1972 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles

January 2025 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals AUS Ken Rosewall AUS Rod Laver 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5) singles In the 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles, Ken Rosewall was the defending champion, having previously won the tennis competition, and won in the final 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5) against Rod Laver.ATP – 1972 Dallas WCT Men's Singles Draw http://www.atpworldtour.com/Share/Event-Draws.aspx?e=610&y=1972 ATP Of particular note, the final is credited as the "match that made tennis in the United States" because its unprecedented domestic television audience of 23 million fueled a massive increase in the sport's popularity.1972: The Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall WCT Final in Dallas http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2015/03/1972-rod-laver-vs-ken-rosewall-wct-final-dallas/54333/ tennis.comOnly one match has since had a larger U.S. TV audience: the legendary Battle of the Sexes the following year, signifying how popular tennis had become during this boom period. Seeds A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. AUS Rod Laver (final) AUS Ken Rosewall (champion) USA Arthur Ashe (semifinals) RSA 1928 Cliff Drysdale (quarterfinals) USA Marty Riessen (semifinals) NED Tom Okker (quarterfinals) USA Robert Lutz (quarterfinals) AUS John Newcombe (quarterfinals) Draw Quarterfinals Semifinals Final 1 AUS Rod Laver 6 6 6     8 AUS John Newcombe 4 4 4     4 RSA 1928 Cliff Drysdale 7 6 2 5 3 5 USA Marty Riessen 5 4 6 7 6 6 NED Tom Okker 4 1 3     3 USA Arthur Ashe 6 6 6     7 USA Robert Lutz 1 6 3 6 1 2 AUS Ken Rosewall 6 3 6 4 6 1 AUS Rod Laver 4 4 6 6 6 5 USA Marty Riessen 6 6 1 2 0 3 USA Arthur Ashe 4 2 6     2 AUS Ken Rosewall 6 6 7     1 AUS Rod Laver 6 0 3 7 65 2 AUS Ken Rosewall 4 6 6 6 77 References Singles