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WCT Finals


FieldValue
nameWCT Finals
founded1971
ended1989
editions19
cityDallas, Texas
countryUnited States
venueMoody Coliseum (1971–1979)
Reunion Arena (1980–1989)
categoryYear-end championships
surfaceCarpet / Indoor

Reunion Arena (1980–1989) | men's singles = | men's doubles = The WCT Finals was a men's tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the WCT 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. The 1972–1979 editions were played at Moody Coliseum, and the 1980–1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas. 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, 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. 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. The tournament was sponsored by Buick between 1985 and 1986, a brand of General Motors, and was called the "Buick WCT Finals".

Finals

YearChampionRunner-upScore
1971AUS Ken RosewallAUS Rod Laver6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4)
1972AUS Ken Rosewall (2)AUS Rod Laver4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5)
1973USA Stan SmithUSA Arthur Ashe6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1974AUS John NewcombeSWE Björn Borg4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
1975USA Arthur AsheSWE Björn Borg3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
1976SWE Björn BorgARG Guillermo Vilas1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1
1977USA Jimmy ConnorsUSA Dick Stockton6–7(5–7), 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
1978USA Vitas GerulaitisUSA Eddie Dibbs6–3, 6–2, 6–1
1979USA John McEnroeSWE Björn Borg7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
1980USA Jimmy Connors (2)USA John McEnroe2–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–1, 6–2
1981USA John McEnroe (2)RSA Johan Kriek6–1, 6–2, 6–4
1982TCH Ivan LendlUSA John McEnroe6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1983USA John McEnroe (3)TCH Ivan Lendl6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–0)
1984USA John McEnroe (4)USA Jimmy Connors6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1985TCH Ivan Lendl (2)USA Tim Mayotte7–6(7–4), 6–4, 6–1
1986SWE Anders JärrydFRG Boris Becker6–7(3–7), 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
1987TCH Miloslav MečířUSA John McEnroe6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
1988FRG Boris BeckerSWE Stefan Edberg6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2
1989USA John McEnroe (5)USA Brad Gilbert6–3, 6–3, 7–6(7–3)

Seasonal finals events

YearChampionRunner-upScore
1972 winter (Rome)USA Arthur AsheUSA Bob Lutz6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6
1982 fall (Naples)TCH Ivan LendlPOL Wojciech Fibak6–4, 6–2, 6–1
1982 winter (Detroit)TCH Ivan LendlARG Guillermo Vilas7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4

Records

#Titles
5USA John McEnroe
2AUS Ken Rosewall
USA Jimmy Connors
TCH Ivan Lendl
#Finals
8USA John McEnroe
4SWE Björn Borg
3USA Jimmy Connors
TCH Ivan Lendl
2AUS Ken Rosewall
AUS Rod Laver
USA Arthur Ashe
GER Boris Becker
#Appearances
9USA John McEnroe
6USA Arthur Ashe
5AUS Rod Laver
SWE Björn Borg
USA Vitas Gerulaitis
USA Jimmy Connors
TCH Ivan Lendl
#Match wins
21USA John McEnroe
10SWE Björn Borg
USA Jimmy Connors
TCH Ivan Lendl
7AUS Ken Rosewall
USA Arthur Ashe
USA Vitas Gerulaitis
  • Won without dropping a set: John McEnroe (1981, 1984)
  • Singles–doubles titles winners: Stan Smith (SD), John McEnroe (SD)

References

References

  1. Lamar Hunt. (April 1986). "Lamar Hunt muses on 16 years of the WCT". D Magazine.
  2. George Hardie. (March 1988). "George Hardie Remembers...". D Magazine.
  3. "1972: The Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall WCT Final in Dallas". tennis.com.
  4. Only one match has since had a larger U.S. TV audience: the legendary [[Battle of the Sexes (tennis)#1973: Riggs vs. King. Battle of the Sexes]] the following year, signifying how popular tennis had become during this boom period.
  5. held in January, 24-30, 1983
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