U.S. Pro Tennis Championships

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U.S. Pro Tennis Championships was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999.

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 Brooklyn, New York, on September 23-25, 1927. Richards, fellow C.C. Pyle 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 was a Grand Prix tournament with the advent of open tennis in 1968. It then became a tournament on the ATP Tour with reorganization of the top tier pro tour.

At Longwood, the tournament was played first played on a hardcourt. It was later played on Har-Tru clay courts and was an important tune-up event for the U.S. Open. When the Open moved to hardcourts in Flushing Meadows 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 (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.

[edit] Past winners

[edit] Singles

Year Champion Runner-up Score Site Surface
1927 Flag of the United States Vinny Richards Flag of the United States Howard Kinsey 11-9, 6-4, 6-3 Notlek courts, Brooklyn  ?
1928 Flag of the United States Vinny Richards Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh 8-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, Queens grass
1929 Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh Flag of the United States Vinny Richards 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 7-5 West Side Tennis Club grass
1930 Flag of the United States Vinny Richards Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh 2-6, 10-8, 6-3, 6-4 West Side Tennis Club grass
1931 Flag of the United States Bill Tilden Flag of the United States Vinny Richards 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 West Side Tennis Club grass
1932 Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh Flag of Germany Hans Nusslein 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 South Shore Country Club, Chicago clay
1933 Flag of the United States Vinny Richards Flag of the United States Frank Hunter  ?  ?, Rye, New York grass
1934 Flag of Germany Hans Nusslein Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 South Shore Country Club clay
1935 Flag of the United States Bill Tilden Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 Terrace Club, Brooklyn clay
1936 Flag of the United States Joe Whalen Flag of the United States Charles Wood  ? Tudor city courts, New York ?
*1937 Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh Flag of the United States Bruce Barnes  ?, ?, ?, ?, 6-1 Greenbrier Golf and Tennis Club, White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia Har-Tru
1938 Flag of the United States Bruce Barnes Flag of Czechoslovakia Karel Kozeluh 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Chicago Arena, Chicago (indoor) canvas
1939 Flag of the United States Ellsworth Vines Flag of the United Kingdom Fred Perry 8-6, 6-1, 20-18 Beverly Hills Tennis Club, Los Angeles Hard (cement)
1940 Flag of the United States Don Budge Flag of the United States Bruce Barnes 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 Chicago Town and Tennis Club, Chicago clay
1941 Flag of the United Kingdom Fred Perry Flag of the United States Dick Skeen  ? (4 sets, with Skeen winning the second) Chicago Town and Tennis Club ? clay
1942 Flag of the United States Don Budge Flag of the United States Bobby Riggs 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 West Side Tennis Club grass
1943 Flag of the United States Bruce Barnes Flag of the United States John Nogrady Clay
1944 not held
1945 Flag of the United States Welby Van Horn Flag of the United States John Nogrady
1946 Flag of the United States Bobby Riggs Flag of the United States Don Budge West Side Tennis Club grass
1947 Flag of the United States Bobby Riggs Flag of the United States Don Budge West Side Tennis Club grass
1948 Flag of the United States Jack Kramer Flag of the United States Bobby Riggs West Side Tennis Club grass
1949 Flag of the United States Bobby Riggs Flag of the United States Don Budge West Side Tennis Club grass
**1950 Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Flag of the United States Frank Kovacs  ?, Cleveland clay
1951 Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez West Side Tennis Club grass
***1952 Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez  ?, Cleveland
***1953 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of the United States Don Budge  ?, Cleveland
***1954 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of Australia Frank Sedgman Cleveland Arena, Cleveland (indoor)
***1955 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1956 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1957 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1958 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of Australia Lew Hoad Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1959 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of Australia Lew Hoad Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1960 Flag of the United States Alex Olmedo Flag of the United States Tony Trabert Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1961 Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Flag of Australia Frank Sedgman Cleveland Arena (indoor)
***1962 Flag of the United States Butch Buchholz Flag of the United States Pancho Segura Cleveland Arena (indoor)
1963 Flag of Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Rod Laver 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 West Side Tennis Club grass
1964 Flag of Australia Rod Laver Flag of the United States Pancho Gonzalez Longwood Cricket Club grass
1965 Flag of Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Rod Laver 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 Longwood Cricket Club grass
1966 Flag of Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Ken Rosewall Longwood Cricket Club grass
1967 Flag of Australia Rod Laver Flag of Spain Andres Gimeno Longwood Cricket Club grass
1968 Flag of Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia John Newcombe Longwood Cricket Club grass
1969 Flag of Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia John Newcombe Longwood Cricket Club Uni-Turf ?
1970 Flag of Australia Tony Roche Flag of Australia Rod Laver 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Hard
1971 Flag of Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of South Africa Cliff Drysdale 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 Longwood Cricket Club Hard
1972 Flag of the United States Bob Lutz Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Hard
1973 Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Hard
1974 Flag of Sweden Björn Borg Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1975 Flag of Sweden Björn Borg Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1976 Flag of Sweden Björn Borg Flag of the United States Harold Solomon 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1977 Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes Flag of the United States Eddie Dibbs 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1978 Flag of Spain Manuel Orantes Flag of the United States Harold Solomon 6-4, 6-3 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1979 Flag of Spain Jose Higueras Flag of Chile Hans Gildemeister 6-3, 6-1 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1980 Flag of the United States Eddie Dibbs Flag of Argentina Jose-Luis Clerc 6-2, 6-1 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1981 Flag of Argentina Jose-Luis Clerc Flag of Chile Hans Gildemeister 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1982 Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas Flag of the United States Mel Purcell 6-4, 6-0 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1983 Flag of Argentina Jose-Luis Clerc Flag of the United States Jimmy Arias 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1984 Flag of the United States Aaron Krickstein Flag of Argentina Jose-Luis Clerc 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1985 Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander Flag of Argentina Martín Jaite 6-2, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1986 Flag of Ecuador Andrés Gómez Flag of Argentina Martín Jaite 7-5, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1987 Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander Flag of Sweden Kent Carlsson 7-6, 6-1 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1988 Flag of Austria Thomas Muster Flag of the United States Lawson Duncan 6-2, 6-2 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
1989 Flag of Ecuador Andrés Gómez Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander 6-1, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
****1990 Flag of Argentina Martín Jaite Flag of Czechoslovakia Libor Nemecek Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
****1991 Flag of Ecuador Andrés Gómez Flag of the Soviet Union Andrei Cherkasov Longwood Cricket Club Har-Tru
****1992 Flag of the United States Ivan Lendl Flag of the United States Richey Reneberg 6-3, 6-3 Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf
****1993 Flag of the United States Ivan Lendl Flag of the United States Todd Martin 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf
****1994 Flag of the United States Ivan Lendl Flag of the United States MaliVai Washington 7-5, 7-6 Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf
****1995 not completed due to rain
1996 not held
1997 Flag of the Netherlands Sjeng Schalken Flag of Chile Marcelo Rios 7-5, 6-3 Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf
1998 Flag of the United States Michael Chang Flag of the Netherlands Paul Haarhuis 6-3, 6-4 Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf
1999 Flag of Russia Marat Safin Flag of the United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 6-4, 7-6(11) Longwood Cricket Club DecoTurf

Notes:

*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).

**This tournament, considered the U.S. Pro for the season, was billed the World Pro Championship. In 1951 a separate U.S. Pro and World Pro in Cleveland were held.

*** As with the 1950, these tournaments were billed the World Pro tournament but are considered to be the U.S. Pro event

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

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