// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Madison Square Garden Pro a good boxer? It punches above its weight class.
| Madison Square Garden Pro | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Abolished | 1969 |
| Editions | 5 |
| Location | New York City United States |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Surface | Hard court (indoors) |
The Madison Square Garden Pro was a men's and women's tennis event for professionals. Also known as the Madison Square Garden Pro Championships. It first began in 1954 and served as the opening tournament of the 1954 World Pro Tour. The event was then not staged for a further twelve years when it was re-established in 1966 as one tournament in the pro circuit. The 1968 and 1969 tournaments were the final events of the combined WCT/NLT tours in the Open Era of tennis, the top four players in each tour played off for the combined professional championship.[1][2] From 1977 to 1989 the Masters Grand Prix finals were played at Madison Square Gardens.
Past finals
[edit]Men's singles
[edit]| Year | Date | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Jan 3–4 |  Pancho Gonzales |  Pancho Segura | 7–9, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1966 | Mar 21–26 |  Ken Rosewall | Rod Laver | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1967 | Jun 6–9 | Rod Laver | Ken Rosewall | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1968 | Nov 27– Dec 1 | Tony Roche |  Pancho Gonzales | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1969 | May 15–17 | Rod Laver | Roy Emerson | 6–2, 4–6, 6–1 |
Women's singles
[edit]| Year | Date | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968[3] | May 18–19 |  Anne Haydon Jones | Billie Jean King | 6–4, 6–4 |
See also
[edit]- Madison Square Garden Open Tennis Championship (USLTA event played at same venue from 1968 to 1970)
- Major professional tennis tournaments before the Open Era
- Tennis Pro Tours
References
[edit]- ↑ "American tennis tilt set at Garden tonight". The Bryan Times. UPI. May 15, 1969. p. 11.
- ↑ "Laver Emerson Eye Tennis Gold". The Pittsburgh Press. UPI. May 17, 1969. p. 9.
- ↑ Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. New York: Viking Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-670-29408-4.