Richmond WCT
| Richmond WCT | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Event name | Fidelity Bankers Invitational United Virginia Bank Tennis Classic |
| Tour | ILTF World Circuit (1966–1971) WCT Tour (1972–1984) Grand Prix (1978–1981) |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Abolished | 1984 |
| Editions | 19 |
| Location | Richmond, Virginia |
| Venue | Richmond Arena Richmond Coliseum Robins Center |
| Surface | Carpet / indoor |
The Richmond WCT, also known by its sponsored names Fidelity Bankers Invitational and United Virginia Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played in Richmond, Virginia in the United States founded in 1966 as the Richmond Invitational Indoor Championships .[1] The inaugural edition in February 1966 was a two-day event with eight player and without prize money. The first six editions, from 1966 through 1971, were invitational tournaments and were held at the Richmond Arena. The 1970 edition was the first one to offer prize money, namely $12,500. In 1972 the event became part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Tour[a] and moved to the Richmond Coliseum.[2] All subsequent editions were held at the Coliseum except for the 1983 edition which was held at the Robins Center.[3] All editions were held on indoor carpet courts. Lou Einwick was the tournament chairman or director for all editions.
Finals
Singles
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Chuck McKinley | Frank Froehling | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1967 | Charlie Pasarell | Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 8–6 |
| 1968 | Arthur Ashe | Chuck McKinley | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1969 | Clark Graebner | Thomaz Koch | 6–3, 10–12, 9–7 |
| 1970 | Arthur Ashe (2) | Stan Smith | 6–2, 13–11 |
| 1971 | Ilie Năstase | Arthur Ashe | 3–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1972 | Rod Laver | Cliff Drysdale | 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 1973 | Rod Laver (2) | Roy Emerson | 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1974 | Ilie Năstase | Tom Gorman | 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1975 | Björn Borg | Arthur Ashe | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1976 | Arthur Ashe (3) | Brian Gottfried | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1977 | Tom Okker | Vitas Gerulaitis | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1978 | Vitas Gerulaitis | John Newcombe | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1979 | Björn Borg (2) | Guillermo Vilas | 6–3, 6–1 |
| 1980 | John McEnroe | Roscoe Tanner | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1981 | Yannick Noah | Ivan Lendl | 6–1, 3–1, RET. |
| 1982 | José Luis Clerc | Fritz Buehning | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1983 | Guillermo Vilas | Steve Denton | 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 1984 | John McEnroe (2) | Steve Denton | 6–3, 7–6(9–7) |
Doubles
See also
- Virginia Slims of Richmond – women's tournament
Notes
- ^ From 1978 until 1981 the WCT circuit was incorporated into the Grand Prix circuit.
References
- ^ "Passarell, Ashe Seeded 1 & 2 at Richmond". The Daily Times. Salisbury, Maryland: newspapers.com. 2 Feb 1968. p. 8. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ John Packett (January 26, 1975). "Tournament developed in decade". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. F-1, F-2, F-4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ John Packett (February 15, 1983). "Einwick pleased with tournament despite problems". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. C-2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nastase takes upset victory against Ashe". The Daily Times. Salisbury, Maryland. Associated Press. 1971-02-08. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
External links
- ATP Tour archive
- Reports and photos of 1977 Richmond WCT Mike Harris, Ben Blake, Tom Savage Commonwealth Times 1977-02-08, pages 12–15
- The $35,000 Racquet Dave Cody, Commonwealth Times February 17, 1981 pp. 1,12–13,24