1975 World Championship Tennis circuit explained

1975 World Championship Tennis circuit
Duration:	20 January 1975 – 7 May 1975
Edition:	8th
Tournaments:	26
Most Tournament Titles:	Arthur Ashe (5)
Most Tournament Finals:	Arthur Ashe (7)
Points Leader:	Arthur Ashe (760)
Previous:	1974
Next:	1976

The 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1975. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). The 1975 circuit divided the players in three groups, Red, Blue and Green who played 24 tournaments in 12 countries. The first tournament, U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, was a combined event as was the season's final which was played in Dallas by the eight best performers and was won by American Arthur Ashe who defeated Björn Borg from Sweden in four sets.^[1]

Additionally there were three special non–ranking events; the CBS Classic (Puerto Rico, 13–19 January), the Aetna World Cup team contest between Australia and America (Hartford, 6–9 March) and the Rothmans International Trophy an eight-nation contest between 16 players (London, 4–8 March).

The total prize money for the 1975 WCT circuit was $2,068,500 which included $100,000 bonus money.^[1]

Overview

Week	Tournament	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
20 Jan	U.S. Pro Indoor	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Marty Riessen	Vitas Gerulaitis	7–6^(7–1), 5–7, 6–2, 6–7^(0–7), 6–3
27 Jan	Fidelity Tournament	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.	Björn Borg	Arthur Ashe	4–6, 6–4, 6–4
3 Feb	St. Petersburg WCT	St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.	Raúl Ramírez	Roscoe Tanner	6–0, 1–6, 6–2
6 Feb	WCT International	Bologna, Italy	Björn Borg	Arthur Ashe	7–6^(7–4), 4–6, 7–6^(7–4)
10 Feb	Rothmans Toronto WCT	Toronto, Canada	Harold Solomon	Stan Smith	6–4, 6–1
17 Feb	Fort Worth WCT	Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.	John Alexander	Dick Stockton	7–6, 4–6, 6–3
17 Feb	La Costa WCT	La Costa, California, U.S.	Rod Laver	Allan Stone	6–2, 6–2
17 Feb	Barcelona WCT	Barcelona, Spain	Arthur Ashe	Björn Borg	7–6, 6–3
23 Feb	San Antonio WCT	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.	Dick Stockton	Stan Smith	7–5, 2–6, 7–6
25 Feb	Rotterdam WTT	Rotterdam, Netherlands	Arthur Ashe	Tom Okker	3–6, 6–2, 6–4
10 Mar	Washington WCT	Washington, D.C., U.S.	Mark Cox	Dick Stockton	6–2, 7–6
10 Mar	São Paulo WCT	São Paulo, Brazil	Rod Laver	Charlie Pasarell	6–4, 6–4
10 Mar	Munich WCT	Munich, West Germany	Arthur Ashe	Björn Borg	6–4, 7–6
17 Mar	Memphis WCT	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.	Harold Solomon	Jiří Hřebec	2–6, 6–1, 6–4
17 Mar	Caracas WCT	Caracas, Venezuela	Rod Laver	Raúl Ramírez	7–6, 6–2
23 Mar	Monte Carlo WCT	Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France	Manuel Orantes	Bob Hewitt	6–2, 6–4
24 Mar	Atlanta WCT	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.	Mark Cox	John Alexander	6–3, 7–6
24 Mar	Orlando WCT	Orlando, Florida, U.S.	Rod Laver	Vitas Gerulaitis	6–3, 6–4
7 Apr	St. Louis WCT	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.	Vitas Gerulaitis	Roscoe Tanner	2–6, 6–2, 6–3
11 Apr	Johannesburg WCT	Johannesburg, South Africa	Buster Mottram	Tom Okker	6–4, 6–2
14 Apr	Tokyo WCT	Tokyo, Japan	Bob Lutz	Stan Smith	6–4, 6–4
14 Apr	Denver WCT	Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Jimmy Connors	Brian Gottfried	6–3, 6–4
21 Apr	Houston	Houston, Texas, U.S.	Ken Rosewall	Cliff Drysdale	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
21 Apr	Charlotte WCT	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.	Raúl Ramírez	Roscoe Tanner	3–6, 6–4, 6–3
21 Apr	Stockholm WCT	Stockholm, Sweden	Arthur Ashe	Tom Okker	6–4, 6–2
7 May	Dallas WCT Finals	Dallas, Texas, U.S.	Arthur Ashe	Björn Borg	3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0

Schedule

This is the complete schedule of events on the 1975 WCT circuit, with player progression documented until the quarterfinals stage.^[2]

January

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
20 Jan		Marty Riessen 7–6^(7–1), 5–7, 6–2, 6–7^(0–7), 6–3			Tony Roche Paul Gerken Arthur Ashe Cliff Richey
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 3–6, 6–3, 7–6^(7–4)	Dick Stockton Erik van Dillen
27 Jan	Fidelity Tournament Richmond, United States Green group Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Björn Borg 4–6, 6–4, 6–4			Jeff Borowiak Adriano Panatta Onny Parun Bob Giltinan
		Fred McNair Hans Kary 7–6^(8–6), 5–7, 7–6^(8–6)	Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta

February

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
3 Feb	Havatampa–Raymond James Classic St. Petersburg, United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Raúl Ramírez 6–0, 1–6, 6–2			Jaime Fillol Sandy Mayer Brian Gottfried Andrew Pattison
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 6–4	Charlie Pasarell Roscoe Tanner
6 Feb		Björn Borg 7–6^(7–4), 4–6, 7–6^(7–4)			Niki Pilić Onny Parun Bob Giltinan Adriano Panatta
		Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta 6–3, 3–6, 6–3	Arthur Ashe Tom Okker
10 Feb	Rothmans Toronto WCT Toronto, Canada Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Harold Solomon 6–4, 6–1			Paul Gerken Cliff Richey Bob Lutz Phil Dent
		Dick Stockton Erik van Dillen 6–4, 7–5, 6–1	Vijay Amritraj Ashok Amritraj
17 Feb	Fort Worth WCT Fort Worth, United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	John Alexander 7–6^(7–2), 4–6, 6–3			Harold Solomon Mark Cox Jiří Hřebec Milan Holeček
		Bob Lutz Stan Smith 6–7, 7–6, 6–3	John Alexander Phil Dent
17 Feb	Carlsbad WCT Carlsbad, United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Rod Laver 6–2, 6–2			Ismail El Shafei Ross Case Geoff Masters Raymond Moore
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 7–5, 6–4	Charlie Pasarell Roscoe Tanner
17 Feb	Barcelona WCT Barcelona, Spain Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Green group	Arthur Ashe 7–6, 6–3			Steve Krulevitz Bob Hewitt Kjell Johansson Kevin Warwick
		Arthur Ashe Tom Okker 7–5, 6–1	Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta
23 Feb	San Antonio WCT San Antonio, United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Dick Stockton 7–5, 2–6, 7–6			Paul Gerken Mike Estep Marty Riessen Phil Dent
		John Alexander Phil Dent 7–6, 4–6, 6–4	Mark Cox Cliff Drysdale
24 Feb		Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–2, 6–4			Bob Hewitt Steve Krulevitz Kevin Warwick Frew McMillan
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–2	José Higueras Balázs Taróczy

March

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
10 Mar	Xerox Tennis Classic Washington, D.C., United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Mark Cox 6–2, 7–6			John Alexander Bob Lutz Phil Dent Eddie Dibbs
		Mike Estep Jeff Simpson 7–6, 6–3	Vijay Amritraj Ashok Amritraj
10 Mar	São Paulo WCT São Paulo, Brazil Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Rod Laver 6–4, 6–4			Vitas Gerulaitis Alex Metreveli Ray Ruffels Brian Fairlie
		Ross Case Geoff Masters 6–7, 7–6, 7–6	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez
10 Mar		Arthur Ashe 6–4, 7–6			Kjell Johansson Balázs Taróczy Corrado Barazzutti Bob Hewitt
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–3, 6–4	Corrado Barazzutti Antonio Zugarelli
17 Mar	Memphis WCT Memphis, United States Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Harold Solomon 2–6, 6–1, 6–4			Cliff Richey Vijay Amritraj Bob Lutz Phil Dent
		Dick Stockton Erik van Dillen 1–6, 7–5, 6–4	Mark Cox Cliff Drysdale
17 Mar	Caracas WCT Caracas, Venezuela Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Rod Laver 7–6, 6–2			Ismail El Shafei Allan Stone Raymond Moore Roy Emerson
		Ross Case Geoff Masters 7–5, 4–6, 6–2	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez
23 Mar	Monte Carlo WCT Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay – $60,000 – 32S/16D Green group	Manuel Orantes 6–2, 6–4			Dick Crealy Adriano Panatta Buster Mottram Björn Borg
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–3, 6–2	Arthur Ashe Tom Okker
24 Mar	First National Bank Classic Atlanta, United States Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Mark Cox 6–3, 7–6^(7–3)			Stan Smith Phil Dent Dick Stockton Milan Holeček
		Vijay Amritraj Ashok Amritraj 6–3, 6–2	Mark Cox Cliff Drysdale
24 Mar	Orlando WCT Orlando, United States Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Rod Laver 6–3, 6–4			Jeff Borowiak Roscoe Tanner Raúl Ramírez Allan Stone
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 6–4	Colin Dibley Ray Ruffels

April

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
7 Apr	St. Louis Tennis Classic St. Louis, United States Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Vitas Gerulaitis 2–6, 6–2, 6–3			Jeff Borowiak Brian Fairlie Jaime Fillol Raúl Ramírez
		Colin Dibley Ray Ruffels 6–4, 6–4	Ross Case Geoff Masters
11 Apr	Johannesburg WCT Johannesburg, South Africa Hard – $60,000 – 32S/16D Green group	Buster Mottram 6–4, 6–2			Bob Hewitt Onny Parun Kevin Warwick Arthur Ashe
		Arthur Ashe Tom Okker 6–3, 6–2	Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan
14 Apr	Tokyo WCT Tokyo, Japan Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Bob Lutz 6–4, 6–4			Harold Solomon Dick Stockton Cliff Drysdale Marty Riessen
		Bob Lutz Stan Smith 6–4, 6–7^(6–8), 6–2	John Alexander Phil Dent
14 Apr	Denver WCT Denver, United States Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–4			Thomas Koch Raúl Ramírez Vitas Gerulaitis Jaime Fillol
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 6–2, 3–6, 7–5	Bob Carmichael Allan Stone
21 Apr	Houston WCT Houston, United States Clay – $60,000 – 32S/16D Red group	Ken Rosewall 6–3, 3–6, 6–1			John Alexander Phil Dent Bob Lutz Eddie Dibbs
		Bob Lutz Stan Smith 7–5, 7–6	Mike Estep Russell Simpson
21 Apr	Charlotte WCT Charlotte, United States Clay – $60,000 – 32S/16D Blue group	Raúl Ramírez 3–6, 6–4, 6–3			Iván Molina Jaime Fillol Brian Fairlie Brian Gottfried
		Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol 6–3, 5–7, 6–4	Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie
21 Apr	Stockholm WCT Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D Green group	Arthur Ashe 6–4, 6–2			Buster Mottram José Higueras Corrado Barazzutti Tenny Svensson
		Arthur Ashe Tom Okker 6–3, 7–6	Patrice Dominguez Kevin Warwick

May

Standings

Blue group

width=140	Player	width=70	Tournaments played	width=70	Tournaments won	width=35	Matches won	width=35	Matches lost	width=75	Points	width=80	Prize money
Rod Laver ^*	9	4	30	5	700	$109,731
Roscoe Tanner ^*	9	0	25	9	590	$52,962
Raúl Ramírez ^*	9	2	22	7	550	$86,680
Brian Gottfried	9	0	19	9	450	$68,300
Vitas Gerulaitis	6	1	19	5	420	$40,300
Jaime Fillol	9	0	14	9	390	$22,200
Allan Stone	9	0	10	9	350	$19,000
Andrew Pattison	9	0	11	9	420	$26,328
Jeff Borowiak	9	0	11	9	330	$22,610
Ismail El Shafei	9	0	11	9	330	$15,600

Green group

width=140	Player	width=70	Tournaments played	width=70	Tournaments won	width=35	Matches won	width=35	Matches lost	width=75	Points	width=80	Prize money
Arthur Ashe ^*	9	4	35	5	760	$177,161
Björn Borg ^*	9	2	27	7	640	$78,140
Tom Okker	8	0	19	8	470	$41,292
Buster Mottram	9	1	15	8	400	$27,250
Bob Hewitt	8	0	15	8	395	$33,370
Onny Parun	8	0	13	8	350	$18,250
Kim Warwick	8	0	12	8	340	$18,700
José Higueras	9	0	9	9	330	$16,750
Patrice Dominguez	9	0	9	9	290	$13,350
Bob Giltinan	9	0	8	9	280	$11,930

Red group

width=140	Player	width=70	Tournaments played	width=70	Tournaments won	width=35	Matches won	width=35	Matches lost	width=75	Points	width=80	Prize money
John Alexander ^*	9	1	26	8	610	$94,075
Harold Solomon ^*	9	2	22	7	540	$46,950
Mark Cox ^*	9	2	22	7	520	$75,822
Stan Smith	9	0	19	9	500	$46,189
Dick Stockton	9	1	19	8	490	$60,275
Bob Lutz	9	1	19	7	470	$41,647
Phil Dent	9	0	14	9	390	$25,200
Cliff Drysdale	9	0	14	9	390	$40,408
Vijay Amritraj	9	0	11	9	350	$25,750
Marty Riessen	9	0	8	9	350	$42,259

• Qualified for the WCT Finals. The best two players from each group qualified plus the next two players with the highest points total.

See also

• 1975 Grand Prix circuit
• 1975 USLTA-IPA Indoor Circuit

External links

• ATP 1975 results archive

Notes and References

1. Book: World of Tennis '76. 1977. Queen Anne Press. London. 0362002754. 141–152. John Barrett.
2. News: Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). 1975 Grand Prix and WCT circuits calendar.