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

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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 Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Republic of Ireland Albert Burke
1931 France Martin Plaa France Robert Ramillon
1932 France Robert Ramillon France Martin Plaa
1933[2] not held
1934 United States Bill Tilden France Martin Plaa
1935 United States Ellsworth Vines Germany Hans Nusslein
1936 France Henri Cochet France Robert Ramillon
1937 Germany Hans Nusslein France Henri Cochet
1938 Germany Hans Nusslein United States Bill Tilden 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
1939 United States Don Budge United States Ellsworth Vines
1940-1955 not held
1956 United States Tony Trabert United States Pancho Gonzales
1957 not held
1958 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Lew Hoad
1959 United States Tony Trabert Australia Frank Sedgman
1960 Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Lew Hoad
1961 Australia Ken Rosewall United States Pancho Gonzales
1962 Australia Ken Rosewall Spain Andrés Gimeno
1963[3] Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6-8, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
1964[3] Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
1965[3] Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
1966[3] Australia Ken Rosewall Australia Rod Laver 6-3, 6-2, 14-12
1967[3] Australia Rod Laver Spain Andrés Gimeno
1968 Australia Rod Laver Australia 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 United Kingdom John C. S. Rendall Italy 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 United Kingdom John C. S. Rendall Italy J. Negro 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
1924 late December Bristol Cup, Cannes (Court Métropole) Republic of Ireland Albert Burke Germany Ramon Najuch 7-5, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
1925 December ?-26 Bristol Cup, Cannes (Court Métropole) Republic of Ireland Albert Burke Germany Ramon Najuch 0-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
1926 13-16 December Bristol Cup, Menton Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Republic of Ireland 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 Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Germany Ramon Najuch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
1929 January Bristol Cup, Menton Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Republic of Ireland Albert Burke 6-3, 6-1, 6-0
1930 January Bristol Cup, Menton Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Germany Ramon Najuch 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 (or 6-3, 6-4, 6-4)
1931 10-17 January Bristol Cup, Menton Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh Republic of Ireland Albert Burke 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
1932 5-10 January Bristol Cup, Menton Czechoslovakia Karel Koželuh France 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