WCT Finals
The WCT Finals was a tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis 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.[1] The 1972-1979 editions were played at Moody Coliseum, and the 1980-1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas.[2] The WCT, in 1974, was the first tennis tournament to experiment with electronic line calling.
The first edition of the WCT Finals in 1971 was played in November, just a few days before The Masters, the equivalent of the WCT Finals for the rival Grand Prix circuit. Because of TV pressure, the second edition was held in May 1972 and most of the following editions were organized in between months of March and May.
In 1972 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. John McEnroe was the most successful player winning a record five titles out of eight final appearances.
Sponsorship
Between 1985 and 1986 this event was sponsored by Buick a brand of General Motors and was called the Buick WCT Finals
Records
- Most titles: John McEnroe 5.
- Most finals: John McEnroe 8.
- Most consecutive finals John McEnroe 6.
Results
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 |  Ken Rosewall |
Rod Laver |
6–4, 1–6, 7–6, 7–6 |
| 1972 | Ken Rosewall |
Rod Laver |
4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1973 |  Stan Smith |
Arthur Ashe |
6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1974 | John Newcombe |
 Björn Borg |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1975 | Arthur Ashe |
Björn Borg |
3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 1976 | Björn Borg |
 Guillermo Vilas |
1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 1977 | Jimmy Connors |
Dick Stockton |
6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1978 | Vitas Gerulaitis |
Eddie Dibbs |
6–3, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1979 | John McEnroe |
Björn Borg |
7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| 1980 | Jimmy Connors |
John McEnroe |
2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1981 | John McEnroe |
Johan Kriek |
6–1, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1982 |  Ivan Lendl |
John McEnroe |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1983 | John McEnroe |
Ivan Lendl |
6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1984 | John McEnroe |
Jimmy Connors |
6–1, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1985 | Ivan Lendl |
Tim Mayotte |
7–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 1986 | Anders Järryd |
 Boris Becker |
6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1987 | Miloslav Mečíř |
John McEnroe |
6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1988 | Boris Becker |
Stefan Edberg |
6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
| 1989 | John McEnroe |
Brad Gilbert |
6–3, 6–3, 7–6 |
Seasonal finals events
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 winter (Rome) | Arthur Ashe |
Bob Lutz |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| 1982 fall (Naples) | Ivan Lendl |
 Wojciech Fibak |
6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1982 winter (Detroit)[3] | Ivan Lendl |
Guillermo Vilas |
7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
See also
References
- ^ Lamar Hunt (April 1986). "Lamar Hunt muses on 16 years of the WCT". D Magazine.
- ^ George Hardie (March 1988). "George Hardie Remembers..." D Magazine.
- ^ held in January, 24-30, 1983