Butch Walts
| Full name | Kenneth B. Walts |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States |
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona, US |
| Born | June 4, 1955 Modesto, California, US |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Turned pro | 1975 |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $454,343 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 137–134 |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 30 (April 16, 1979) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 1R (1979) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1977) |
| US Open | QF (1978) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 172–146 |
| Career titles | 15 |
| Highest ranking | No. 23 (June 18, 1984) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | 1R (1984) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1977) |
| US Open | QF (1980) |
Butch Walts (born June 4, 1955)[1] is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
During his career, Walts won 4 singles titles and 15 doubles titles. He reached the quarter finals of the 1978 US Open, beating defending champion Guillermo Vilas before losing to John McEnroe. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32 in 1979 and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 23 in 1984. In 1981 Walts overcame testicular cancer and had surgery and chemotherapy.[2]
Career finals
Singles (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Result | W-L | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | 1976 | Boca Raton, U.S. | Hard | Cliff Richey | 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | 1977 | San Francisco, U.S. | Carpet | Brian Gottfried | 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 3–0 | 1979 | Dayton, U.S. | Carpet | Marty Riessen | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 4–0 | 1979 | Bologna, Italy | Carpet | Gianni Ocleppo | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4–1 | 1983 | Ferrara, Italy | Carpet | Thomas Högstedt | 4–6, 4–6 |
Doubles (15 titles, 8 runner-ups)
| Result | W-L | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | 1976 | Boca Raton, U.S. | Hard | Bruce Manson | Vitas Gerulaitis Clark Graebner |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | 1976 | Hong Kong | Hard | Hank Pfister | Anand Amritraj Ilie Năstase |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–1 | 1977 | Dayton, U.S. | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Jeff Borowiak Andrew Pattison |
6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | 1978 | Dayton, U.S. | Carpet | Hank Pfister | Brian Gottfried Geoff Masters |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 3–2 | 1978 | Atlanta, U.S. | Hard | John Alexander | Mike Cahill Marcello Lara |
3–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Win | 4–2 | 1978 | Taipei, Taiwan | Carpet | Sherwood Stewart | Mark Edmondson John Marks |
6–2, 6–7, 7–6 |
| Loss | 4–3 | 1980 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Carpet | Andrew Pattison | Vijay Amritraj Stan Smith |
7–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 4–4 | 1980 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | Andrew Pattison | Peter Fleming John McEnroe |
2–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–4 | 1980 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Brian Teacher | Anand Amritraj John Austin |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–5 | 1980 | Surbiton, U.K. | Grass | Andrew Pattison | Mark Edmondson Kim Warwick |
6–7, 7–6, 7–6, 6–7, 13–15 |
| Win | 6–5 | 1980 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Andrew Pattison | Fritz Buehning Peter Rennert |
7–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 7–5 | 1980 | Atlanta, U.S. | Hard | Tom Gullikson | Anand Amritraj John Austin |
6–7, 7–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 8–5 | 1980 | Bologna, Italy | Carpet | Balázs Taróczy | Steve Denton Paul McNamee |
2–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Win | 9–5 | 1981 | Denver, U.S. | Carpet | Andrew Pattison | Mel Purcell Dick Stockton |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 10–5 | 1981 | Tampa, U.S. | Hard | Bernard Mitton | David Carter Paul Kronk |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 11–5 | 1981 | Frankfurt, West Germany | Carpet | Brian Teacher | Vitas Gerulaitis John McEnroe |
7–5, 6–7, 7–5 |
| Win | 12–5 | 1981 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Tom Gullikson | John McEnroe Ferdi Taygan |
6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 13–5 | 1983 | Ferrara, Italy | Carpet | Bernard Mitton | Stanislav Birner Stefan Simonsson |
7–6, 0–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 13–6 | 1983 | Toulouse, France | Hard (i) | Bernard Mitton | Heinz Günthardt Pavel Složil |
7–5, 5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 14–6 | 1984 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | Bernard Mitton | Scott Davis Ferdi Taygan |
5–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 14–7 | 1984 | Florence, Italy | Clay | Bernard Mitton | Mark Dickson Chip Hooper |
6–7, 6–4, 5–7 |
| Loss | 14–8 | 1984 | London/Queen's Club, U.K. | Grass | Bernard Mitton | Pat Cash Paul McNamee |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 15–8 | 1984 | Honolulu, U.S. | Hard | Gary Donnelly | Mark Dickson Mike Leach |
7–6, 6–4 |
References
- ^ Images, Historic. "1975 Press Photo BUTCH WALTS TENNIS PLAYER GOLD MEDAL DEFEAT GONZALEZ". Historic Images. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Walts advances". The New York Times. February 2, 1983. Retrieved October 16, 2024.