Tennis at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Exhibition men's singles
| Exhibition men's singles | |
|---|---|
| 1968 Summer Olympics | |
| Champion |  Rafael Osuna |
| Runner-up |  Ingo Buding |
| Score | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 |
Template:TennisAt1968SummerOlympics
Since the 1968 Summer Olympics did not feature tennis as an official sport, two unofficial tournaments were held during the Games: a Demonstration tournament and an Exhibition tournament.[1]
The Exhibition tournament was played from 24 to 26 October 1968 on the clay courts of the Chapultepec Sports Center in Mexico City, Mexico.[2] All matches were played at best-of-three sets; since the tiebreak rule wasn't implemented until the 1970s, a player had to win a set by a two-game margin in case of a 6–6 draw. Due to the short length of the tournament, no third place match was played, and both semifinal losers received bronze medals.
Mexican Rafael Osuna won the tournament by defeating West German Ingo Buding 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 in the final. Both Soviet Vladimir Korotkov and Italian Nicola Pietrangeli won bronze medals.
Seeds
Both seeds received a bye into the second round.
Herb Fitzgibbon (USA) (Second round)
Rafael Osuna (MEX) (Champion, gold medalist)
Draw
Finals
| Semifinals | Final (Gold Medal Match) | ||||||||||||
 Vladimir Korotkov (URS)
| 4 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||
 Ingo Buding (FRG)
| 6 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Ingo Buding (FRG)
| 3 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 2 |  Rafael Osuna (MEX)
| 6 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
 Nicola Pietrangeli (ITA)
| 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Rafael Osuna (MEX)
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||||
Top Half
| First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  H Fitzgibbon (USA)
| 4 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V Korotkov (URS)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V Korotkov (URS)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 P Darmon (FRA)
| 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| P Darmon (FRA)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 H Camarotti (CUB)
| 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V Korotkov (URS)
| 4 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Buding (FRG)
| 6 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 J Kamiwazumi (JPN)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| J McManus (USA)
| 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| J Kamiwazumi (JPN)
| 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Buding (FRG)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T Kakulia (URS)
| 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Buding (FRG)
| 6 | 6 | I Buding (FRG)
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| J Loyo Mayo (MEX)
| 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bottom Half
| First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JM Brito (CUB)
| 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 P Guzmán (ECU)
| 6 | 6 | P Guzmán (ECU)
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| N Pietrangeli (ITA)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N Pietrangeli (ITA)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V Zarazúa (MEX)
| 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T Sakai (JPN)
| 3 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V Zarazúa (MEX)
| 6 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| N Pietrangeli (ITA)
| 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | R Osuna (MEX)
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Y Shretta (KEN)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Volkov (URS)
| w | / | o | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Volkov (URS)
| 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | R Osuna (MEX)
| 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| M Abdul-Aziz (KEN)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | R Osuna (MEX)
| w | / | o | |||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Mexico 68, Vol. 3: The Games" (PDF). Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. 1969. pp. 74 (491). Retrieved 15 April 2017.
After a lapse of more than four decades, tennis was reintroduced to Olympic Games spectators as one of two demonstration sports. Forty-six competitors from fifteen nations displayed their skill in singles and doubles matches on courts in the capital and in Guadalajara, and the tournament was received with enthusiasm by both players and fans.
- ^ "Mexico 68, Vol. 2: The Organization" (PDF). Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. 1969. pp. 78 (79). Retrieved 15 April 2017.
For the demonstration sports—fronton and tennis—the following installations were employed. In Mexico City: Frontón México, fronton and tennis courts of the Chapultepec Sports Center, fronton courts of the Asturian Sports Center, the Lebanese Sports Center and the Frontón Metropolitano. In other cities: fronton courts of the Acapulco Jai-Alai; and the tennis courts of the Guadalajara Country Club, the Atlas Sports Club and the Guadalajara Sports Club, all in the city of Guadalajara