1968 Davis Cup

The 1968 Davis Cup was the 57th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 32 teams entered the Europe Zone, 9 teams entered the Americas Zone, and 8 teams entered the Eastern Zone. Peru made its first appearance in the tournament, having previously entered on 3 separate occasions before subsequently withdrawing before competing in a tie.

1968 Davis Cup
Details
Duration20 March – 28 December
Edition57th
Teams49
Champion
Winning Nation United States
1967
1969

The United States defeated Ecuador in the Americas Inter-Zonal final, India defeated Japan in the Eastern Inter-Zonal final, and Spain and West Germany were the winners of the two Europe Zones, defeating Italy and South Africa respectively.

In the Inter-Zonal Zone, the United States defeated Spain and India defeated West Germany in the semifinals, and then the United States defeated India in the final. The United States then defeated the defending champions Australia in the Challenge Round, ending Australia's four-year title run. The final was played at Memorial Drive Park in Adelaide, Australia on 26–28 December.[1][2][3]

Incidents

In what became known as the Båstad riots, the Europe Zone first-round tie between Sweden and Rhodesia, planned to be held in Båstad, Sweden, caused widespread disruption as demonstrators protested the participation of both Rhodesia and South Africa in the tournament. Both countries had been banned from competing in other sports competitions due to their apartheid and white minority rule policies.

Following discussions between the Swedish government and demonstrators, the International Tennis Federation and Swedish Tennis Federation decided to move the tie to a neutral location in Bandol, France.[4][5]

Americas Zone

North & Central America Zone

  Semifinals
3–13 May
Final
24–26 May
                 
  Richmond, VA, United States (hard)
    United States 5  
    Caribbean/West Indies 0     Berkeley, CA, United States (hard)
      United States 5
  Mexico City, Mexico (clay)     Mexico 0
    Canada 0
    Mexico 5  

South America Zone

  Quarterfinals
27–29 April
Semifinals
29–31 March; 11–13 May
Final
24–27 May
                           
  Caracas, Venezuela
    Venezuela 3  
    Argentina 2     Caracas, Venezuela (hard)
      Venezuela 0  
      Ecuador 3  
    Ecuador
   bye     Guayaquil, Ecuador (clay)
      Ecuador 3
        Chile 1
   bye  
    Peru     Lima, Peru
      Peru 0
      Chile 5  
   bye
    Chile  

Americas Inter-Zonal Final

United States vs. Ecuador


United States
5
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC, United States [6]
7–9 June 1968
Carpet (indoor)

Ecuador
0
1 2 3 4 5
1
Arthur Ashe
Pancho Guzmán
6
3
6
3
6
2
     
2
Clark Graebner
Miguel Olvera
6
2
6
1
6
2
     
3
Clark Graebner / Bob Lutz
Pancho Guzmán / Miguel Olvera
6
3
6
2
7
5
     
4
Clark Graebner
Pancho Guzmán
4
6
6
3
6
4
6
4
   
5
Arthur Ashe
Miguel Olvera
6
1
6
3
6
0
     

Eastern Zone

Zone A

  Quarterfinals
Semifinals
23–25 March; 26–28 April
Final
10–12 May
                           
 
    Indonesia w/o  
    South Vietnam     Manila, Philippines
      Indonesia 1  
      Philippines 4  
    Philippines
   bye     Tokyo, Japan
      Philippines 1
        Japan 4
   bye  
    South Korea     Tokyo, Japan
      South Korea 0
      Japan 5  
   bye
    Japan  

Zone B

  Semifinals
20–22 March
Final
26–28 April
                 
  Colombo, Ceylon (clay)
    Malaysia 1  
    Ceylon 4     Guwahati, India
      Ceylon 2
      India 3
   bye
    India  

Eastern Inter-Zonal Final

Japan vs. India


Japan
1
Tokyo, Japan [7]
21–23 September 1968

India
4
1 2 3 4 5
1
Keishiro Yanagi
Premjit Lall
2
6
4
6
3
6
     
2
Koji Watanabe
Ramanathan Krishnan
2
6
6
3
3
6
2
6
   
3
Isao Watanabe / Koji Watanabe
Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea
2
6
2
6
7
5
6
1
0
6
 
4
Keishiro Yanagi
Ramanathan Krishnan
4
6
3
6
1
6
     
5
Koji Watanabe
Premjit Lall
8
6
6
1
6
2
     

Europe Zone

Zone A

  First Round
26 April–7 May
Quarterfinals
23–26 May
Semifinals
13–16 June
Final
19–21 July
                                     
Valencia, Spain (clay)
  Spain 3  
Barcelona, Spain (clay)
  Netherlands 2  
    Spain 4  
Bandol, France (hard)
    Sweden 1  
  Sweden 4
Barcelona, Spain (clay)
  Rhodesia 1  
    Spain 4  
Bournemouth, England (clay)
    Great Britain 1  
  Great Britain 3  
London, England (grass)
  France 0  
    Great Britain 5
Helsinki, Finland (clay)
    Finland 0  
  Finland 4
Barcelona, Spain (clay)
  Portugal 1  
    Spain 3
Tbilisi, Soviet Union
    Italy 2
  Soviet Union 4  
Moscow, Soviet Union
  Greece 1  
    Soviet Union 5
Zagreb, Yugoslavia
    Yugoslavia 0  
  Yugoslavia 4
Reggio Emilia, Italy (clay)
  New Zealand 0  
    Soviet Union 2
Cagliari, Italy (clay)
    Italy 3  
  Italy 5  
Biella, Italy (clay)
  Hungary 0  
    Italy 5
Monte Carlo, Monaco
    Monaco 0  
  Monaco 3
  Ireland 1  

Zone A Final

Spain vs. Italy


Spain
3
Real Club de Tenis, Barcelona, Spain [8]
19–21 July 1968
Clay

Italy
2
1 2 3 4 5
1
Juan Gisbert
Martin Mulligan
6
4
2
6
6
2
6
4
   
2
Manuel Santana
Nicola Pietrangeli
6
3
3
6
4
6
6
4
6
2
 
3
José Luis Arilla / Manuel Orantes
Martin Mulligan / Nicola Pietrangeli
5
7
2
6
6
3
3
6
   
4
Juan Gisbert
Nicola Pietrangeli
8
6
6
4
6
2
     
5
Manuel Orantes
Martin Mulligan
6
4
6
4
5
7
3
6
4
4
 

Zone B

  First Round
28 April–6 May
Quarterfinals
17–26 May
Semifinals
14–16 June
Final
19–21 July
                                     
Sofia, Bulgaria
  Bulgaria 5  
Sofia, Bulgaria
  Turkey 0  
    Bulgaria 0  
Freiburg, West Germany
    West Germany 5  
   Switzerland 1
Munich, West Germany (clay)
  West Germany 4  
    West Germany 4  
Brussels, Belgium
    Czechoslovakia 1  
  Belgium 3  
Brussels, Belgium (clay)
  Poland 2  
    Belgium 2
Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay)
    Czechoslovakia 3  
  Czechoslovakia 3
Düsseldorf, West Germany
  Brazil 2  
    West Germany 3
Luxembourg, Luxembourg (clay)
    South Africa 2
  Luxembourg 1  
Oslo, Norway (clay)
  Norway 4  
    Norway 0
Bucharest, Romania (clay)
    Romania 5  
  Romania 4
  Denmark 1  
    Romania
Tehran, Iran
    South Africa w/o  
  Iran 4  
Tehran, Iran
  Israel 1  
    Iran 0
Linz, Austria
    South Africa 5  
  Austria 0
  South Africa 5  

Zone B Final

West Germany vs. South Africa


West Germany
3
Düsseldorf, West Germany [9]
19–21 July 1968

South Africa
2
1 2 3 4 5
1
Wilhelm Bungert
Bob Hewitt
9
7
7
5
7
5
     
2
Ingo Buding
Ray Moore
6
3
4
6
10
8
6
8
6
4
 
3
Ingo Buding / Jürgen Fassbender
Bob Hewitt / Frew McMillan
4
6
2
6
4
6
     
4
Wilhelm Bungert
Ray Moore
6
1
6
1
6
1
     
5
Ingo Buding
Bob Hewitt
5
7
2
6
6
2
3
6
   

Inter-Zonal Zone

Draw

  Semifinals
14–16 August; 4–6 October
Final
9–11 November
                 
  Munich, West Germany
  EUR-B   West Germany 2  
  EAS   India 3     San Juan, PR (hard)
    EAS   India 1
  Cleveland, OH, United States (hard)   AME   United States 4
  AME   United States 4
  EUR-A   Spain 1  

Semifinals

West Germany vs. India


West Germany
2
Munich, West Germany [10]
4–6 October 1968

India
3
1 2 3 4 5
1
Ingo Buding
Premjit Lall
6
2
2
6
3
6
4
6
   
2
Wilhelm Bungert
Ramanathan Krishnan
4
6
6
0
8
6
7
5
   
3
Wilhelm Bungert / Jürgen Fassbender
Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea
2
6
2
6
3
6
     
4
Ingo Buding
Ramanathan Krishnan
2
6
5
7
2
6
     
5
Wilhelm Bungert
Premjit Lall
6
1
4
6
6
4
6
3
   

United States vs. Spain


United States
4
Harold Clark Courts, Cleveland, OH, United States [11]
16–19 August 1968
Hard

Spain
1
1 2 3 4 5
1
Clark Graebner
Manuel Santana
2
6
3
6
3
6
     
2
Arthur Ashe
Juan Gisbert
6
2
6
4
6
2
     
3
Clark Graebner / Charlie Pasarell
Juan Gisbert / Manuel Santana
11
13
17
15
7
5
6
2
   
4
Clark Graebner
Juan Gisbert
9
7
6
3
6
1
     
5
Arthur Ashe
Manuel Santana
11
13
7
5
6
3
13
15
6
4
 

Final

United States vs. India


United States
4
Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico [12]
9–11 November 1968
Hard

India
1
1 2 3 4 5
1
Arthur Ashe
Premjit Lall
6
2
5
7
6
2
6
4
   
2
Clark Graebner
Ramanathan Krishnan
5
7
6
4
2
6
1
6
   
3
Bob Lutz / Stan Smith
Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea
6
2
6
3
6
2
     
4
Arthur Ashe
Ramanathan Krishnan
6
1
6
3
6
3
     
5
Clark Graebner
Premjit Lall
9
11
9
7
7
5
6
4
   

Challenge Round

Australia vs. United States


Australia
1
Memorial Drive Park, Adelaide, Australia [3]
26–28 December 1968
Grass

United States
4
1 2 3 4 5
1
Bill Bowrey
Clark Graebner
10
8
4
6
6
8
6
3
1
6
 
2
Ray Ruffels
Arthur Ashe
8
6
5
7
3
6
3
6
   
3
John Alexander / Ray Ruffels
Bob Lutz / Stan Smith
4
6
4
6
2
6
     
4
Ray Ruffels
Clark Graebner
6
3
6
8
6
2
3
6
1
6
 
5
Bill Bowrey
Arthur Ashe
2
6
6
3
11
9
8
6
   

See also

  • The White Game, a 1968 Swedish documentary film about the protests around the match between Sweden and Rhodesia.

References

  1. Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 495–496, 499. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  2. Max Robertson (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. p. 384. ISBN 0047960426.
  3. "Australia v United States". daviscup.com.
  4. Wijk, Johnny (2009-03-07). "Idrotten tjänar på de politiska aktionerna". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  5. "Chile waits for Cup decision". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. 12 September 1975. Retrieved 7 May 2019. Seven years ago, the Swedish Tennis Federation was forced to move a Davis Cup match between Sweden and white-ruled Rhodesia to southern France after demonstrators had clashed with police outside Baastad's tennis stadium.
  6. "United States v Ecuador". daviscup.com.
  7. "Japan v India". daviscup.com.
  8. "Spain v Italy". daviscup.com.
  9. "West Germany v South Africa". daviscup.com.
  10. "West Germany v India". daviscup.com.
  11. "United States v Spain". daviscup.com.
  12. "United States v India". daviscup.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.