1968 World Championship Tennis season

1968 WCT season
	Newcombe won 7 titles during the tour
Details
Duration	20 January – 8 November
Edition	1st
Tournaments	27
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles	John Newcombe (7)
Most tournament finals	Dennis Ralston (10); John Newcombe (10)
	1969 →

The 1968 World Championship Tennis circuit was the inaugural tour ^[1] of the (WCT) one of the two rival professional male tennis tours of 1968 the other being the National Tennis League. The tour began on 22 January in Sydney, Australia and ended on 13 October in Durban, South Africa.

Calendar[]

This is the complete schedule of events on the 1968 WCT circuit, with player progression documented until the quarterfinals stage.

January[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
20 January	^[2] Sydney, Australia -	Tony Roche 96-33	Nikola Pilic	N/A	Round Robin John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale Butch Buchholz Roger Taylor Pierre Barthes Dennis Ralston
20 January	^[2] Sydney, Australia -			N/A

February[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
1 February	Kansas City, United States, St Louis, United States -	N/A
1 February	Kansas City, United States, St Louis, United States -
8 February	^[3] Shreveport, United States -	Dennis Ralston 31-23, 31-25	Butch Buchholz	Tony Roche John Newcombe	Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Roger Taylor Nikola Pilić
8 February	^[3] Shreveport, United States -			Tony Roche John Newcombe	Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Roger Taylor Nikola Pilić
9 February	1968 Miami WCT^[4] Miami, United States -	Butch Buchholz 31-22, 31-26	Tony Roche	3rd Place Pierre Barthes 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	John Newcombe Nikola Pilic Roger Taylor Dennis Ralston
9 February	1968 Miami WCT^[4] Miami, United States -			3rd Place Pierre Barthes 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	John Newcombe Nikola Pilic Roger Taylor Dennis Ralston
13 February	^[5] Houston, United States -	Butch Buchholz 31-28	Dennis Ralston	N/A	Round Robin John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor Pierre Barthes Nikola Pilić Tony Roche
13 February	^[5] Houston, United States -			N/A
16 February	^[6] New Orleans, United States -	Cliff Drysdale 31-29	John Newcombe	N/A	Round Robin Butch Buchholz Tony Roche Roger Taylor Pierre Barthes Nikola Pilić Dennis Ralston
16 February	^[6] New Orleans, United States -			N/A
20 February	^[7] Orlando, United States -	Dennis Ralston 31-28	Nikola Pilić	N/A	Round Robin Butch Buchholz Tony Roche Roger Taylor Pierre Barthes Cliff Drysdale John Newcombe
20 February	^[7] Orlando, United States -			N/A
27 February	^[8] Tulsa, United States -	Cliff Drysdale 31-24	Dennis Ralston	N/A	Round Robin Butch Buchholz Tony Roche Roger Taylor Pierre Barthes Nikola Pilić John Newcombe
27 February	^[8] Tulsa, United States -			N/A

March[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
22 March	^[9] San Diego, United States -	Butch Buchholz 31-21, 31-15	Dennis Ralston	3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Roger Taylor	Tony Roche Mike Davies Pierre Barthes Nikola Pilić
22 March	^[9] San Diego, United States -			3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Roger Taylor	Tony Roche Mike Davies Pierre Barthes Nikola Pilić
28 March	^[10] Los Altos Hills, United States -	Nikola Pilic 31-26, 31-30	Dennis Ralston	3rd Place Tony Roche 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale John Newcombe Roger Taylor
28 March	^[10] Los Altos Hills, United States -			3rd Place Tony Roche 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale John Newcombe Roger Taylor

April[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
1 April	^[11] Bakersfield, United States -	John Newcombe 31-12, 31-22	Cliff Drysdale	3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Nikola Pilić Dennis Ralston Roger Taylor Tony Roche
1 April	^[11] Bakersfield, United States -			3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Nikola Pilić Dennis Ralston Roger Taylor Tony Roche
5 April	^[12] Fresno, United States -	Butch Buchholz 31-23, 31-29	Tony Roche	3rd Place Cliff Drysdale 4th Place Roger Taylor	Nikola Pilić Pierre Barthes John Newcombe Dennis Ralston
5 April	^[12] Fresno, United States -			3rd Place Cliff Drysdale 4th Place Roger Taylor	Nikola Pilić Pierre Barthes John Newcombe Dennis Ralston
20 April	^[13] Evansville, United States -	John Newcombe 31-17, 31-17	Nikola Pilić	3rd Place Dennis Ralston 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Tony Roche Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor
20 April	^[13] Evansville, United States -			3rd Place Dennis Ralston 4th Place Pierre Barthes	Tony Roche Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor

May[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
4 May	^[14] Minneapolis, United States -	Dennis Ralston 31-26, 19–31, 5-4	John Newcombe	3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Nikola Pilić	Tony Roche Roger Taylor Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes
4 May	^[14] Minneapolis, United States -			3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Nikola Pilić	Tony Roche Roger Taylor Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes
10 May	^[15] Buffalo, United States -	Butch Buchholz 31-26, 31-22	Dennis Ralston	3rd Place Pierre Barthès 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Tony Roche John Newcombe Nikola Pilić Roger Taylor
10 May	^[15] Buffalo, United States -			3rd Place Pierre Barthès 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Tony Roche John Newcombe Nikola Pilić Roger Taylor
31 May	^[16] Baltimore, United States -	Dennis Ralston 6-0, 6-4	Tony Roche	3rd Place Roger Taylor 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Nikola Pilić John Newcombe
31 May	^[16] Baltimore, United States -			3rd Place Roger Taylor 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Nikola Pilić John Newcombe

June[]

No events

July[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
26 July	^[17] Bastad, Sweden -	Dennis Ralston 6-3, 7–5, 6-1	Nikola Pilić	Round Robin Roger Taylor John Newcombe	N/A
26 July	^[17] Bastad, Sweden -			Round Robin Roger Taylor John Newcombe	N/A

August[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
1 August	^[18] Cannes, France -	John Newcombe 7-5, 6-2	Marty Riessen	3rd Place Mal Anderson 4th Place Roger Taylor	Nikola Pilić Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Tony Roche
1 August	^[18] Cannes, France -			3rd Place Mal Anderson 4th Place Roger Taylor	Nikola Pilić Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Tony Roche
12 August	^[19] Newport, United States -	Marty Riessen 21-10, 9-21, 21–19,	Cliff Drysdale	3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Nikola Pilić	Round Robin Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Roger Taylor Barry MacKay
12 August	^[19] Newport, United States -			3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Nikola Pilić

September[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
26 September	^[20] Pretoria, South Africa -	John Newcombe 11-9, 4-6, 6-3	Tony Roche	3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Marty Riessen	Nikola Pilić Raymond Moore Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor
26 September	^[20] Pretoria, South Africa -	Butch Buchholz Marty Riessen	Tony Roche John Newcombe	3rd Place Butch Buchholz 4th Place Marty Riessen	Nikola Pilić Raymond Moore Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor

October[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
2 October	^[21] Johannesburg, South Africa -	Tony Roche 6-2, 9-7	Butch Buchholz	3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Marty Riessen Pierre Barthes Roger Taylor Nikola Pilić
2 October	^[21] Johannesburg, South Africa -	Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor	Pierre Barthes Raymond Moore	3rd Place John Newcombe 4th Place Cliff Drysdale	Marty Riessen Pierre Barthes Roger Taylor Nikola Pilić
6 October	^[22]^[23] Durban, South Africa -	John Newcombe 6-3, 6-4	Tony Roche	3rd Place Raymond Moore 4th Marty Riessen	Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Nikola Pilić
6 October	^[22]^[23] Durban, South Africa -	Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor	Tony Roche John Newcombe	3rd Place Raymond Moore 4th Marty Riessen	Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Nikola Pilić
9 October	^[24]^[25] East London, South Africa -	John Newcombe 10-6	Cliff Drysdale	Nikola Pilić Pierre Barthes	Raymond Moore Marty Riessen Tony Roche Roger Taylor
9 October	^[24]^[25] East London, South Africa -			Nikola Pilić Pierre Barthes	Raymond Moore Marty Riessen Tony Roche Roger Taylor
10 October	^[26] Port Elizabeth, South Africa -	Roger Taylor 10-8	Tony Roche	John Newcombe Nikola Pilić	Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Raymond Moore
10 October	^[26] Port Elizabeth, South Africa -			John Newcombe Nikola Pilić	Cliff Drysdale Pierre Barthes Butch Buchholz Raymond Moore
11 October	^[27] Cape Town, South Africa -	Tony Roche 6-2, 6-1	Cliff Drysdale	Butch Buchholz Pierre Barthes	Raymond Moore Marty Riessen John Newcombe Nikola Pilić
11 October	^[27] Cape Town, South Africa -	Tony Roche John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale Roger Taylor divided title		Butch Buchholz Pierre Barthes	Raymond Moore Marty Riessen John Newcombe Nikola Pilić
16 October	^[28] Kimberley, South Africa -	John Newcombe 10-6	Tony Roche	Pierre Barthes Marty Riessen	Roger Taylor Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Nikola Pilić
16 October	^[28] Kimberley, South Africa -			Pierre Barthes Marty Riessen	Roger Taylor Butch Buchholz Cliff Drysdale Nikola Pilić

November[]

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarter finalist
7 November	^[29] Vienna, Austria -	Tony Roche 6-4, 7-5	John Newcombe	3rd Place Roger Taylor 4th Place Nikola Pilić
7 November	^[29] Vienna, Austria -			3rd Place Roger Taylor 4th Place Nikola Pilić

December[]

No events

References[]

^ Grasso, John (2013). Historical Dictionary of Football. Scarecrow Press. p. 184. ISBN 9780810878570.
^ "NEW SOUTH WALES PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS 1968". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base 2021.
^ "SHREVEPORT WCT Tournament Draw 1968". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base 2017.
^ "1968 MIAMI WCT Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 HOUSTON WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 NEW ORLEANS WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ Archives, Tennis. "Orlando Professional Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 TULSA WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 SAN DIEGO WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. he Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT LOS ALTOS HILLS PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT BAKERSFIELD PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ Archives, Tennis. "WCT Fresno Pro Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT EVANSVILLE PRO CLASSIC Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT Twin Cities Pro CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "Buffalo WCT 1968". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "Baltimore WCT 1968". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT BAASTAD PRO CH Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT CANNES PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "1968 WCT Newport Casino Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
^ "Pretoria WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
^ "Johannesburg WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Durban WCT 1968". atptour. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Durban WCT". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "East London WCT 1968". atptour. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "East London WCT". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Port Elizabeth WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Capetown WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
^ "Kimberley WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
^ "Vienna WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

External links[]

[1] Grasso, John (2013). Historical Dictionary of Football. Scarecrow Press. p. 184. ISBN 9780810878570.

[2] "NEW SOUTH WALES PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS 1968". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base 2021.

[3] "SHREVEPORT WCT Tournament Draw 1968". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base 2017.

[4] "1968 MIAMI WCT Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[5] "1968 HOUSTON WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[6] "1968 NEW ORLEANS WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[7] Archives, Tennis. "Orlando Professional Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[8] "1968 TULSA WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[9] "1968 SAN DIEGO WCT Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. he Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[10] "1968 WCT LOS ALTOS HILLS PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[11] "1968 WCT BAKERSFIELD PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[12] Archives, Tennis. "WCT Fresno Pro Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[13] "1968 WCT EVANSVILLE PRO CLASSIC Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[14] "1968 WCT Twin Cities Pro CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[15] "Buffalo WCT 1968". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[16] "Baltimore WCT 1968". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[17] "1968 WCT BAASTAD PRO CH Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[18] "1968 WCT CANNES PRO CH. Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[19] "1968 WCT Newport Casino Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[20] "Pretoria WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

[21] "Johannesburg WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[22] "Durban WCT 1968". atptour. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[23] "Durban WCT". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[24] "East London WCT 1968". atptour. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[25] "East London WCT". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[26] "Port Elizabeth WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[27] "Capetown WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

[28] "Kimberley WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

[29] "Vienna WCT 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 8 April 2021.

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v t Men's tennis seasons
Pre Open Era	1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1929 1930 1931
ITF Independent Tour	1969
National Tennis League	1968 1969
World Championship Tennis	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978–81: not held 1982 1983 1984
Grand Prix	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
ATP Tour	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022