1973 World Championship Tennis circuit

The 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1973. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). In April 1972 WCT signed an agreement with the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) as a result of which the 1973 men's tennis season was divided in a WCT section, which ran from January until May, and a Grand Prix circuit which was held from May onward. The WCT Circuit divided the players into two groups of 32 players, with each group playing 11 tournaments of the 22 tournaments. The four highest ranked players from each group qualified for the season finals in Dallas.^[1] The total available prize money was almost $1,250,000.^[2]

1973 World Championship Tennis circuit

Smith won 7 titles
Details
Duration	15 January 1973 – 9 May 1973
Edition	6th
Tournaments	23
Achievements (singles)
Most titles	Stan Smith (7)
Most finals	Stan Smith (8)
Points leader	Stan Smith (75)
← 1972 1974 →

Schedule

Key

Tour Finals

Group A Tournaments

Group B Tournaments

January

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
15 Jan	Saga Bay Classic Miami, United States Group A Hard – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Rod Laver 7–6(7–2), 6–3, 7–5	Dick Stockton	Bob Lutz John Alexander	Roy Emerson Jim McManus Cliff Richey Stan Smith
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 6–4, 6–4	Terry Addison Colin Dibley
18 Jan	Rothmans International Deeside and London, Great Britain Group B Hard (i) – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Brian Fairlie 2–6, 6–2, 6–2, 7–6	Mark Cox	Arthur Ashe Marty Riessen	Tom Okker Ken Rosewall Alex Metreveli Dick Crealy
		Tom Okker Marty Riessen 6–3, 6–3	Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner
22 Jan	Michelob Pro–Celebrity La Costa, United States Group A Hard – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Colin Dibley 6–3, 7–6(8–6)	Stan Smith	Rod Laver Roy Emerson	Tom Edlefsen John Alexander Harold Solomon Phil Dent
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 6–7, 6–3, 6–4	Nikola Pilić Allan Stone
29 Jan	Astor Cup Professional Championships Milan, Italy Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Marty Riessen 7–6(7–4), 6–0, 7–6(7–3)	Roscoe Tanner	Ken Rosewall Tom Gorman	Dick Crealy Bob Carmichael Mark Cox Tom Okker
		Tom Okker Marty Riessen 6–3, 6–3	Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle
	Fidelity Tournament Richmond, United States Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Rod Laver 6–4, 6–3	Roy Emerson	John Alexander Dick Stockton	Cliff Richey Bob Lutz Stan Smith Phil Dent
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 3–6, 6–3, 6–4	Terry Addison Colin Dibley

February

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
6 Feb	U.S. Professional Indoor Philadelphia, United States Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–4	Robert Lutz	Bob Maud Niki Pilić	Cliff Richey Dick Stockton Rod Laver Colin Dibley
		Brian Gottfried Dick Stockton 4–6, 6–3, 6–4	Roy Emerson Rod Laver
11 Feb	Rothmans International Toronto, Ontario, Canada Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Rod Laver 6–3, 6–4	Roy Emerson	Stan Smith Jaime Fillol	Cliff Richey Allan Stone Ove Bengtson Dick Stockton
		John Alexander Phil Dent 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2	Roy Emerson Rod Laver
12 Feb	Professional Championships Copenhagen, Denmark Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Roger Taylor 6–2, 6–3, 7–6(7–1)	Marty Riessen	Brian Fairlie Ken Rosewall	Mark Cox Jan Kodeš Erik van Dillen Dick Crealy
		Tom Gorman Erik van Dillen 6–4, 6–4	Mark Cox Graham Stilwell
19 Feb	World Professional Championships Cologne, West Germany Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Jan Kodeš 6–1, 6–3, 6–1	Brian Fairlie	Mark Cox Alex Metreveli	Marty Riessen Ken Rosewall Haroon Rahim Ismail El Shafei
		Mark Cox Graham Stilwell 7–6, 6–3	Tom Okker Marty Riessen
26 Feb	Kemper International Chicago, United States Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Arthur Ashe 3–6, 7–6(11–9), 7–6(7–2)	Roger Taylor	Tom Gorman Dick Crealy	Marty Riessen Tom Okker Ken Rosewall Ray Moore
		Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle 6–7, 6–4, 6–2	Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie

March

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
19 Mar	Peachtree Corners Classic Atlanta, United States Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–4	Rod Laver	Cliff Richey Cliff Drysdale	Onny Parun Dick Stockton Allan Stone Robert Maud
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 7–6, 6–3	Robert Maud Andrew Pattison
	Union Trust Classic Washington, United States Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Tom Okker 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3)	Arthur Ashe	Roger Taylor Ken Rosewall	Ray Moore Mark Cox Dick Crealy Alex Metreveli
		Tom Okker Marty Riessen 4–6, 7–6, 6–2	Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner
26 Mar	Holton Tennis Classic St. Louis, United States Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 6–4, 3–6, 6–4	Rod Laver	Cliff Drysdale Niki Pilić	John Alexander Gerald Battrick Bob Lutz Cliff Richey
		Ove Nils Bengtson Jim McManus 6–2, 7–5	Terry Addison Colin Dibley
	Rothmans International Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Tom Gorman 3–6, 6–2, 7–5	Jan Kodeš	Roscoe Tanner Ken Rosewall	Fred Stolle Erik van Dillen Pierre Barthès Ray Moore
		Pierre Barthès Roger Taylor 5–7, 6–3, 7–6	Tom Gorman Erik van Dillen

April

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
2 Apr	River Oaks International Tennis Tournament Houston, United States Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Ken Rosewall 6–4, 6–1, 7–5	Fred Stolle	Jan Kodeš Tom Okker	Arthur Ashe Vladimír Zedník Marty Riessen Brian Fairlie
		Tom Okker Marty Riessen 7–5, 7–5	Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner
	Munich WCT Munich, West Germany Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 6–1, 7–5	Cliff Richey	John Alexander Brian Gottfried	Robert Lutz Rod Laver Ove Bengtson Dick Stockton
		Nikola Pilić Allan Stone 7–5, 5–7, 6–4	Cliff Drysdale Cliff Richey
9 Apr	Brussels WCT Brussels, Belgium Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 6–2, 6–4, 6–1	Rod Laver	Dick Stockton Roy Emerson	Cliff Richey Cliff Drysdale Ove Bengtson John Alexander
		Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–4, 7–6	John Alexander Phil Dent
	Cleveland Tennis Classic Cleveland, United States Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–4	Roger Taylor	Raymond Moore Brian Fairlie	Arthur Ashe Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau Marty Riessen Jan Kodeš
		Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle 6–2, 6–3	Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie
16 Apr	Carolinas International Tennis Tournament Charlotte, United States Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Ken Rosewall 6–3, 7–6(7–1)	Arthur Ashe	Roscoe Tanner Mark Cox	Tom Gorman Bob Carmichael Željko Franulović Marty Riessen
		Tom Okker Marty Riessen 7–6, 3–6, 6–3	Tom Gorman Erik van Dillen
	Johannesburg WCT Johannesburg, South Africa Group A Hard – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Brian Gottfried W/O[a]	Jaime Fillol	Ove Bengtson Onny Parun	Robert Lutz Andrew Pattison Colin Dibley Gerald Battrick
		Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–1, 6–4, 6–4	Frew McMillan Allan Stone
23 Apr	United Bank Classic Denver, United States Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Mark Cox 6–1, 6–1	Arthur Ashe	Roscoe Tanner Ross Case	Brian Fairlie Marty Riessen Tom Leonard Roger Taylor
		Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner 3–6, 6–3, 7–6	Tom Okker Marty Riessen
	Swedish Pro Tennis Championships Gothenburg, Sweden Group A Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 5–7, 6–4, 6–2	John Alexander	Gerald Battrick Rod Laver	Ove Bengtson Cliff Richey Roy Emerson Dick Stockton
		Roy Emerson Rod Laver 6–7, 6–4, 6–1	Nikola Pilić Allan Stone

May

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
3 May	Masters Doubles WCT Montreal, Quebec, Canada Tour Finals Carpet – $200,000 – 8D	Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–2, 7–6(7–1), 6–0	Tom Okker Marty Riessen	Emerson / Laver Rosewall / Stolle	Addison / Dibley Pilić / Stone Cox / Stilwell Ashe / Tanner
9 May	WCT Finals Dallas, United States Tour Finals Carpet – $100,000 – 8S Singles	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4	Arthur Ashe	Rod Laver Ken Rosewall	John Alexander Roy Emerson Marty Riessen Roger Taylor

Statistical information

Titles won by player

Key

Tour Finals

Regular Tournaments

All titles

Total	Player	Singles	Doubles	Singles	Doubles	Singles	Doubles
10	Stan Smith (USA)	1	1	6	2	7	3
8	Rod Laver (AUS)			3	5	3	5
6	Marty Riessen (USA)			1	5	1	5
6	Tom Okker (NED)			1	5	1	5
5	Ken Rosewall (AUS)			3	2	3	2
5	Roy Emerson (AUS)				5		5
3	Robert Lutz (USA)		1		2		3
2	Roger Taylor (GBR)			1	1	1	1
2	Arthur Ashe (USA)			1	1	1	1
2	Tom Gorman (USA)			1	1	1	1
2	Brian Gottfried (USA)			1	1	1	1
2	Mark Cox (GBR)			1	1	1	1
2	Fred Stolle (AUS)				2		2
1	Brian Fairlie (AUS)			1		1
1	Colin Dibley (AUS)			1		1
1	Jan Kodeš (TCH)			1		1
1	Dick Stockton (USA)				1	1
1	John Alexander (AUS)				1		1
1	Phil Dent (AUS)				1		1
1	Erik Van Dillen (USA)				1		1
1	Graham Stilwell (GBR)				1		1
1	Pierre Barthès (FRA)				1		1
1	Ove Bengtson (SWE)				1		1
1	Jim McManus (USA)				1		1
1	Nikola Pilić (YUG)				1		1
1	Allan Stone (AUS)				1		1
1	Roscoe Tanner (USA)				1		1

Titles won by nation

Key

Tour Finals

Group A Tournaments

Group B Tournaments

All titles

Total	Nation	Singles	Doubles	Singles	Doubles	Singles	Doubles	Singles	Doubles
23	United States (USA)	1	1	7	4	3	7	11	12
17	Australia (AUS)			4	7	4	2	8	9
6	Netherlands (NED)					1	5	1	5
4	Great Britain (GBR)					2	2	2	2
1	Czechoslovakia (TCH)					1		1
1	France (FRA)						1		1
1	Sweden (SWE)				1				1
1	Yugoslavia (YUG)				1				1

Standings

Key

Qualified for Tour Finals

Group A Rk Name Country Matches Played Matches Won Points Prize Money (USD) 1 Stan Smith  USA 46 41 75 154,100 2 Rod Laver AUS 44 37 63 78,200 3 Roy Emerson AUS 29 20 28 41,350 3 John Alexander AUS 33 22 28 31,300 5 Cliff Richey  USA 34 23 27 24,350 6 Dick Stockton  USA 31 20 25 23,200 7 Bob Lutz  USA 27 17 21 41,800 8 Brian Gottfried  USA 20 10 20 20,300 9 Colin Dibley AUS 23 13 18 22,750 10 Jaime Fillol CHI 22 13 17 14,300

Group B Rk Name Country Matches Played Matches Won Points Prize Money (USD) 1 Ken Rosewall AUS 42 34 53 66,400 2 Arthur Ashe  USA 36 26 41 63,150 3 Marty Riessen  USA 36 26 35 47,200 4 Roger Taylor GBR 31 21 34 42,800 4 Mark Cox GBR 33 23 34 31,950 6 Brian Fairlie AUS 32 22 33 30,900 7 Jan Kodeš TCH 27 19 28 23,800 8 Tom Okker NED 29 19 25 34,400 9 Roscoe Tanner  USA 27 16 24 25,250 10 Tom Gorman  USA 25 16 23 28,200

See also

• 1973 Grand Prix circuit
• 1973 USLTA Indoor Circuit

Notes

1. Fillol defaulted before the final due to illness (flu).^[3]