Talk:French Pro Championship


Professional International Championships of France ("French Pro") (1930-1968 and 1920-1932)

edit

In 1930 the "Association Française des Professeurs de Tennis (AFPT)" held its first pro tournament, entitled "Championnat International de France Professionnel" (French Pro Championships) in 18-22 June 1930 [1].

This tournament was reserved for the "official professional" players, and played on clay at Roland Garros (unless noted).

In 1953, from Saturday 21 November to Sunday 22 November, a 4-man (Sedgman winner, Gonzales runner-up, Segura 3rd and Budge 4th) professional indoor tournament was held in Paris at the Palais des Sports but there is no mention anywhere 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 Frank Sedgman, winner of the tournament.

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1930   Karel Koželuh   Albert Burke
1931   Martin Plaa   Robert Ramillon
1932   Robert Ramillon   Martin Plaa
1933[2] not held
1934   Bill Tilden   Martin Plaa
1935   Ellsworth Vines   Hans Nusslein
1936   Henri Cochet   Robert Ramillon
1937   Hans Nusslein   Henri Cochet
1938   Hans Nusslein   Bill Tilden 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
1939   Don Budge   Ellsworth Vines
1940-1955 not held
1956   Tony Trabert   Pancho Gonzales
1957 not held
1958   Ken Rosewall   Lew Hoad
1959   Tony Trabert   Frank Sedgman
1960   Ken Rosewall   Lew Hoad
1961   Ken Rosewall   Pancho Gonzales
1962   Ken Rosewall   Andrés Gimeno
1963[3]   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 6-8, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
1964[3]   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
1965[3]   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
1966[3]   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 6-3, 6-2, 14-12
1967[3]   Rod Laver   Andrés Gimeno
1968   Rod Laver   John Newcombe

Nevertheless 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 [4] as well as the World Pro tournament held at Deauville in 1925 [5]. 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).

Date Event and city Winner Runner-up Score
1920 Bristol Cup, Cannes Romeo Acquarone
1921 December Bristol Cup, Cannes John C. S. Rendall
1922 19-23 December Bristol Cup, Menton   John C. S. Rendall   J. Negro 6-1, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 (or 6-1, 0-6, 6-4, 6-1)
1923 December ?-20 Bristol Cup, Menton   John C. S. Rendall   J. Negro 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
1924 late December Bristol Cup, Cannes (Court Métropole)   Albert Burke   Ramon Najuch 7-5, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
1925 December ?-26 Bristol Cup, Cannes (Court Métropole)   Albert Burke   Ramon Najuch 0-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
1926 13-16 December Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Albert Burke 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0
No Bristol Cup in December 1927 : delayed to January 1928
1928 9-12 January Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Ramon Najuch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
1929 January Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Albert Burke 6-3, 6-1, 6-0
1930 January Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Ramon Najuch 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 (or 6-3, 6-4, 6-4)
1931 10-17 January Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Albert Burke 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
1932 5-10 January Bristol Cup, Menton   Karel Koželuh   Martin Plaa 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0

References

  1. ^ Le Tennis en France 1875-1955
  2. ^ According to Bowers, in 1933 the only professional competition played at Roland Garros was a USA-France meeting, 22-24 September in the Davis Cup format won by the USA 4-1 where Cochet overcame Barnes, Tilden defeated Plaa and Cochet, Barnes beat Plaa, and Americans then closed out the doubles. Many sources probably wrongly considered the Tilden-Cochet match as a final of a supposed French Pro.
  3. ^ a b c d e Played on indoor wood at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin
  4. ^ Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annual
  5. ^ Ayres' Lawn Tennis Almanack 1925