WCT Finals
| WCT Finals | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Abolished | 1989 |
| Location |
Dallas USA |
| Venue |
Moody Coliseum (1972–1979) Reunion Arena (1980–1989) |
| Category | Year-end championships |
| Surface | Carpet / Indoor |
The WCT Finals was a men's tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis circuit. From 1971–1989 the event was held annually in Texas on indoor carpet courts. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and final played at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.[1] The 1972–1979 editions were played at Moody Coliseum, and the 1980–1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas.[2] The 1974 edition was the first tennis tournament to experiment with electronic line calling.
The first edition of the WCT Finals was in November 1971, just a few days before the equivalent event of the rival Grand Prix circuit. But the second edition occurred just six months later to accommodate NBC's new tennis coverage; the tournament final between Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver is credited as "the match that made tennis in the United States" because its unprecedented domestic television audience of 23 million fueled a massive increase in the sport's popularity.[3][4] The ensuing editions were also held in the spring. John McEnroe had the most overall success, winning a record five titles.
Because of the popularity of the 1972 final, another edition, less important and with half the prize money, was held in November in Rome. The prize money offered to the winner, Arthur Ashe, was US$25,000 compared to the US$50,000 won by Ken Rosewall for the main edition in May. A decade later there were three editions of the WCT Finals; the most important one in Dallas, and the others in autumn in Naples, Italy, and in winter (in January 1983) in Detroit.
Sponsorship
Between 1985 and 1986 this event was sponsored by Buick, a brand of General Motors, and was called the Buick WCT Finals
Records
- Most titles: John McEnroe 5.
- Most finals: John McEnroe 8.
- Most consecutive titles John McEnroe and Ken Rosewall 2.
- Most consecutive finals John McEnroe 6.
Results
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 |  Ken Rosewall | Rod Laver | 6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4) |
| 1972 | Ken Rosewall | Rod Laver | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5) |
| 1973 |  Stan Smith | Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1974 | John Newcombe |  Björn Borg | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1975 | Arthur Ashe | Björn Borg | 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 1976 | Björn Borg |  Guillermo Vilas | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 1977 | Jimmy Connors | Dick Stockton | 6–7(5–7), 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1978 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Eddie Dibbs | 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1979 | John McEnroe | Björn Borg | 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–5) |
| 1980 | Jimmy Connors | John McEnroe | 2–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1981 | John McEnroe | Johan Kriek | 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1982 |  Ivan Lendl | John McEnroe | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1983 | John McEnroe | Ivan Lendl | 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–0) |
| 1984 | John McEnroe | Jimmy Connors | 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1985 | Ivan Lendl | Tim Mayotte | 7–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 1986 | Anders Järryd |  Boris Becker | 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1987 | Miloslav Mečíř | John McEnroe | 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1988 | Boris Becker | Stefan Edberg | 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
| 1989 | John McEnroe | Brad Gilbert | 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 |
Seasonal finals events
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 winter (Rome) | Arthur Ashe | Bob Lutz | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| 1982 fall (Naples) | Ivan Lendl |  Wojciech Fibak | 6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1982 winter (Detroit)[5] | Ivan Lendl | Guillermo Vilas | 7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
See also
References
- ↑ Lamar Hunt (April 1986). "Lamar Hunt muses on 16 years of the WCT". D Magazine.
- ↑ George Hardie (March 1988). "George Hardie Remembers...". D Magazine.
- ↑ "1972: The Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall WCT Final in Dallas". tennis.com.
- ↑ Only one match has since had a larger U.S. TV audience: the legendary Battle of the Sexes the following year, signifying how popular tennis had become during this boom period.
- ↑ held in January, 24-30, 1983