U.S. Pro Indoor

The U.S. Pro Indoor (mainly known as such during its run, but also as the U.S. Professional Indoor, the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor, the Comcast U.S. Indoor, and the Advanta Championships) is a defunct professional tennis tournament held in Philadelphia, United States from 1968 to 1998. It played on indoor carpet courts, and indoor hard courts. It was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit, between 1970 and 1986 it was a major ranking tournament of the Grand Prix Super Series, after which it became an ATP Championship Series (1990–99), then an ATP International Series Gold tournament of the Association of Tennis Professionals (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.

This article is about the WCT/GP/ATP defunct tennis event. For the defunct women's tennis event of Philadelphia, see Advanta Championships Philadelphia.
U.S. Pro Indoor
Defunct tennis tournament
Event namePhiladelphia
TourATP Tour (1990-98)
Grand Prix Tour (1978–89)
GP Championship Series (1970–86)
WCT circuit (1968–77)
Founded1968
Abolished1998
Editions31
LocationPhiladelphia, PA, U.S.
SurfaceHard (i) (1993/97–98)
Carpet (i) (1968–92/94–96)

History

The United States Professional Indoor tennis championships were first created in Philadelphia, United States, in 1968, as part of the newly created WCT circuit, rival of the National Tennis League (NTL). As the first event of the season, the Philadelphia U.S. Professional Indoor attracted all WCT stars at the Philadelphia Spectrum at each of its yearly editions, with Rod Laver, John Newcombe or Marty Riessen winning the event in the early 1970s. After the WCT absorbed the NTL in 1970, the tournament continued to exist within the WCT tour until 1979, when the event officially became part of the Grand Prix Tour, precursor of the current ATP Tour.

As part of the Grand Prix's top tier tournaments until 1986, the Philadelphia event known as the U.S. Pro Indoor since 1973, saw American players dominating the fields in the 1970s and 1980s, with Tim Mayotte reaching four finals, World No. 1s Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe six finals each, and Czechoslovak Ivan Lendl three. In 1985, Swiss watch company Ebel S.A. started its six-year sponsorship of the event, the tournament becoming until 1990 the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor.[1][2] The event entered the new ATP circuit in 1990 as part of the Championship Series, to see eighteen-year-old, and future US Open champion Pete Sampras win his first career title against Andrés Gómez.

In 1991, the event lost Ebel's sponsorship,[3] and went back to being the U.S. Pro Indoor for two editions, before Comcast became the sponsor of the event in 1992, effectively saving it from being discontinued.[4] In the following years, the Comcast U.S. Indoor's prize money was reduced to less than a million dollars, preventing the creation of attractive line ups, and gaining the nickname "Comatose U.S. Indoor".[5] In 1997, Advanta, already the sponsor of the 1971-created women's tournament of Philadelphia, the Advanta Championships, since 1995, took upon the sponsorship of the men's event, which also became the Advanta Championships. Pete Sampras won his third and fourth Philadelphia titles in the last two editions of the event, now taking place on indoor hard courts at the CoreStates Center, before it was definitely discontinued in 1998.

Past finals
Pete Sampras won his first career singles title in Philadelphia in 1990, defeating Andrés Gómez in the final – he eventually reached four more finals, winning three times

Singles
Year Champions Runners-up Score
1968 Manuel Santana Jan Leschly8–6, 6–3
1969 Rod Laver Tony Roche7–5, 6–4, 6–4
1970 Rod Laver Tony Roche6–3, 8–6, 6–2
1971 John Newcombe Rod Laver7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–1), 6–4
1972 Rod Laver Ken Rosewall4–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1973 Stan Smith Robert Lutz7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–4
1974 Rod Laver Arthur Ashe6–1, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
1975 Marty Riessen Vitas Gerulaitis7–6(7–1), 5–7, 6–2, 6–7(0–7), 6–3
1976 Jimmy Connors Björn Borg7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–0
1977 Dick Stockton Jimmy Connors3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–2
1978 Jimmy Connors Roscoe Tanner6–2, 6–4, 6–3
1979 Jimmy Connors Arthur Ashe6–3, 6–4, 6–1
1980 Jimmy Connors John McEnroe6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4
1981 Roscoe Tanner Wojtek Fibak6–2, 7–6(7–5), 7–5
1982 John McEnroe Jimmy Connors6–3, 6–3, 6–1
1983 John McEnroe Ivan Lendl4–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–4, 6–3
1984 John McEnroe Ivan Lendl6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–3)
1985 John McEnroe Miloslav Mečíř6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–1
1986 Ivan Lendl Tim Mayotte(walkover)
1987 Tim Mayotte John McEnroe3–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1
1988 Tim Mayotte John Fitzgerald4–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
1989 Boris Becker Tim Mayotte7–6(7–4), 6–1, 6–3
1990 Pete Sampras Andrés Gómez7–6(7–4), 7–5, 6–2
1991 Ivan Lendl Pete Sampras5–7, 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
1992 Pete Sampras Amos Mansdorf6–1, 7–6(7–4), 2–6, 7–6(7–2)
1993 Mark Woodforde Ivan Lendl5–4 (ret.)
1994 Michael Chang Paul Haarhuis6–3, 6–2
1995 Thomas Enqvist Michael Chang0–6, 6–4, 6–0
1996 Jim Courier Chris Woodruff6–4, 6–3
1997 Pete Sampras Patrick Rafter5–7, 7–6(7–4), 6–3
1998 Pete Sampras Thomas Enqvist7–5, 7–6(7–3)

Doubles
Year Champions Runners-up Score
1968Competition not held
1969 Tom Okker
Marty Riessen		 John Newcombe
Tony Roche		8–6, 6–4
1970 Ilie Năstase
Ion Țiriac		 Arthur Ashe
Dennis Ralston		6–4, 6–3
1971Competition stopped at the quarterfinals stage
1972 Arthur Ashe
Robert Lutz		 John Newcombe
Tony Roche		6–3, 6–7, 6–3
1973 Brian Gottfried
Dick Stockton		 Roy Emerson
Rod Laver		4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1974 Pat Cramer
Mike Estep		 Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau
Georges Goven		6–1, 6–1
1975 Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez		 Dick Stockton
Erik van Dillen		3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
1976 Rod Laver
Dennis Ralston		 Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan		7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–3)
1977 Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan		 Wojtek Fibak
Tom Okker		6–1, 1–6, 6–3
1978 Bob Hewitt
Frew McMillan		 Vitas Gerulaitis
Sandy Mayer		6–4, 6–4
1979 Wojtek Fibak
Tom Okker		 Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		5–7, 6–1, 6–3
1980 Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		 Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez		6–3, 7–6
1981 Sherwood Stewart
Marty Riessen		 Brian Gottfried
Raúl Ramírez		6–2, 6–2
1982 Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		 Sherwood Stewart
Ferdi Taygan		7–6, 6–4
1983 Kevin Curren
Steve Denton		 Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		6–4, 7–6
1984 Peter Fleming
John McEnroe		 Henri Leconte
Yannick Noah		6–2, 6–3
1985 Mats Wilander
Joakim Nyström		 Wojtek Fibak
Sandy Mayer		3–6, 6–2, 6–2
1986 Scott Davis
David Pate		 Stefan Edberg
Anders Järryd		7–6, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
1987 Sergio Casal
Emilio Sánchez		 Christo Steyn
Danie Visser		3–6, 6–1, 7–6
1988 Kelly Evernden
Johan Kriek		 Kevin Curren
Danie Visser		7–6, 6–3
1989 Paul Annacone
Christo van Rensburg		 Rick Leach
Jim Pugh		6–3, 7–5
1990 Rick Leach
Jim Pugh		 Grant Connell
Glenn Michibata		3–6, 6–4, 6–2
1991 Rick Leach
Jim Pugh		 Udo Riglewski
Michael Stich		6–4, 6–4
1992 Todd Woodbridge
Mark Woodforde		 Jim Grabb
Richey Reneberg		6–4, 7–6
1993 Jim Grabb
Richey Reneberg		 Marcos Ondruska
Brad Pearce		6–7, 6–3, 6–0
1994 Paul Haarhuis
Jacco Eltingh		 Jim Grabb
Jared Palmer		6–3, 6–4
1995 Jim Grabb
Jonathan Stark		 Paul Haarhuis
Jacco Eltingh		7–6, 6–7, 6–3
1996 Todd Woodbridge
Mark Woodforde		 Byron Black
Grant Connell		7–6, 6–2
1997 Sébastien Lareau
Alex O'Brien		 Ellis Ferreira
Patrick Galbraith		6–3, 6–3
1998 Jacco Eltingh
Paul Haarhuis		 David Macpherson
Richey Reneberg		7–6, 6–7, 6–2

Records

Singles
Most titles Rod Laver 4
Jimmy Connors
John McEnroe
Pete Sampras
Most finals Jimmy Connors 6
John McEnroe
Most consecutive titles John McEnroe
(1982 - 1985)
 4
Most consecutive finals Jimmy Connors
(1976 - 1980)
 5

References
  1. Tuller, David (1987-06-07). "What's New In The Tennis Business". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  2. Bill Fleischman (January 27, 1986). "U.S. Pro Indoor Has Come In From The Cold". Philly.com.
  3. Macnow, Glen (1991-02-12). "Hard Times For Pro Indoor Title Sponsor Missing For First Time In Years". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  4. Jensen, Mike (1991-11-08). "New Sponsorship Saves Spectrum Tournament". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  5. Fleishman, Bill (1997-02-21). "1996 Finalist Wooruff To Skip Advanta". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-23.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.