1976 World Championship Tennis circuit

Ashe (left) was prize money leader
Details
Duration	5 January 1976 – 9 May 1976
Edition	9th
Tournaments	26
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles	Arthur Ashe (5)
Most tournament finals	Arthur Ashe (6)
Prize money leader	Arthur Ashe ($253,013)
Points leader	Arthur Ashe (860)
← 1975 1977 →

The 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional men's 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 Jan	Monterrey WCT	Monterrey, Mexico	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Eddie Dibbs	Harold Solomon	7–6, 6–2
7 Jan	Columbus WCT	Columbus, Ohio, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Arthur Ashe	Andrew Pattison	3–6, 6–3, 7–6
12 Jan	Indianapolis WCT	Indianapolis, U.S.	16S / 8D		Carpet (i)	Arthur Ashe	Vitas Gerulaitis	6–2, 6–7, 6–4
14 Jan	Phoenix Cup	Atlanta, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Ilie Năstase	Jeff Borowiak	6–2, 6–4
26 Jan	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 Feb	Barcelona WCT	Barcelona, Spain	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Eddie Dibbs	Cliff Drysdale	6–1, 6–1
4 Feb	Richmond WCT	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Arthur Ashe	Brian Gottfried	6–2, 6–4
9 Feb	Lagos WCT	Lagos, Nigeria[a]	16S / 8D	$60,000	Clay	Dick Stockton	Arthur Ashe	6–3, 6–2
10 Feb	Toronto WCT	Toronto, Canada	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Björn Borg	Vitas Gerulaitis	2–6, 6–3, 6–1
17 Feb	St. Louis WCT	St. Louis, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Guillermo Vilas	Vijay Amritraj	4–6, 6–0, 6–4
17 Feb	Rome WCT	Rome, Italy	16S / 8D	$60,000	Clay	Arthur Ashe	Bob Lutz	6–2, 0–6, 6–3
23 Feb	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 Feb	Rotterdam WCT	Rotterdam, Netherlands	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Arthur Ashe	Bob Lutz	6–3, 6–3
8 Mar	Memphis WCT	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Vijay Amritraj	Stan Smith	6–2, 0–6, 6–0
8 Mar	Mexico City WCT	Mexico City, Mexico	16S / 8D	$60,000	Clay	Raúl Ramírez	Eddie Dibbs	7–6, 6–2
15 Mar	Washington WCT	Washington, D.C., U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Harold Solomon	Onny Parun	6–3, 6–1
15 Mar	Jackson WCT	Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Ken Rosewall	Raúl Ramírez	6–3, 6–3
29 Mar	Caracas WCT	Caracas, Venezuela	16S / 8D	$60,000	Clay	Raúl Ramírez	Ilie Năstase	6–3, 6–4
29 Mar	São Paulo WCT	São Paulo, Brazil	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Björn Borg	Guillermo Vilas	7–6, 6–2
5 Apr	Johannesburg WCT	Johannesburg, South Africa	16S / 8D		Hard	Onny Parun	Cliff Drysdale	7–6, 6–3
5 Apr	Houston WCT	Houston, U.S.	16S / 8D	$25,000	Clay	Harold Solomon	Ken Rosewall	6–1, 4–6, 6–1
12 Apr	Monte Carlo WCT	Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France	16S / 8D	$60,000	Clay	Guillermo Vilas	Wojciech Fibak	6–1, 6–1, 6–4
13 Apr	Charlotte WCT	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.	16S / 8D		Carpet (i)	Tony Roche	Vitas Gerulaitis	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
19 Apr	Stockholm WCT	Stockholm, Sweden	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Wojciech Fibak	Ilie Năstase	6–4, 7–6(8–6)
19 Apr	Denver WCT	Denver, U.S.	16S / 8D	$60,000	Carpet (i)	Jimmy Connors	Ross Case	7–6, 6–2
4 May	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	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Jan	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 Jan	Columbus WCT Columbus, US $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 Jan	Indianapolis WCT Indianapolis, US $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 Jan	Phoenix Cup Atlanta, US $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 Jan	U.S. Pro Indoor Philadelphia, US $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	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
2 Feb	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 Feb	United Virginia Bank Classic Richmond, US Carpet (i) – $50,000 – 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 Feb	Lagos Tennis Classic 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 Feb	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 Feb	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 Feb	St. Louis Tennis Classic St. Louis, US Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 32S/16D	Guillermo Vilas 4–6, 6–0, 6–4	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 Feb	Rotterdam WCT Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 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 Feb	Colonial National Invitational Fort Worth, US 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	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
8 Mar	U.S. Indoor National Championships Memphis, US	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 Mar	Mexico City WCT Mexico City, Mexico Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 16S/8D	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 Mar	Washington Indoor Washington, US Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 16S/8D	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 Mar	Tennis South Invitational Jackson, US Carpet (i) – $60,000 – 16S/8D	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 Mar	Caracas WCT 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 Mar	São Paulo WCT São Paulo, Brasil	Björn Borg 7–6, 6–2	Guillermo Vilas	Andrew Pattison Thomaz Koch	Jaime Fillol Phil Dent Ross Case Geoff Masters
		Ross Case Geoff Masters 7–5, 6–1	Charlie Pasarell Allan Stone

April

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Apr	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 Apr	Houston Open Houston, US	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 Apr	Monte Carlo Open Monte Carlo, Monaco $60,000 – 16S/8D – clay	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 Apr	Charlotte Tennis Classic Charlotte, US $60,000 – 16S/8D – clay	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 Apr	United Bank Tennis Classic Denver, US $60,000 – 16S/8D – carpet (i)	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 Apr	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 Apr	Masters Doubles WCT Kansas City, US	Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4	Bob Lutz Stan Smith

May

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
4 May	WCT Finals Dallas, United States Tour Finals $100,000 – carpet – 8S Singles	Björn Borg 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1	Guillermo Vilas	Harold Solomon Dick Stockton	Eddie Dibbs Robert Lutz Arthur Ashe Raúl Ramírez

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]