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French Pro Championship

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French Pro Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1930
Abolished1968
LocationParis, France
VenueStade Roland Garros (1930–39,1956–1962,1968)
Palais des Sports (1950–1953)
Stade Pierre de Coubertin (1963–67)
SurfaceClay, Hard, Wood

The French Pro Championship was a major tennis tournament founded in 1930 by the "Association Française des Professeurs de Tennis (AFPT)" and ran annually until 1968 when it was discontinued.

History

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In 1930 the "Association Française des Professeurs de Tennis (AFPT)" held its first pro tournament, titled "Championnat International de France Professionnel" (French Pro Championships) June 18–22, 1930,[1] and is considered as a part of the professional major from 1927 to 1967 till the advent of Open Era. The tournament only had a men's draw.[citation needed]

From 1930 the French Pro Championship were always played at Paris, on outdoor clay at Roland Garros except from 1963 to 1967 where it was held at Stade Pierre de Coubertin on indoor wood. Ken Rosewall holds the record for 8 wins overall and 7 consecutive wins.

There was a professional tournament at Roland Garros in 1952 held on a round robin basis, in which Segura finished first, winning the decider over Pancho Gonzales, Kramer third, and Budge fourth. There is no indication yet of recognition by the AFPT as the official French Pro.

There were tournaments played on indoor cement in 1950 and 1953 at the Palais des Sports. They are listed in the table below, but there is no suggestion that they were seen as official French Pro titles.

Champions

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Singles

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Year Champion Runner-up Score Venue Surface
Professional Era
1930 Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Republic of Ireland Albert Burke 6–1, 6–2, 6–1 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1931 France Martin Plaa France Robert Ramillon 6–3, 6–1, 3–6, 6–2 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1932 France Robert Ramillon France Martin Plaa 6–4, 3–6, 8–6, 6–4 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1933[a] Not held
1934 United States Bill Tilden France Martin Plaa 6–2, 6–4, 7–5 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1935 United States Ellsworth Vines Germany Hans Nüsslein 10–8, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1936 France Henri Cochet France Robert Ramillon 6–3, 6–1, 6–1 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1937 Germany Hans Nüsslein France Henri Cochet 6–2, 8–6, 6–3 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1938 Germany Hans Nüsslein United States Bill Tilden 6–0, 6–1, 6–2 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1939 United States Don Budge United States Ellsworth Vines 6–2, 7–5, 6–3 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1940–1949 Not held
1950[b] Ecuador Pancho Segura* United States Jack Kramer Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1951 Not held
1952[b] Ecuador Pancho Segura* United States Jack Kramer 6-3, 6-2[5] Roland Garros Clay
1953[b] Australia Frank Sedgman* United States Pancho Gonzales Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1954–1955 Not held
1956 United States Tony Trabert United States Pancho Gonzales 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–2 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1957 Not held
1958 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Lew Hoad 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–0 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1959 United States Tony Trabert Australia Frank Sedgman 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1960 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Lew Hoad 6–2, 2–6, 6–2, 6–1 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1961 Australia Ken Rosewall United States Pancho Gonzales 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 8–6 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1962 Australia Ken Rosewall Spain Andrés Gimeno 3–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 [2] Roland Garros Clay
1963 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6–8, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 [2] Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1964 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–3 [2] Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1965 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 [2] Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1966 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6–3, 6–2, 14–12 [2] Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1967 Australia Rod Laver Spain Andrés Gimeno 6–4, 8–6, 4–6, 6–2 [2] Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
Open Era
1968 Australia Rod Laver Australia John Newcombe 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 Roland Garros Clay

Notes:

  1. ^ In History of the Pro Tennis Wars[3] Ray Bowers gives a detailed account of the first twenty years of the professional tennis tours, from a modest beginning in 1926 with Suzanne Lenglen and Vincent Richards as the main attractions, on through 1945. No mention is made of a French Pro tournament in 1933. The only professional competition played that year at Roland Garros was a USA-France meeting, September 22–24, in the Davis Cup format won by the USA 4–1 where Cochet overcame Bruce Barnes, Tilden defeated Plaa and Cochet, Barnes beat Plaa, and Americans then closed out the doubles. Many sources, probably incorrectly, considered the Tilden-Cochet match as a final of a supposed French Pro.[4]
  2. ^ a b c In 1953, from Saturday November 21 to Sunday November 22, a 4-man (Sedgman winner, Gonzales runner-up, Segura 3rd and Budge 4th) professional tournament was held in Paris on indoor red cement at the Palais des Sports but there is no mention that this tournament was a French Pro: in particular in the January 1954 edition of Tennis de France, the French magazine, run by Philippe Chatrier (future president of the ILTF) who made the report of this tournament by interviewing the winner Frank Sedgman. Joe McCauley included this tournament in his list of French Pro tournaments but in the precis to his book History of Professional Tennis mentions that it may not have been considered at the time as an official French Pro. In January 1950 at the same site Pancho Segura defeated Jack Kramer.

Doubles

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Year Champion Runner-up Score Venue Surface
Professional Era
1930 Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh
Germany Roman Najuch
Republic of Ireland Albert Burke
Republic of Ireland Edmund Burke
6–4, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 Roland Garros Clay
1931 Roland Garros Clay
1932 Roland Garros Clay
1933 Not held
1934 Roland Garros Clay
1935 United States Bill Tilden
United States Ellsworth Vines
Republic of Ireland Albert Burke
Germany Hans Nüsslein
6–4, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 Roland Garros Clay
1936 France Henri Cochet
Republic of Ireland Albert Burke
France Martin Plaa
France Robert Ramillon
6–1, 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 Roland Garros Clay
1937 United States Lester Stoefen
United States Bill Tilden
France Henri Cochet
France Robert Ramillon
6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 Roland Garros Clay
1938 France Martin Plaa
France Robert Ramillon
Germany Hans Nüsslein
United States Bill Tilden
6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 Roland Garros Clay
1939 United States Don Budge
United States Ellsworth Vines
France Henri Cochet
France Robert Ramillon
6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 Roland Garros Clay
1940–1949 Not held
1950 Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1951 Not held
1952 Roland Garros Clay
1953 United States Don Budge*
Australia Frank Sedgman*
United States Pancho Gonzales
Ecuador Pancho Segura
2–6, 9–7, 6–4 Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1954–1955 Not held
1956 United States Pancho Gonzales
United States Tony Trabert
Australia Rex Hartwig
Australia Frank Sedgman
6–3, 2–6, 6–1 Roland Garros Clay
1957 Not held
1958 Australia Lew Hoad
United States Tony Trabert
United States Pancho Gonzales
Australia Ken Rosewall
6–4, 2–6, 6–1 Roland Garros Clay
1959 Australia Lew Hoad
United States Tony Trabert
Australia Mervyn Rose
Australia Frank Sedgman
14–12, 6–4, 6–2 Roland Garros Clay
1960 Australia Lew Hoad
United States Tony Trabert
Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Frank Sedgman
6–4, 6–0, 6–1 Roland Garros Clay
1961 Australia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall
United States Pancho Gonzales
United States Tony Trabert
6–1, 6–3, 8–10, 13–11 Roland Garros Clay
1962 Australia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Mal Anderson
Australia Ashley Cooper
6–1, 6–3, 6–3 Roland Garros Clay
1963 Australia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Mal Anderson
Australia Rod Laver
6–2, 7–5, 8–6 Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1964 Australia Lew Hoad
Australia Ken Rosewall
Chile Luis Ayala
Spain Andrés Gimeno
6–8, 6–4, 6–4 Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1965 Australia Mal Anderson
Australia Ken Rosewall
United States Butch Buchholz
Australia Rod Laver
10–8, 4–6, 8–6, 2–6, 10–8 Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1966 United States Butch Buchholz
Australia Rod Laver
France Pierre Barthès
Spain Andrés Gimeno
6–3, 6–3, 6–4 Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
1967 France Pierre Barthès
Spain Andrés Gimeno
Australia Rod Laver
Australia Fred Stolle
6–3, 6–4 Stade Pierre de Coubertin Wood (i)
Open Era
1968 Australia Roy Emerson
Australia Rod Laver
Australia Ken Rosewall
Australia Fred Stolle
1–6, 3–6, 11–9, 6–3, 6–2 Roland Garros Clay

Source:[6]

Bristol Cup and other French professional events

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Before 1930 some tournaments were sometimes labelled "Professional Championships of France": the Bristol Cup (held from 1920 to 1932), the most important pro tournament in the world in the 1920s, was sometimes referred as the French Pro[7] as well as the World Pro tournament held at Deauville in 1925.[8] Therefore, two different tournaments were both considered as French Pro Championships in 1925 (World Pro at Deauville and Bristol Cup at Cannes) and from 1930 to 1932 (Roland Garros and Bristol Cup at Beaulieu).[9]

Records

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Men's singles

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Source: French Pro Championships, (1930–68): The Tennisbase included [10]

Most titles Australia Ken Rosewall 8
Most finals Australia Ken Rosewall 8
Most consecutive titles Australia Ken Rosewall
(1960 - 1966)
7
Most consecutive finals Australia Ken Rosewall
(1960 - 1966)
7
Most matches played Australia Ken Rosewall 32
Most matches won Australia Ken Rosewall 30
Most consecutive matches won Australia Ken Rosewall 25
Most editions played Australia Ken Rosewall 11
Best winning % Australia Ken Rosewall 93.75%
Title won with the fewest games lost Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh 20
(1930)
Youngest champion United States Don Budge 23y, 7m, 14d
(1939)
Oldest champion United States Bill Tilden 41y, 7m, 7d
(1934)
Longest final
1963 (55 games)
Australia Ken Rosewall 6 6 5 6 6
Australia Rod Laver 8 4 7 3 4
Shortest final
1938 (21 games)
Germany Hans Nüsslein 6 6 6
United States Bill Tilden 0 1 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Le Tennis en France 1875–1955
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "French Pro Championships". www.tennis.co.nf. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  3. ^ "Tennis Server - Between The Lines - Archive 2004 - 2015". tennisserver.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Cochet as professional". The Courier-mail. No. 25. 25 September 1933. p. 9 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Michel Lejard (June 28, 1952). "Segura volontaire a pris une option sur le tournoi des "Pros"". L'Equipe (in French). p. 6. Segura b. Kramer : 6-3, 7-5.
  6. ^ McCauley (2000), pp. 256–257.
  7. ^ Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annual
  8. ^ Ayres' Lawn Tennis Almanack 1925
  9. ^ Alan, Little (2014). The Golden Days of Tennis on the French Riviera 1874–1939. London: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. p. 452. ISBN 9780906741542.
  10. ^ Garcia, Gabriel. "Tournament Records: French Pro Championships". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 14 December 2017.

Bibliography

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  • McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor: The Short Run Book Company Limited.