U.S. Pro Tennis Championships

The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships (also for a period known as the World Pro Championships) was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is considered as a part of the professional grand slam from 1927–1967 until the advent of Open Era. Pancho Gonzales holds the record for most wins with eight.^[1]

American's first prominent professional player, Vinny Richards, arranged what became the first U.S. Pro by negotiating with Doc Kelton to have a tournament played on the Notlek courts, located at 119th Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan, New York, on September 23–25, 1927^{[citation needed]}. Richards, tour pro Howard Kinsey and teaching pros from the eastern U.S. comprised the field, with Richards defeating Kinsey in the final in straight sets.

The tournament was subsequently held annually at various locations including the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York City, the South Shore Tennis Club in Chicago, in Rye, New York, at the Terrace Club in Brooklyn, the Chicago Town and Tennis Club in Chicago, at various clubs around Cleveland, Ohio, and Cleveland Arena in Cleveland. Its final permanent home was the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where it was held from 1964 to 1999. It became part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour shortly after the advent of open tennis in 1968. Between 1970 and 1977 it was a major tournament of the Grand Prix Championship Series. It then became a tennis event within the ATP Tour with reorganization of the top tier of pro tour tennis.

The tournament was later played on Har-Tru clay courts and was initially an important tune-up event for the U.S. Open. But when this Grand Slam tournament moved to hardcourts in 1978, the U.S. Pro did not follow suit, electing instead to hold its tournament during the U.S. clay court season in early summer instead of during its hitherto pre-Open era (late summer) time slot. Remaining a clay event into the 1990s, the U.S. Pro was a non-ATP exhibition event during the early 1990s. It was only in its final three years that the tournament was once again an ATP event and played on hardcourts.

Past winners

Singles

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score	Site	Surface
Professional Era
1927	23x15px Vinny Richards	23x15px Howard Kinsey	11–9, 6–4, 6–3	Notlek courts, Brooklyn	Grass
1928	23x15px Vinny Richards	23x15px Karel Koželuh	8–6, 6–3, 0–6, 6–2	West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, Queens	Grass
1929	23x15px Karel Koželuh	23x15px Vinny Richards	6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 4–6, 7–5	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1930	23x15px Vinny Richards	23x15px Karel Koželuh	2–6, 10–8, 6–3, 6–4	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1931	23x15px Bill Tilden	23x15px Vinny Richards	7–5, 6–2, 6–1	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1932	23x15px Karel Koželuh	23x15px Hans Nüsslein	6–2, 6–3, 7–5	South Shore Country Club, Chicago	Clay
1933	23x15px Vinny Richards	23x15px Frank Hunter	6–3, 6–0, 6–2	Westchester Country Club, Rye, New York	Grass
1934	23x15px Hans Nusslein	23x15px Karel Koželuh	6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 7–5	South Shore Country Club	Clay
1935	23x15px Bill Tilden	23x15px Karel Koželuh	0–6, 6–1, 6–4, 0–6, 6–4	Terrace Club, Brooklyn	Clay
1936	23x15px Joe Whalen	23x15px Charles Wood	4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3	Tudor City Tennis Club, New York	?
1937^a	23x15px Karel Koželuh	23x15px Bruce Barnes	6–2, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–1	Greenbrier, White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia	Har-Tru?
1938	23x15px Fred Perry	23x15px Bruce Barnes	6–3, 6–2, 6–4	Chicago Arena, Chicago	Canvas (indoor)
1939	23x15px Ellsworth Vines	23x15px Fred Perry	8–6, 6–8, 6–1, 20–18	Beverly Hills Tennis Club, Los Angeles	Hard (cement)
1940	23x15px Don Budge	23x15px Fred Perry	6–3, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3	Chicago Town and Tennis Club, Chicago	Clay
1941	23x15px Fred Perry	23x15px Dick Skeen	6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3	Chicago Town and Tennis Club	Clay
1942	23x15px Don Budge	23x15px Bobby Riggs	6–2, 6–2, 6–2	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1943	23x15px Bruce Barnes	23x15px John Nogrady	6–1, 7–9, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3	Fort Knox	Clay
1944	Not held
1945	23x15px Welby Van Horn	23x15px John Nogrady	6–4, 6–2, 6–2	Rips Tennis Courts, Manhattan	Clay
1946	23x15px Bobby Riggs	23x15px Don Budge	6–3, 6–1, 6–1	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1947	23x15px Bobby Riggs	23x15px Don Budge	3–6, 6–3, 10–8, 4–6, 6–3	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1948	23x15px Jack Kramer	23x15px Bobby Riggs	14–12, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1949	23x15px Bobby Riggs	23x15px Don Budge	9–7, 3–6, 6–3, 7–5	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1950^b	23x15px Pancho Segura	23x15px Frank Kovacs	6–1, 1–6, 8–6, 4–4 rtd	Skating Club, Cleveland	Clay (indoor)
1951	23x15px Pancho Segura	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	6–0, 8–6, 6–1	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1952	23x15px Pancho Segura	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 6–0	Lakewood, Cleveland	(indoor)
1953	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Don Budge	4–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2	Lakewood, Cleveland	(indoor)
1954	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Frank Sedgman	6–3, 9–7, 3–6, 6–2	Cleveland Arena, Cleveland	(indoor)
1955	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Pancho Segura	21–16, 19–21, 21–8, 20–22, 21–19^v	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1956	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Pancho Segura	21–15, 13–21, 21–14, 22–20^v	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1957	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Pancho Segura	6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 6–1	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1958	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Lew Hoad	3–6, 4–6, 14–12, 6–1, 6–4	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1959	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Lew Hoad	6–4, 6–2, 6–4	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1960	23x15px Alex Olmedo	23x15px Tony Trabert	7–5, 6–4	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1961	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	23x15px Frank Sedgman	6–3, 7–5	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1962	23x15px Butch Buchholz	23x15px Pancho Segura	6–4, 6–3, 6–4	Cleveland Arena	(indoor)
1963	23x15px Ken Rosewall	23x15px Rod Laver	6–4, 6–2, 6–2	West Side Tennis Club	Grass
1964	23x15px Rod Laver	23x15px Pancho Gonzales	4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Grass
1965	23x15px Ken Rosewall	23x15px Rod Laver	6–4, 6–3, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	Grass
1966	23x15px Rod Laver	23x15px Ken Rosewall	6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 8–10, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	Grass
1967	23x15px Rod Laver	23x15px Andrés Gimeno	4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–5	Longwood Cricket Club	Grass
Open Era
1968	23x15px Rod Laver	23x15px John Newcombe	6–4, 6–4, 9–7	Longwood Cricket Club	Grass
1969	23x15px Rod Laver	23x15px John Newcombe	7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 6–1	Longwood Cricket Club	Uni-Turf
1970	23x15px Tony Roche	23x15px Rod Laver	3–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Hard
1971	23x15px Ken Rosewall	23x15px Cliff Drysdale	6–4, 6–3, 6–0	Longwood Cricket Club	Hard
1972	23x15px Bob Lutz	23x15px Tom Okker	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Hard
1973	23x15px Jimmy Connors	23x15px Arthur Ashe	6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Hard
1974	23x15px Björn Borg	23x15px Tom Okker	7–6, 6–1, 6–1	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1975	23x15px Björn Borg	23x15px Guillermo Vilas	6–3, 6–4, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1976	23x15px Björn Borg	23x15px Harold Solomon	6–7, 6–4, 6–1, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1977	23x15px Manuel Orantes	23x15px Eddie Dibbs	7–6, 7–5, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1978	23x15px Manuel Orantes	23x15px Harold Solomon	6–4, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1979	23x15px José Higueras	23x15px Hans Gildemeister	6–3, 6–1	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1980	23x15px Eddie Dibbs	23x15px José Luis Clerc	6–2, 6–1	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1981	23x15px José Luis Clerc	23x15px Hans Gildemeister	0–6, 6–2, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1982	23x15px Guillermo Vilas	23x15px Mel Purcell	6–4, 6–0	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1983	23x15px José Luis Clerc	23x15px Jimmy Arias	6–3, 3–6, 6–0	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1984	23x15px Aaron Krickstein	23x15px José Luis Clerc	7–6, 3–6, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1985	23x15px Mats Wilander	23x15px Martín Jaite	6–2, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1986	23x15px Andrés Gómez	23x15px Martín Jaite	7–5, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1987	23x15px Mats Wilander	23x15px Kent Carlsson	7–6, 6–1	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1988	23x15px Thomas Muster	23x15px Lawson Duncan	6–2, 6–2	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1989	23x15px Andrés Gómez	23x15px Mats Wilander	6–1, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1990^c	23x15px Martín Jaite	23x15px Libor Němeček	7–5, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1991	23x15px Andrés Gómez	23x15px Andrei Cherkasov	7–5, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	Har-Tru
1992	23x15px Ivan Lendl	23x15px Richey Reneberg	6–3, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf
1993	23x15px Ivan Lendl	23x15px Todd Martin	5–7, 6–3, 7–6	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf
1994	23x15px Ivan Lendl	23x15px MaliVai Washington	7–5, 7–6	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf
1995	Not completed due to rain
1996	Not held
1997	23x15px Sjeng Schalken	23x15px Marcelo Ríos	7–5, 6–3	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf
1998	23x15px Michael Chang	23x15px Paul Haarhuis	6–3, 6–4	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf
1999	23x15px Marat Safin	23x15px Greg Rusedski	6–4, 7–6(11)	Longwood Cricket Club	DecoTurf

Notes:

^a This tournament, the first pro event open to amateur players, is considered by some as both the U.S. Pro Tennis Championship and first "U.S. Open" event (then the U.S. Open was again held from 1938 to 1941 at Greenbrier but as a separate event from the U.S. Pro held in Chicago or in L.A).

^b These tournaments from 1950–1962, considered as the U.S. Pro for the season, were billed the World Pro Championship with the exception of 1951, where a separate U.S. Pro and World Pro in Cleveland were held.

^r For 1951, the tournament was played under Round Robin format with Seguara 4–0 and Gonzalez 3–1 as final standings.

^v For 1955-56, the matches were played under Van Alen scoring system.

^c From 1990 to 1995, the U.S. Pro event appears to have been an exhibition and not part of the ATP tour.

References

^ Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 752. ISBN 978-0942257700.

[1] Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 752. ISBN 978-0942257700.

[1]

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