1972 Grand Prix (tennis)

The 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year and organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). It consisted of 33 Grand Prix tournaments in different categories including three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and was followed by a season-ending Masters tournament. The circuit ran from February through November.

1972 Grand Prix circuit

Stan Smith at 2009 US Open
Details
Duration	14 February 1972 – 28 November 1972
Edition	3rd
Tournaments	33
Categories	Group AA (3) Group A (7) Group B (4) Group C (14) Group D (5)
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles	Stan Smith (9)
Most tournament finals	Ilie Năstase (11)
Prize money leader	Ilie Năstase (£21,000)
Points leader	Ilie Năstase (659)
← 1971 1973 →

The 1972 Grand Prix circuit ran in competition with the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and, to a lesser extent, with the smaller 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. Five American indoor tournament in February and March were als part of the USLTA Indoor Circuit. In July 1971 at its annual meeting, the ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from their tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards. This meant that leading WCT players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe did not initially have permission to compete in the Grand Prix circuit and Newcombe could not defend his two consecutive Wimbledon titles of 1970 and 1971. In April 1972, however, an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through April and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. Under the agreement the players contracted by the WCT could play in the Grand Prix events as of September 1972. The deal was ratified at the annual ILTF meeting in July.

Schedule

Key

Group AA tournaments

Grand Prix Masters

Group A tournaments

Group B tournaments

Group C tournaments

Team events

February

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
14 Feb	The May Co. International Los Angeles, California, US Group C 32S/16D	Andrés Gimeno 6–3, 2–6, 6–2	Pierre Barthès	Jimmy Connors Thomaz Koch	Vladimír Zedník Cliff Richey Pancho Gonzales Ilie Năstase
		Jim Osborne Jim McManus 6–2, 5–7, 6–4	Ilie Năstase Ion Țiriac
20 Feb	U.S. National Indoor Championships Salisbury, Maryland, US Group B Hard – $50,000 – 64S/32D	Stan Smith 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4	Ilie Năstase	Haroon Rahim Gerald Battrick	Jaime Fillol Clark Graebner Manuel Orantes Tom Gorman
		Manuel Orantes Andrés Gimeno 6–4, 6–3	Juan Gisbert Vladimír Zedník
28 Feb	Clean Air Classic New York, US Group C 64S	Stan Smith 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–1	Juan Gisbert	Cliff Richey Ilie Năstase	Alejandro Olmedo Ove Nils Bengtson Andrés Gimeno Jimmy Connors

March

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Mar	National Indoor Championships Hampton, Virginia, US Group C Hard (i) – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4	Ilie Năstase	Andrés Gimeno Cliff Richey	Juan Gisbert Jimmy Connors Georges Goven Ian Crookenden
		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 7–5, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes
12 Mar	Equity Funding International Washington, D.C., US Group C Carpet (i) – $25,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4	Jimmy Connors	Tom Gorman Manuel Orantes	Jim Osborne Cliff Richey Ilie Năstase Pierre Barthès
		Cliff Richey Tom Edlefsen 6–4, 6–3	Clark Graebner Thomaz Koch
27 Mar	Monte Carlo Open Championships Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France Group C Clay – $20,000 – 32S/32D	Ilie Năstase 6–1, 6–0, 6–3	František Pála	Boro Jovanović Jiří Hřebec	Bernard Mignot Ion Țiriac Szabolcs Baranyi Péter Szőke
		Patrice Beust Daniel Contet 3–6, 6–1, 12–10, 6–2	Jiří Hřebec František Pála

April

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
8 Apr	South African Open * Johannesburg, South Africa Group A Hard – 32S/16D	Cliff Richey 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 6–4	Manuel Orantes	Andrés Gimeno Jaime Fillol	Martin Mulligan Bob Hewitt Andrew Pattison Pat Cramer
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–2, 6–4	Georges Goven Ray Moore
16 Apr	Melia Trophy International Madrid, Spain Group B Clay – 32S/32D	Ilie Năstase 6–0, 6–0, 6–1	František Pála	Jan Kodeš Patrick Proisy	Szabolcs Baranyi Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes Adriano Panatta
		Stan Smith Ilie Năstase 6–3, 6–4, 6–4	Andrés Gimeno Manuel Orantes
23 Apr	Nice International Championships Nice, France Group D Clay – $30,000 – 48S/8D	Ilie Năstase 6–0, 6–4, 6–3	Jan Kodeš	Stan Smith Boro Jovanović	Barry Phillips-Moore Dick Crealy Pierre Barthès Gerald Battrick
		Stan Smith Jan Kodeš 6–3, 3–6, 7–5	Frew McMillan Ilie Năstase
24 Apr	Italian Open Rome, Italy * Group A Clay – $56,000 – 64S/32D	Manuel Orantes 4–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–2	Jan Kodeš	Ilie Năstase Barry Phillips-Moore	Andrew Pattison Paolo Bertolucci Alex Metreveli Jean-Loup Rouyer
		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–3, 5–3 ret.	Frew McMillan Lew Hoad

May

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
13 May	British Hard Court Championships Bournemouth, England * Group C Clay – 32S/16D	Bob Hewitt 6–2, 6–4, 6–3	Pierre Barthès	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 7–5, 6–2	Ilie Năstase Ion Țiriac
14 May	Belgian Open Championships Brussels, Belgium Group C Clay – $25,000 – 32S/16D	Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno	Harold Solomon Barry Phillips-Moore	Patrick Hombergen Juan Gisbert Harald Elschenbroich Vladimír Zedník
		Manuel Orantes Juan Gisbert 9–7, 6–3	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol
22 May	French Open * Paris, France Grand Slam Group AA Clay	Andrés Gimeno 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1	Patrick Proisy	Alex Metreveli Manuel Orantes	Adriano Panatta Stan Smith Harold Solomon Jan Kodeš
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol
		Evonne Goolagong Kim Warwick 6–2, 6–4	Françoise Dürr Jean-Claude Barclay

June

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Jun	German Open Championships Hamburg, West Germany * Group B Clay – 32S/32D	Manuel Orantes 6–3, 9–8, 6–0	Adriano Panatta	Ilie Năstase Stan Smith	Ion Țiriac Jimmy Connors Pat Cramer Jürgen Fassbender
		Ilie Năstase Jan Kodeš 4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2	Bob Hewitt Ion Țiriac
17 Jun	Bristol Open Bristol, England * Group C Grass – 32S/32D	Bob Hewitt 6–4, 6–3	Alejandro Olmedo	François Jauffret Clark Graebner	John De Mendoza Colin Dibley John Paish Andrew Pattison
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–3, 6–2	Clark Graebner Lew Hoad
26 Jun	Wimbledon * London, England Grand Slam Group AA Grass	Stan Smith 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5	Ilie Năstase	Jan Kodeš Manuel Orantes	Alex Metreveli Onny Parun Colin Dibley Jimmy Connors
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 6–2, 6–2, 9–7	Stan Smith Erik van Dillen
		Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–4	Evonne Goolagong Kim Warwick

July

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
16 Jul	Swedish Open Båstad, Sweden Group C Clay – 32S/16D	Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–1	Ilie Năstase	Juan Gisbert Balázs Taróczy	Björn Borg Colin Dibley Szabolcs Baranyi Jose Mandarino
		Manuel Orantes Juan Gisbert 6–3, 7–6	Neale Fraser Ilie Năstase
	Swiss Open Championships Gstaad, Switzerland Group C Clay – $25,000 – 32S/16D	Andrés Gimeno 7–5, 9–8, 6–4	Adriano Panatta	Ion Țiriac Barry Phillips-Moore	Roscoe Tanner Jean-Loup Rouyer Patrick Hombergen Sandy Mayer
		Andrés Gimeno Antonio Muñoz 9–8, 4–6, 6–1, 7–5	Adriano Panatta Ion Țiriac
22 Jul	Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Austria Group D Clay – 32S/32D	Colin Dibley 6–1, 6–3, 6–4	Dick Crealy	Jose Mandarino Onny Parun	Harald Elschenbroich Nicholas Kalogeropoulos Barry Phillips-Moore François Jauffret
		Hans-Jürgen Pohmann Jürgen Fassbender 7–6, 6–4, 6–4	Mal Anderson Geoff Masters
23 Jul	Buckeye Classic Columbus, Ohio, US Group D Hard – $25,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Jimmy Connors 7–5, 6–3, 7–5	Andrew Pattison	Dick Stockton Bob Hewitt	Charles Owens Steve Faulk Pancho Gonzales Jim McManus
		Pancho Gonzales Jimmy Connors 6–3, 7–5	Robert McKinley Dick Stockton
30 Jul	Tanglewood International Tennis Classic Clemmons, North Carolina, US Group D Clay – $25,000 – 32S/16D	Bob Hewitt 3–6, 6–3, 6–1	Andrew Pattison	Dick Stockton Steve Faulk	Butch Seewagen Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Jeff Austin
		Andrew Pattison Bob Hewitt 6–4, 6–4	Jim McManus Jim Osborne
31 Jul	Cincinnati Open Cincinnati, Ohio, US * Group C Clay – $42,500 – 64S/32D	Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–3	Guillermo Vilas	Jaime Pinto-Bravo Frew McMillan	Barry Phillips-Moore Andrew Pattison Jun Kamiwazumi Sandy Mayer
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–4	Paul Gerken Humphrey Hose

August

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
7 Aug	U.S. Clay Court Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, US * Group A Clay – $60,000 – 64S/32D	Bob Hewitt 7–6, 6–1, 6–2	Jimmy Connors	Toshiro Sakai Frew McMillan	Patrice Dominguez Colin Dibley Jan Kodeš Paul Gerken
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–2, 6–3	Patricio Cornejo Jaime Fillol
14 Aug	Rothmans Canadian Open Championships Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Group A Clay – $70,000 – 128S/64D	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–3	Andrew Pattison	Jaime Fillol Patrick Proisy	Jairo Velasco Bob Hewitt Guillermo Vilas Adriano Panatta
		Ion Țiriac Ilie Năstase 7–6, 6–3	Jan Kodeš Jan Kukal
28 Aug	US Open Forest Hills, New York, US * Grand Slam Group AA Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles	Ilie Năstase 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3	Arthur Ashe	Cliff Richey Tom Gorman	Stan Smith Frew McMillan Fred Stolle Roscoe Tanner
		Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor 6–4, 7–6, 6–3	Owen Davidson John Newcombe
		Margaret Court Marty Riessen 6–3, 7–5	Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase

September

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
17 Sep	Central California Championships Sacramento, California, US Group C Hard – $25,000 – 32S/16D	Stan Smith 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4	Colin Dibley	Andrew Pattison Raymond Moore	Erik van Dillen Rick Fisher Tom Edlefsen Alejandro Olmedo
		Stan Smith Erik van Dillen 4–6, 6–2, 6–4	Patrice Dominguez Patrick Proisy
	Rainier International Tennis Classic Seattle, Washington, US Group C Hard – $25,000 – 32S/8D	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 3–6, 6–3	Tom Gorman	Bob Hewitt Jaime Fillol	Onny Parun Ian Fletcher Ross Case Sherwood Stewart
		Geoff Masters Ross Case 4–6, 7–6, 6–4	Jean-Baptiste Chanfreau Wanaro N'Godrella
25 Sep	Golden Gate Pacific Coast Classic Albany, California, US Group C Carpet – $34,000 – 64S/32D	Jimmy Connors 6–2, 7–6(5–3)	Roscoe Tanner	Andrew Pattison Bob Hewitt	Frew McMillan Jaime Fillol Pierre Barthès Colin Dibley
		Frew McMillan Bob Hewitt 6–2, 2–6, 6–2	Björn Borg Ove Nils Bengtson
	Pacific Southwest Open Los Angeles, California, US Group A Hard – $60,000 – 64S/64D Singles – Doubles	Stan Smith 6–4, 6–4	Roscoe Tanner	Tom Okker Tom Gorman	Manuel Orantes Ken Rosewall Raymond Moore Bob Carmichael
		Pancho Gonzales Jimmy Connors 6–3, 7–6	Ismail El Shafei Brian Fairlie

October

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
23 Oct	Trofeo Conde de Godó Barcelona, Spain Group A Clay – $66,250 – 32S/32D	Jan Kodeš 6–3, 6–2, 6–3	Manuel Orantes	Stan Smith Ilie Năstase	Andrew Pattison Colin Dibley Andrés Gimeno Tom Gorman
		Manuel Orantes Juan Gisbert 6–3, 3–6, 6–4	Frew McMillan Ilie Năstase
30 Oct	Jean Becker Open Paris, France Group B Hard – $50,000 – 32S/32D Singles – Doubles	Stan Smith 6–2, 6–2, 7–5	Andrés Gimeno	Jan Kodeš Tom Gorman	Patrice Dominguez Raymond Moore Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase
		François Jauffret Pierre Barthès 6–3, 6–2	Andrés Gimeno Juan Gisbert

November

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
12 Nov	Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden Group A Hard – $63,000 – 64S/32D	Stan Smith 6–4, 6–3	Tom Okker	Marty Riessen Ilie Năstase	Nikola Pilić Roger Taylor Andrew Pattison Cliff Drysdale
		Marty Riessen Tom Okker 7–5, 7–6	Colin Dibley Roy Emerson
18 Nov	Dewar Cup Nottingham/London, England Carpet – 32S/16D	Ilie Năstase 6–4, 6–3	Tom Gorman	Jimmy Connors Onny Parun	Patrick Proisy Frew McMillan Barry Phillips-Moore Andrew Pattison
28 Nov	Masters Barcelona, Spain Hard (i) – $55,000 – 8S	Ilie Năstase 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3	Stan Smith

^* Tournaments combined with a women's Grand Prix tour event.

Points distribution

Category	W	F	SF	QF	R16	R32	R64
Group AA tournaments	100	75	50	25	12	6	–
Group A tournaments	75	52	37	18	9	–	–
Group B tournaments	50	36	25	18	6	–	–
Group C tournaments	30	20	10	5	3	–	–
Group D tournaments	20	12	6	4	–	–	–

No points were awarded for first round losers

Standings

Player	Tournaments played	Points	Prize money
Ilie Năstase	24	659	£21,000
Stan Smith	19	587	£14,700
Manuel Orantes	19	468	£10,500
Jan Kodeš	14	332	£8,400
Andrés Gimeno	20	319	£6,720
Bob Hewitt	15	263	£5,460
Jimmy Connors	22	251	£5,040
Tom Gorman	19	227	£4,620
Andrew Pattison	21	204	£4,200
Patrick Proisy	13	172	£3,780

Cliff Richey, Roscoe Tanner, Alex Metreveli, Tom Okker and Arthur Ashe played too few Grand Prix tournaments to qualify for prize money.

Grand Prix rankings

As of 1 January 1972 Rank Name 1 (tie) Stan Smith (USA) 1 (tie) John Newcombe (AUS) 3 Ken Rosewall (AUS) 4 Rod Laver (AUS) 5 Jan Kodeš (TCH) 6 Tom Okker (NED) 7 Arthur Ashe (USA) 8 Ilie Năstase (ROM) 9 Cliff Drysdale (RSA) 10 Marty Riessen (USA)

Year-end rankings (December 1972) Rank Name Change 1 Stan Smith (USA) = 2 Ilie Năstase (ROM) +6 3 Ken Rosewall (AUS) =

List of tournament winners

The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name:

• Jimmy Connors (6) Roanoke, Queen's Club, Columbus, Cincinnati, Albany, Jacksonville
• John Cooper (1) Hilversum
• Colin Dibley (1) Kitzbühel
• Tom Edlefsen (1) Kansas City
• Andrés Gimeno (3) Los Angeles, French Open, Eastbourne, Gstaad
• Pancho Gonzalez (1) Des Moines
• Bob Hewitt (4) Bournemouth, Bristol, Tanglewood, Indianapolis
• Jan Kodeš (1) Barcelons
• Karl Meiler (1) Buenos Aires
• Alex Metreveli (3) Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide
• Ilie Năstase (11) Baltimore, Omaha, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Nice, Düsseldorf, Montreal, South Orange, Seattle, US Open, London, Masters
• Manuel Orantes (5) Caracas, Rome, Brussels, Hamburg, Båstad
• Cliff Richey (2) London Indoor, Johannesburg
• Stan Smith (7) Salisbury, Hampton, Wimbledon, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Los Angeles, Paris Bercy, Stockholm
• Roger Taylor (1) Merion

The following players won their first Grand Prix title in 1972:

• Colin Dibley Kitzbühel
• Bob Hewitt Bournemouth

See also

• 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit
• 1972 Women's Grand Prix
• 1972 Virginia Slims Circuit
• 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit

External links

• Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – 1972 tournament archive
• Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – History men's professional tours

Further reading

• Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-0-942257-70-0.