1976 World Championship Tennis circuit
The 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1976. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT) and consisted of a schedule of 25 tournaments leading up to a singles WCT Finals play-off in Dallas and a doubles play-off in Kansas City in May. A total of 54 players participated, 30 players less than in the previous three years, and the group system used in the previous editions was replaced by a single pool. The U.S. Pro Indoor was the only tournament in which all players participated, all other tournaments had a 16 men draw. The season final was played by the eight best performers and was won by the Swede Björn Borg who defeated Guillermo Vilas from Argentina in four sets.[1] The total prize money for the 1976 WCT circuit was $2,400,000, including a $320,000 Avis Challenge Cup round–robin special event played in Hawaii in January and May.[2]
Ashe (left) was prize money leader | |
Details | |
---|---|
Duration | 5 January 1975 – 4 May 1975 |
Edition | 9th |
Tournaments | 26 |
Achievements (singles) | |
Most tournament titles | Arthur Ashe (5) |
Most tournament finals | Arthur Ashe (6) |
Prize money leader | Arthur Ashe ($253,013) |
Points leader | Arthur Ashe (860) |
← 1975 1977 → |
The Aetna World Cup between teams of the US and Australia was played in March in Hartford and was won by the US 6–1.[3]
Overview
Date | Tournament | Location | Draw | Prize Money | Surface | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 Jan | Monterrey WCT | Monterrey, Mexico | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Eddie Dibbs | Harold Solomon | 7–6, 6–2 |
7 Jan | Columbus WCT | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Arthur Ashe | Andrew Pattison | 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
12 Jan | Indianapolis WCT | Indianapolis, U.S. | 16S / 8D | Carpet (i) | Arthur Ashe | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–2, 6–7, 6–4 | |
14 Jan | Atlanta WCT | Atlanta, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Ilie Năstase | Jeff Borowiak | 6–2, 6–4 |
26 Jan | U.S. Pro Indoor | Philadelphia, U.S. | 64S / 32D | $118,600 | Carpet (i) | Jimmy Connors | Björn Borg | 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–0 |
2 Feb | Barcelona WCT | Barcelona, Spain | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Eddie Dibbs | Cliff Drysdale | 6–1, 6–1 |
4 Feb | Richmond WCT | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Arthur Ashe | Brian Gottfried | 6–2, 6–4 |
9 Feb | Lagos WCT | Lagos, Nigeria[lower-alpha 1] | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Clay | Dick Stockton | Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 6–2 |
10 Feb | Toronto WCT | Toronto, Canada | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Björn Borg | Vitas Gerulaitis | 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
17 Feb | St. Louis WCT | St. Louis, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Guillermo Vilas | Vijay Amritraj | 4–6, 6–0, 6–4 |
17 Feb | Rome WCT | Rome, Italy | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Clay | Arthur Ashe | Bob Lutz | 6–2, 0–6, 6–3 |
23 Feb | Fort Worth WCT | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Guillermo Vilas | Phil Dent | 6–7, 6–1, 6–1 |
23 Feb | Rotterdam WCT | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Arthur Ashe | Bob Lutz | 6–3, 6–3 |
8 Mar | Memphis WCT | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Vijay Amritraj | Stan Smith | 6–2, 0–6, 6–0 |
8 Mar | Mexico City WCT | Mexico City, Mexico | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Eddie Dibbs | 7–6, 6–2 |
15 Mar | Washington WCT | Washington, D.C., U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Harold Solomon | Onny Parun | 6–3, 6–1 |
15 Mar | Jackson WCT | Mexico City, Mexico | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Ken Rosewall | Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 6–3 |
29 Mar | Caracas WCT | Caracas, Venezuela | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Clay | Raúl Ramírez | Ilie Năstase | 6–3, 6–4 |
29 Mar | São Paulo WCT | São Paulo, Brazil | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Björn Borg | Guillermo Vilas | 7–6, 6–2 |
5 Apr | Johannesburg WCT | Johannesburg, South Africa | 16S / 8D | Hard | Onny Parun | Cliff Drysdale | 7–6, 6–3 | |
5 Apr | Houston WCT | Houston, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $25,000 | Clay | Harold Solomon | Ken Rosewall | 6–1, 4–6, 6–1 |
12 Apr | Monte Carlo WCT | Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Clay | Guillermo Vilas | Wojtek Fibak | 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
13 Apr | Charlotte WCT | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | 16S / 8D | Carpet (i) | Tony Roche | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 | |
19 Apr | Stockholm WCT | Stockholm, Sweden | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Wojtek Fibak | Ilie Năstase | 6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
19 Apr | Denver WCT | Denver, U.S. | 16S / 8D | $60,000 | Carpet (i) | Jimmy Connors | Ross Case | 7–6, 6–2 |
4 May | Dallas WCT Finals | Dallas, U.S. | 8S | $100,000 | Carpet (i) | Björn Borg | Guillermo Vilas | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 |
Schedule
The schedule of events on the 1976 WCT circuit, with player progression documented until the quarterfinals stage.[5]
January
February
March
April
May
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 May | WCT Finals Dallas, United States Tour Finals $100,000 – Carpet – 8S Singles Draw | Björn Borg 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 | Guillermo Vilas | Harold Solomon Dick Stockton | Eddie Dibbs Robert Lutz Arthur Ashe Raúl Ramírez |
Standings
Player | Tournaments Played | Tournaments Won | Matches Won | Matches Lost | Points | Prize Money |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arthur Ashe * | 8 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 860 | $253,013 |
Raúl Ramírez * | 8 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 705 | $104,700 |
Guillermo Vilas * | 7 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 695 | $99,163 |
Eddie Dibbs * | 8 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 675 | $79,538 |
Björn Borg * | 8 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 650 | $135,838 |
Dick Stockton * | 8 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 595 | $62,475 |
Bob Lutz * | 8 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 585 | $69,013 |
Harold Solomon * | 8 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 565 | $75,038 |
Vitas Gerulaitis | 8 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 540 | $40,900 |
Brian Gottfried | 8 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 535 | $54,600 |
* Qualified for the WCT Finals.[2]
See also
Notes
- The tournament was halted at the semifinal stage due to a coup d'etat attempt in Nigeria and the final was played on April 2 in Caracas, Venezuela during the Caracas WCT tournament.[4]
References
- "Solomon Makes Dallas Again With Field Set For WCT Finals, May 4–9" (PDF). World Championship Tennis. April 28, 1976.
- John Barrett, ed. (1977). World of Tennis. London: Macdonald and Jane's. pp. 139–148. ISBN 978-0-354-09011-7.
- "US tennis team wins World Cup". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 9 March 1976. p. 18.
- Olaojo Aiyegbayo (12 July 2015). "The story of Lagos' ill-fated 1976 Professional Tennis Tournament". Africa is a Country.
- atpworldtour.com. "1976 Grand Prix and WCT circuits calendar". Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2013-08-19.