The 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1976. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT) and consisted of a schedule of 25 tournaments leading up to a singles WCT Finals play-off in Dallas and a doubles play-off in Kansas City in May. A total of 54 players participated, 30 players less than in the previous three years, and the group system used in the previous editions was replaced by a single pool. The U.S. Pro Indoor was the only tournament in which all players participated, all other tournaments had a 16 men draw. The season final was played by the eight best performers and was won by the Swede Björn Borg who defeated Guillermo Vilas from Argentina in four sets.[1] The total prize money for the 1976 WCT circuit was $2,400,000, including a $320,000 Avis Challenge Cup round–robin special event played in Hawaii in January and May.[2]
The Aetna World Cup between teams of the US and Australia was played in March in Hartford and was won by the US 6–1.[3]
Overview
Date |
Tournament |
Location |
Draw |
Prize Money |
Surface |
Champion |
Runner-up |
Score |
5 January 1976 |
Monterrey WCT |
Monterrey, Mexico |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Eddie Dibbs |
Harold Solomon |
7–6, 6–2 |
7 January 1976 |
Columbus WCT |
Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Arthur Ashe |
Andrew Pattison |
3–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
12 January 1976 |
Indianapolis WCT |
Indianapolis, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
|
Carpet (i) |
Arthur Ashe |
Vitas Gerulaitis |
6–2, 6–7, 6–4 |
14 January 1976 |
Atlanta WCT |
Atlanta, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Ilie Năstase |
Jeff Borowiak |
6–2, 6–4 |
26 January 1976 |
U.S. Pro Indoor |
Philadelphia, U.S. |
64S / 32D |
$118,600 |
Carpet (i) |
Jimmy Connors |
Björn Borg |
7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–0 |
2 February 1976 |
Barcelona WCT |
Barcelona, Spain |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Eddie Dibbs |
Cliff Drysdale |
6–1, 6–1 |
4 February 1976 |
Richmond WCT |
Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Arthur Ashe |
Brian Gottfried |
6–2, 6–4 |
9 February 1976 |
Lagos WCT |
Lagos, Nigeria[lower-alpha 1] |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Clay |
Dick Stockton |
Arthur Ashe |
6–3, 6–2 |
10 February 1976 |
Toronto WCT |
Toronto, Canada |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Björn Borg |
Vitas Gerulaitis |
2–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
17 February 1976 |
St. Louis WCT |
St. Louis, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Guillermo Vilas |
Vijay Amritraj |
4–6, 6–0, 6–4 |
17 February 1976 |
Rome WCT |
Rome, Italy |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Clay |
Arthur Ashe |
Bob Lutz |
6–2, 0–6, 6–3 |
23 February 1976 |
Fort Worth WCT |
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Guillermo Vilas |
Phil Dent |
6–7, 6–1, 6–1 |
23 February 1976 |
Rotterdam WCT |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Arthur Ashe |
Bob Lutz |
6–3, 6–3 |
8 March 1976 |
Memphis WCT |
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Vijay Amritraj |
Stan Smith |
6–2, 0–6, 6–0 |
8 March 1976 |
Mexico City WCT |
Mexico City, Mexico |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Clay |
Raúl Ramírez |
Eddie Dibbs |
7–6, 6–2 |
15 March 1976 |
Washington WCT |
Washington, D.C., U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Harold Solomon |
Onny Parun |
6–3, 6–1 |
15 March 1976 |
Jackson WCT |
Mexico City, Mexico |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Ken Rosewall |
Raúl Ramírez |
6–3, 6–3 |
29 March 1976 |
Caracas WCT |
Caracas, Venezuela |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Clay |
Raúl Ramírez |
Ilie Năstase |
6–3, 6–4 |
29 March 1976 |
São Paulo WCT |
São Paulo, Brazil |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Björn Borg |
Guillermo Vilas |
7–6, 6–2 |
5 April 1976 |
Johannesburg WCT |
Johannesburg, South Africa |
16S / 8D |
|
Hard |
Onny Parun |
Cliff Drysdale |
7–6, 6–3 |
5 April 1976 |
Houston WCT |
Houston, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$25,000 |
Clay |
Harold Solomon |
Ken Rosewall |
6–1, 4–6, 6–1 |
12 April 1976 |
Monte Carlo WCT |
Monte Carlo, Monaco |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Clay |
Guillermo Vilas |
Wojtek Fibak |
6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
13 April 1976 |
Charlotte WCT |
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
|
Carpet (i) |
Tony Roche |
Vitas Gerulaitis |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
19 April 1976 |
Stockholm WCT |
Stockholm, Sweden |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Wojtek Fibak |
Ilie Năstase |
6–4, 7–6(8–6) |
19 April 1976 |
Denver WCT |
Denver, U.S. |
16S / 8D |
$60,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Jimmy Connors |
Ross Case |
7–6, 6–2 |
4 May 1976 |
Dallas WCT Finals |
Dallas, U.S. |
8S |
$100,000 |
Carpet (i) |
Björn Borg |
Guillermo Vilas |
1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 |
Schedule
The schedule of events on the 1976 WCT circuit, with player progression documented until the quarterfinals stage.[5]
January
Week of |
Tournament |
Champions |
Runners-up |
Semifinalists |
Quarterfinalists |
5 January | Monterrey WCT Monterrey, Mexico $60,000 – Carpet (i) – 16S/8D | Eddie Dibbs 7–6, 6–2 | Harold Solomon | Vitas Gerulaitis Raúl Ramírez | Brian Gottfried Emilio Montaño Geoff Masters Cliff Richey |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 | Ross Case Geoff Masters |
7 January | Columbus WCT Columbus, USA $60,000 – Carpet (i) – 16S/8D | Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 | Andrew Pattison | Phil Dent Cliff Drysdale | Alex Metreveli Kevin Warwick Dick Stockton Tom Okker |
Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 7–6, 6–4 | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker |
12 January | Indianapolis WCT Indianapolis, USA $60,000 – Carpet (i) – 16S/8D | Arthur Ashe 6–2, 6–7, 6–4 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Ray Ruffels Stan Smith | Marty Riessen Syd Ball Cliff Drysdale Bob Lutz |
Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–2, 6–4 | Vitas Gerulaitis Tom Gorman |
14 January | Atlanta Open Atlanta, USA $60,000 – Carpet (i) – 16S/8D | Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–4 | Jeff Borowiak | Alex Metreveli John Alexander | Björn Borg Jan Kodeš Andrew Pattison Wojciech Fibak |
John Alexander Phil Dent 6–3, 6–4 | Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler |
26 January | U.S. Pro Indoor Philadelphia, USA $118,000 – Carpet (i) – 64S/32D | Jimmy Connors 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–0 | Björn Borg | Tom Okker Dick Stockton | Jan Kodeš Eddie Dibbs Tom Gorman Rod Laver |
Rod Laver Dennis Ralston 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7–5) | Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan |
February
Week of |
Tournament |
Champions |
Runners-up |
Semifinalists |
Quarterfinalists |
2 February | Barcelona WCT Barcelona, Spain | Eddie Dibbs 6–1, 6–1 | Cliff Drysdale | Dick Crealy Mark Cox | Erik Van Dillen Brian Fairlie Karl Meiler Wojciech Fibak |
Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–3, 6–3 | Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler |
4 February | Richmond WCT Richmond, USA $50,000 – Carpet (i) – 32S/16D | Arthur Ashe 6–2, 6–4 | Brian Gottfried | Raúl Ramírez Tom Okker | Jiří Hřebec Billy Martin Ross Case Geoff Masters |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 7–5 | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker |
9 February | Lagos Open Lagos, Nigeria Clay – 16S/8D | Dick Stockton 6–3, 6–2 | Arthur Ashe | Bob Lutz Jeff Borowiak | Karl Meiler Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon Dick Crealy |
| |
10 February | Toronto Indoor Toronto, Canada | Björn Borg 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Ilie Năstase Marty Riessen | Jiří Hřebec Jan Kodeš Tony Roche Vijay Amritraj |
Jaime Fillol Frew McMillan 6–7(3–7), 6–2, 6–3 | Alexander Metreveli Ilie Năstase |
17 February | Rome WCT Rome, Italy Carpet | Arthur Ashe 6–2, 0–6, 6–3 | Bob Lutz | Dick Stockton Adriano Panatta | Tom Okker Cliff Drysdale Mark Cox Stan Smith |
Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4 | Dick Crealy Frew McMillan |
17 February | St. Louis WCT St. Louis, USA Carpet (i) – 32S/16D | Guillermo Vilas 7–6, 6–2 | Vijay Amritraj | Raúl Ramírez Billy Martin | Brian Gottfried John Alexander Ken Rosewall Manuel Orantes |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 6–2 | John Alexander Phil Dent |
23 February | Rotterdam WCT Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) – 32S/16D | Arthur Ashe 6–3, 6–3 | Bob Lutz | Tom Okker Rod Laver | Wojciech Fibak Jan Kodeš Jiří Hřebec Stan Smith |
Rod Laver Frew McMillan 6–1, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5) | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker |
24 February | Colonial National Invitational Fort Worth, USA Carpet (i) – 32S/16D | Guillermo Vilas 6–7, 6–1, 6–1 | Phil Dent | Sandy Mayer Roscoe Tanner | Harold Solomon Sherwood Stewart Tom Gorman Cliff Richey |
Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer 6–4, 7–5 | Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon |
March
Week of |
Tournament |
Champions |
Runners-up |
Semifinalists |
Quarterfinalists |
8 March | U.S. Indoor National Championships Memphis, USA | Vijay Amritraj 6–2, 0–6, 6–0 | Stan Smith | Bob Lutz Björn Borg | Cliff Drysdale John Newcombe Roscoe Tanner Marty Riessen |
Vijay Amritraj Anand Amritraj 6–3, 6–4 | Marty Riessen Roscoe Tanner |
8 March | Mexico City WCT Mexico City, Mexico | Raúl Ramírez 7–6 6–2 | Eddie Dibbs | Guillermo Vilas Marcelo Lara | Brian Gottfried Ken Rosewall Tom Gorman Syd Ball |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie |
15 March | Washington Indoor Washington, USA | Harold Solomon 6–3 6–1 | Onny Parun | John Newcombe Charlie Pasarell | Eddie Dibbs Ray Moore Mark Cox Allan Stone |
Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon 6–4, 7–5 | Mark Cox Cliff Drysdale |
15 March | Tennis South Invitational Jackson, USA | Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–3 | Raúl Ramírez | Vijay Amritraj Ross Case | Tom Gorman Dick Stockton Billy Martin Phil Dent |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 7–5, 4–6, 6–0 | Ross Case Geoff Masters |
29 March | Caracas Open Caracas, Venezuela | Raúl Ramírez 6–3, 6–4 | Ilie Năstase | Arthur Ashe Jeff Borowiak | Ray Moore Dick Stockton Brian Gottfried Erik Van Dillen |
Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 7–5, 6–4 | Jeff Borowiak Ilie Năstase |
29 March | São Paulo WCT São Paulo, Brasil | Björn Borg 7–6, 6–2 | Guillermo Vilas | Andrew Pattison Tomas Koch | Jaime Fillol Phil Dent Ross Case Geoff Masters |
Ross Case Geoff Masters 7–5, 6–1 | Charlie Pasarell Allan Stone |
April
Week of |
Tournament |
Champions |
Runners-up |
Semifinalists |
Quarterfinalists |
5 April | Johannesburg Indoor Johannesburg, South Africa | Onny Parun 7-6, 6–3 | Cliff Drysdale | Ross Case Tom Okker | Guillermo Vilas Kim Warwick Geoff Masters Ray Moore |
Marty Riessen Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 7–5 | Frew McMillan Tom Okker |
5 April | Houston Open Houston, USA | Harold Solomon 6–4, 1–6, 6–1 | Ken Rosewall | Eddie Dibbs Vitas Gerulaitis | Bob Lutz Phil Dent Ilie Năstase John Alexander |
Rod Laver Ken Rosewall 6–4, 6–2 | Charlie Pasarell Allan Stone |
12 April | Monte Carlo Open Monte Carlo, Monaco | Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 | Wojciech Fibak | François Jauffret Karl Meiler | Ray Moore Adriano Panatta Alex Metreveli Björn Borg |
Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler 7–6, 6–1 | Björn Borg Guillermo Vilas |
13 April | Charlotte WCT Charlotte, USA | Tony Roche 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 | Vitas Gerulaitis | Eddie Dibbs Ken Rosewall | Cliff Richey Ross Case Dick Stockton Geoff Masters |
John Newcombe Tony Roche 6–3, 7–5 | Vitas Gerulaitis Gene Mayer |
19 April | Denver Open Denver, USA | Jimmy Connors 7–6, 6–2 | Ross Case | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez | Billy Martin Geoff Masters Charlie Pasarell John Alexander |
John Alexander Phil Dent 6–7, 6–2, 7–5 | Jimmy Connors Billy Martin |
19 April | Stockholm WCT Stockholm, Sweden | Wojciech Fibak 6–4, 7–6 | Ilie Năstase | Adriano Panatta Tom Okker | Björn Borg Mark Edmondson Alex Metreveli Guillermo Vilas |
Alexander Metreveli Ilie Năstase 6–4, 7–5 | Tom Okker Adriano Panatta |
28 April | Masters Doubles WCT Kansas City, USA | Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 | Bob Lutz Ramsey Smith | | |
Standings
Player |
Tournaments Played |
Tournaments Won |
Matches Won |
Matches Lost |
Points |
Prize Money |
Arthur Ashe * |
8 |
5 |
26 |
3 |
860 |
$253,013 |
Raúl Ramírez * |
8 |
2 |
18 |
6 |
705 |
$104,700 |
Guillermo Vilas * |
7 |
3 |
19 |
4 |
695 |
$99,163 |
Eddie Dibbs * |
8 |
2 |
19 |
6 |
675 |
$79,538 |
Björn Borg * |
8 |
2 |
17 |
6 |
650 |
$135,838 |
Dick Stockton * |
8 |
1 |
17 |
5 |
595 |
$62,475 |
Bob Lutz * |
8 |
0 |
15 |
9 |
585 |
$69,013 |
Harold Solomon * |
8 |
2 |
16 |
7 |
565 |
$75,038 |
Vitas Gerulaitis |
8 |
0 |
12 |
10 |
540 |
$40,900 |
Brian Gottfried |
8 |
0 |
14 |
8 |
535 |
$54,600 |
* Qualified for the WCT Finals.[2]
Notes
- ↑ The tournament was halted at the semifinal stage due to a coup d'etat attempt in Nigeria and the final was played on April 2 in Caracas, Venezuela during the Caracas WCT tournament.[4]