

1969 WCT circuit
Ken Rosewall 1970.jpg
Rosewall in 1970 one of the three title winners this year
Details
Duration3 February 1969 – 29 April 1969
Edition2nd
Tournaments4
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titlesTwo players (1)
1968
1970

Calendar

Legend

Regular series

January

No events

February

DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist
3-9 February [2] Philadelphia International Indoor Open Championships [3]
Philadelphia, United States
Carpet (i)
SinglesDoubles
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rod Laver
7–5, 6–4, 6–4
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Roche Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tom Okker
Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Pasarell
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Andrés Gimeno
Flag of the United States.svg Pancho Gonzales
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Jan Kodeš
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tom Okker
Flag of the United States.svg Marty Riessen
8–6, 6–4
Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Roche

March

No events

April

No events

May

DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist
29 April-5 May [4] 1969 WCT Midland
Midland, United States
SinglesDoubles
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall
5-7 6-1 7-5
Flag of the United States.svg Pancho Gonzales Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Andrés Gimeno
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Stolle

June

No events

July

No events

August

No events

September

No events

October

DateTournamentChampionsRunners-upSemifinalistsQuarterfinalists
3 Oct Tucson (WCT)
Tucson, United States
Hard
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Roche
9–7, 6–1
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tom Okker
3rd Place
Flag of the United States.svg Marty Riessen
4th Place
Flag of the United States.svg Butch Buchholz
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Raymond Moore
Flag of France.svg Pierre Barthès
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Nikola Pilić
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Taylor
3 Oct Midland Pro (WCT) [5]
Midland, United States
Hard
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall
5–7, 6–1, 7–5
Flag of the United States.svg Pancho Gonzales
3rd Place
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Andrés Gimeno
4th Place
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Stolle

November

No events

December

No events

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Tennis Association</span> International organization for womens tennis

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. The association governs the WTA Tour, which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, and was founded to create a better future for women's tennis. The WTA's corporate headquarters is in St. Petersburg, Florida, with its European headquarters in London and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Jean King</span> American tennis player (born 1943)

Billie Jean King, also known as BJK, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. For three years, she was the U.S. captain in the Federation Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Rosewall</span> Australian tennis player (born 1934)

Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking professional tennis player. Rosewall won 147 singles titles, including a record 15 Pro Majors and 8 Grand Slam titles for a total 23 titles at pro and amateur majors. He also won 15 Pro Majors in doubles and 9 Grand Slam doubles titles. Rosewall achieved a Pro Slam in singles in 1963 by winning the three Pro Majors in one year and he completed the Career Grand Slam in doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Roche</span> Australian tennis player

Anthony Dalton Roche AO MBE is an Australian former professional tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World TeamTennis</span> Tennis team competition

World TeamTennis (WTT) was a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973.

World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990. A number of tennis tournaments around the world were affiliated with WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of tennis</span>

The racket sport traditionally named lawn tennis, invented in Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England, now commonly known simply as tennis, is the direct descendant of what is now denoted real tennis or royal tennis, which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Davidson</span> Australian tennis player (1943–2023)

Owen Keir Davidson was an Australian professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.

The U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, also known as U.S. Pro Indoor, was a professional tennis tournament founded in 1962 as the Philadelphia Invitational Indoor Tennis Championships. The tournament was held in Philadelphia, United States from 1962 to 1998. It played on indoor carpet courts, and indoor hard courts. It was an ILTF sanctioned event from 1962 to 1967 and again in 1970, the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit in 1968, 1969 and from 1971 to 1977 and the Grand Prix Tour from 1978 to 1989 before being held on the ATP Tour. It was held annually first at the Spectrum, and then at the CoreStates Center. It was originally named the Philadelphia Indoor Open Tournament prior to the open era.

The 1969 Philadelphia International Indoor Open Championships was a men's WCT tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from February 5 through February 9, 1969. Total attendance for the five-day event was 44,538. First-seeded Rod Laver won the singles title.

National Tennis Leagues (NTL) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1967 by George MacCall. In 1970 it was sold to the World Championship Tennis (WCT), a competing professional tennis league run by Lamar Hunt.

The 1970 Houston Women's Invitation was a women's only tennis tournament. The tournament was the first women only tournament and was created by Gladys Heldman and held at the Houston Racquet Club.

The 1970 Italian Open also known as the Italian Open Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that was played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. The men's tournament was initially part of the Grand Prix circuit but was withdrawn during the tournament when it became known that the organizers had paid management fees to the competing World Championship Tennis (WCT) organization in order for the WCT players to participate. The women's tournament was a non-tour event, i.e. not part of the Virginia Slims Circuit. The tournament was held from 20 April through 27 April 1970. The singles titles were won by Ilie Năstase and Billie Jean King.

This article covers the period from 1877 to present. Before the beginning of the Open Era in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon, the oldest of the majors, was founded in 1877, followed by the US Open in 1881, the French Open in 1891 and the Australian Open in 1905. Beginning in 1905 and continuing to the present day, all four majors have been played yearly, with the exception of during the two World Wars, 1986 for the Australian Open, and 2020 for Wimbledon. The Australian Open is the first major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July) and the US Open (August–September). There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four majors, in singles or as part of a doubles team, in the same calendar year is said to have achieved a "Grand Slam". If the player wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a "Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam". Winning all four at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Grand Slam". Winning the four majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics in the same calendar year has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988. Winning all four majors plus an Olympic gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the year-end championship while also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam". Winning all four majors, an Olympic gold, and the year-end championships at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Super Slam". Winning the four majors in all three disciplines a player is eligible for–singles, doubles and mixed doubles–is considered winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Men's National Tennis League</span>

The 1968 Men's National Tennis League (NTL) was the inaugural series of professional tennis tournaments founded by George McCall, among others: Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Andrés Gimeno, Pancho Gonzales and Fred Stolle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 World Championship Tennis circuit</span>

The 1968 World Championship Tennis circuit was the inaugural tour of the (WCT) one of the two rival professional male tennis tours of 1968 the other being the National Tennis League. The tour began on 22 January in Sydney, Australia and ended on 13 October in Durban, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Men's National Tennis League</span>

The 1969 Men's National Tennis League (NTL) was the final edition of the tour founded by George MacCall the league and players contracts were bought by World Championship Tennis. The tour started in Orlando, United States, 12 February and finished in Cologne, West Germany, 20 October 1969.

The South Australian Championships (1889–1989), also known as the South Australian State Championships and later known as the South Australian Open was an amateur and later a professional men's and women's tennis tournament played originally on outdoor grass courts up to 1987 when it switched to hard courts in its final two years. The tournament was staged at Memorial Drive Park tennis complex in Adelaide, South Australia and was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1972 until 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 ILTF Men's Tennis Circuit</span>

The 1969 ILTF Men's Tennis Circuit includes International Lawn Tennis Federation tournaments that were not affiliated to the NTL Tour or the WCT Circuit. The circuit began on 31 December 1968 in Madras, India and finished on 29 December in New Orleans, United States. It was the 93rd season since the first men's tennis tournaments were staged and 56th season since ILTF was formed.

The Midland RC International was a men's and women's professional tennis tournament first founded in 1964 as the Midland Racquet Club National Invitational. It was first played on outdoor hard courts at the Midland Racquet Club, Midland, Texas, United States. The event ran for five editions and was usually staged late September to mid October annually until 1972.

References

  1. Gitlin, Marty (2011). Billie Jean King: Tennis Star & Social Activist: Tennis Star & Social Activist . ABDO. p.  47. ISBN   9781617149467. 1969 WCT tour.
  2. Archives, Tennis. "Philadelphia Open 1969". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. "Philadelphia 1969". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  4. "MIDLAND WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. "Midland Pro Championships 1969". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-07-28.

Sources