U.S. Pro Tennis Championships

U.S. Pro Tennis Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourPro tours (1927–69)
Grand Prix Circuit (1970–89)
ATP World Tour (1997–99)
Founded1927
Abolished1999
LocationUnited States
VenueMultiple
SurfaceGrass, Clay, Wood, Hard

The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships (for a period from 1951 to 1962 billed as the Cleveland International Pro or Cleveland World Pro Tennis Championships[1]) was the oldest professional tennis tournament played until its final year of 1999 and is considered to have been a professional major from 1927–1967 until the advent of Open Era. In 1953, 1955, 1956, and 1960, the Cleveland World Pro had a women's draw, with Pauline Betz winning the first three of these, and defeating the reigning U.S. women's champion Doris Hart in the 1956 final.[2] Althea Gibson defeated Pauline Betz in the 1960 women's final.[3]

  1. ^ Sports Illustrated, 22 April 1957, "...officially known as the World Pro Tennis Championships." https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/04/22/a-class-reunion
  2. ^ "Tennis Abstract: Pauline Betz Match Results, Splits, and Analysis".
  3. ^ McCauley, p. 100