1968 British Hard Court Championships

1968 British Hard Court Championships
Date 22 April – 27 April
Edition 39th
Category ILTF
Draw 32S/16D
Surface Clay / Outdoor
Location Bournemouth, England
Venue The West Hants Club
Champions
Men's Singles
Australia Ken Rosewall [1]
Women's Singles
United Kingdom Virginia Wade
Men's Doubles
Australia Roy Emerson / Australia Rod Laver [2]
Women's Doubles
United Kingdom Christine Truman Janes/Nell Truman
Mixed Doubles
United Kingdom Virginia Wade / Australia Bob Howe

The 1968 British Hard Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth in England. It was the first tournament in the Open Era of tennis. The tournament was held from 22 April through 27 April 1968. Ken Rosewall and Virginia Wade won the first open singles titles while the men's team of Roy Emerson and Rod Laver and the women's team of Christine Truman Janes and Nell Truman won the first open doubles titles.[3]

First tournament of the Open Era

The 1968 British Hard Court Championships (BHCC) hold the distinction of being the first open era tennis tournament.[4] Prior to this tournament professional players were banned by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) from competing in tournaments, including the Grand Slams, which were organized by the ILTF and it national organizations. Although all players, amateurs and professionals, were allowed to compete at the 1968 BHCC the players who were part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit did not participate. Players from the rival National Tennis League (NTL) did enter and in the men's singles event made up the first six seeds.[5] The tournament started on April 22 at 1:43 p.m. when John Clifton served and won the first point of the open era.[6][7] Clifton lost his first-round match to Owen Davidson who thus became the first winner of an open era tennis match.[8] Ken Rosewall won the men's singles title, taking home $2,400, while runner-up Rod Laver received $1,200. Their final was suspended in the second set due to rain and was finished the following day.[5] Virginia Wade won the women's singles title, defeating Winnie Shaw in the final, but did not take home the winner's prize of $720 as she was still an amateur at the time of the tournament. She subsequently became the first amateur to win a title in the Open Era.[9][10] Christine Janes and her sister Nell Truman became the first winners of an open tennis event by winning the women's doubles title.[11] The tournament was considered a success and attracted almost 30,000 visitors.[7][12] The young British player Mark Cox went down in tennis history by becoming the first amateur player to beat a professional, when he defeated 39-year-old American Pancho Gonzales in five sets in a second-round match that lasted two and a quarter hours.[6][10][13]

Champions

Men's singles

Australia Ken Rosewall defeated Australia Rod Laver 3–6, 6–2, 6–0, 6–3

Women's singles

United Kingdom Virginia Wade defeated United Kingdom Winnie Shaw 6–4, 6–1

Men's doubles

Australia Roy Emerson / Australia Rod Laver defeated Spain Andrés Gimeno / United States Pancho Gonzales 8–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2

Women's doubles

United Kingdom Christine Truman Janes / United Kingdom Nell Truman defeated Australia Fay Toyne-Moore / South Africa Anette du Plooy 6–4, 6–3

Mixed doubles

United Kingdom Virginia Wade / Australia Bob Howe defeated Australia Fay Toyne-Moore / Australia Jimmy Moore 6–4, 6–3

References

  1. ↑ "ATP – 1968 Bournemouth Men's Singles Draw". ATP.
  2. ↑ "ATP – 1968 Bournemouth Men's Doubles Draw". ATP.
  3. ↑ John Barrett, ed. (1969). BP Yearbook of World Tennis. London: Ward Lock. pp. 8–11, 196. ISBN 978-0706318241. OCLC 502175694.
  4. ↑ Steve Tignor (22 January 2015). "1968: Open Era Begins in Bournemouth". Tennis.com.
  5. 1 2 McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor: The Short Run Book Company Limited. p. 145.
  6. 1 2 "The First Open Makes Its Mark". Sports Illustrated. May 6, 1968.
  7. 1 2 Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. pp. 144, 145. ISBN 9780942257700.
  8. ↑ John Barrett, ed. (1993). The International Tennis Federation : World of Tennis 1993. London: Collins Willow. p. 7. ISBN 9780002185080.
  9. ↑ "Amateurs Shy Of First Net Open". The Montreal Gazette. Apr 22, 1968.
  10. 1 2 "Set Each in Tennis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Apr 28, 1968.
  11. ↑ Max Robertson, ed. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 210, 211. ISBN 0047960426.
  12. ↑ "British Say Open Tennis is 'Bonanza'". Rome News-Tribune. Apr 28, 1968.
  13. ↑ "ATP – Player Profile Mar Cox". ATP.

External links

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