1972 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles
| Singles | |
|---|---|
| 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals | |
| Champion |  Ken Rosewall |
| Runner-up | Rod Laver |
| Score | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5) |
In the 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals - Singles, Ken Rosewall was the defending champion, having previously won the tennis competition, and won in the final 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5) against Rod Laver.[1] Of particular note, the final 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.[2][3]
Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
Rod Laver (Final)- Ken Rosewall (Champion)
Arthur Ashe (Semifinals)
Cliff Drysdale (Quarterfinals)- Marty Riessen (Semifinals)
Tom Okker (Quarterfinals)- Robert Lutz (Quarterfinals)
- John Newcombe (Quarterfinals)
Draw
Key
- Q = Qualifier
- WC = Wild card
- LL = Lucky loser
- Alt = Alternate
- SE = Special exempt
- PR = Protected ranking
- ITF = ITF entry
- JE = Junior exempt
- w/o = Walkover
- r = Retired
- d = Defaulted
- SR = Special ranking
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rod Laver
| 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | John Newcombe
| 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rod Laver
| 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 |  Marty Riessen
| 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 |  Cliff Drysdale
| 7 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marty Riessen
| 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Rod Laver
| 6 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Ken Rosewall
| 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 |  Tom Okker
| 4 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Arthur Ashe
| 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Arthur Ashe
| 4 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Ken Rosewall
| 6 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Robert Lutz
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Ken Rosewall
| 6 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "ATP – 1972 Dallas WCT Men's Singles Draw". ATP.
- ^ "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.