1968 Results

Players

Rosemary Casals
Francoise Durr
Ann Jones
Billie-Jean King
Ilse Buding

Dates approximate

Cannes Apr 15

King d. Jones 10-7 (pro-set)
Casals d. Durr 10-3 (Pro-set)

F King d. Casals 10-6 (pro-set)

Paris Apr 19-20

King d. Casals 6-1 6-2
Jones d. Durr 6-1 6-4

F King d. Jones 9-7 6-4

Aix-en-Provence May 01

Jones d. Casals 9-7 4-6 6-1
Durr d. King 7-5 9-7

F Not played

There are reports of tournaments in Lille and Pau where Jones beat King 10-6 (pro-set) and 6-1 fs repectively but noother details available.

Wembley, London May 05-06

King d. Casals 4-6 7-5 7-5
Jones d. Durr 7-5 3-6 6-2

F King d. Jones 4-6 9-7 7-5

Madison Square Gardens NY May 13-18

King d. Durr 6-1 6-3
Jones d. Casals 6-1 7-5

F Jones d. King 6-4 6-4

Tennis World June 1968 reports that exhibition matches were played in San Francisco by the four girls but no dates nor formats nor results were given.


* Los Angeles Jul 17-19

King d. Durr 10-7 (pro-set)

F King d. Jones 12-10 6-3

* Oakland Jul 24-26

King d. Durr 6-3 6-1

F Casals d. King 10-8 2-6 6-0

Masters Binghampton Aug 08-11

Casals d. Durr 8-6 3-6 6-4
King d. Jones 6-0 6-3

F King d. Casals 10-8 6-4

Fort Worth Aug 15-18

King d. Casals 6-0 6-4
Jones d. Durr 6-3 6-3

F Jones d. King 6-1 6-2

** South Texas Pros Oct 04-07

Jones d. Casals 6-3 6-2

South American Pro-Tour Nov 1968 3 Day events Specific dates not known

Sao Paulo Brazil

1st day Jones d. Casals 6-0 7-5
3rd day Casals d. Jones 6-3 6-3

** La Paz Bolivia

3rd day Jones d. Casals 6-0 4-6 6-1

** Lima Peru

3rd day Jones d. Casals 6-2 7-5

French Pro- Tour

Marseilles Early Nov

Durr d. Buding 6-2 6-3

Lyon Nov 07

Durr d. Buding 6-0 6-3

Lyon Nov 10

Durr d. Buding 6-0 6-3

* results missing

** possible results missing

 

reserved for tour results 1969.
Players

Rosie Casals
Francoise Durr
Althea Gbson Darben
Ann Jones
Billie-Jean King


Oakland, California Feb 23-26

1r Jones d. Darben 6-2
2r King d. Durr 4-6 6-2 6-4
Jones d. Casals 4-6 6-2 6-4

F King d. Jones 6-3 6-2

3rd place play-off

Durr d. Darben 6-2 4-6 6-0

Results from World Tennis but why would Darben be playing for 3rd place?


Portland Feb 28

F King d. Jones 6-3 6-3

3rd place Casals d. Darben 8-6 (pro set)


Seattle

F King d. Jones 6-4 6-1

Los AngelesMar 08

King d. Casals 6-1 6-4
Jones d. Durr 6-3 6-4

F King d. Jones 17-15 6-3

A tie-break was called at 12-12 in the first set but the players ptotested and the match progressed as usual to the cheers of the spectators.

Nagoya, Japan May 04

2 women exhibition

Jones d. Durr 6-2 2-0 ret'd


St. Louis Aug 06

King d. Durr 10-7 (pro-set)

F King d. Casals 6-4 6-2


Binghampton Aug 10

King d. Casals 6-4 6-2

F King d. Jones 10-8 3-6 6-4


Indie Village, Nevada Sept 08 2 women event

King d. Casals 6-0 6-4


Midland, Texas Oct 05

Casals d. Durr 6-3 2-6 6-2
King d. Jones 9-7 6-4

F King d. Casals 6-3 6-3


Walla Walla Washington 2 women event

King d. Casals 8-6 (pro set)

 

Los Angeles Feb 23 2 women event

King d. Casals 7-5 4-6 6-4


Waikiki Hawaii 2 women event Mar 07

King d. Casals 6-4 6-4

 

It is difficult pinning down the complete NTL results. In 1968 the 10 ten NTL players appeared in open tournaments, NTL only tournaments and various exhibitions. During some weeks a few of the NTL players played in one event and the remaining players played in another event. Also, with 6 men and 4 women there were varying formats of the events (in contrast to WCT which had 8 players and all of the WCT events were either 8 man round-robins or 8 man single elimination events)

The NTL events had varying draws of singles, doubles and sometimes mixed doubles.

In 1968 the four NTL women played in events between April and November. For the male players the NTL events began in March (Buenos Aires and Bogota). From April onward the women appeared in most but not all NTL events. As best I can tell, the women players participated in the following 24 events in 1968:

1. 4/15 Cannes
2. 4/18 BBC2 Wembley
3. 4/19-4/20 NTL Paris
(Note: The women did not participate in BHC Open Bournemouth, although the NTL men did participate)
4. 5/3-5/6 NTL Wembley
5. 5/13-5/18 NTL Madison Square Garden
6. 5/27-6/9 French Open
7. 6/10-6/15 Kent Beckenham Open
8. 6/17-6/22 Queens Open
9. 6/24-7/6 Wimbledon Open
10. 7? Irish Open
11. 7/17-7/19 NTL Los Angeles CA
12. 7/24-7/26 NTL Oakland CA
13. 8/8-8/11 NTL Binghamton NY
14. 8/15-8/18 NTL Ft. Worth TX
15. 8/29-9/8 US Open
16. 9/16-9/22 PSW Open
17. 9/28-10/1 NTL Midland TX *
18. 10/4-10/7 NTL Corpus Christi TX *
19. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL Sao Paulo
20. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL La Paz
21. (part of RR played on 11/1) NTL Lima
22. 11/2-11/10 Buenos Aires Open
23. 11/7 Marseille
24. 11/10 Lyon

* for these two events the NTL men participated but I am unsure if the women also participated

 

In 1968 the four NTL women played in events between April and November. From April onward the women appeared in most but not all NTL events. As best I can tell, the women players participated in the following 24 events in 1968:

1. 4/15 Cannes
2. 4/18 BBC2 Wembley
3. 4/19-4/20 NTL Paris
4. 5/3-5/6 NTL Wembley
5. 5/13-5/18 NTL Madison Square Garden
7. 6/10-6/15 Kent Beckenham Open
8. 6/17-6/22 Queens Open
10. 7? Irish Open
11. 7/17-7/19 NTL Los Angeles CA
12. 7/24-7/26 NTL Oakland CA
13. 8/8-8/11 NTL Binghamton NY
14. 8/15-8/18 NTL Ft. Worth TX
16. 9/16-9/22 PSW Open
17. 9/28-10/1 NTL Midland TX *
18. 10/4-10/7 NTL Corpus Christi TX *
19. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL Sao Paulo
20. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL La Paz
21. (part of RR played on 11/1) NTL Lima
22. 11/2-11/10 Buenos Aires Open
23. 11/7 Marseille
24. 11/10 Lyon

* for these two events the NTL men participated but I am unsure if the women also participated

Your list omits Aix-en-Provence, France.

I don't think Billie Jean King participated in:

7. 6/10-6/15 Kent Beckenham Open
8. 6/17-6/22 Queens Open
10. 7? Irish Open
17. 9/28-10/1 NTL Midland TX *
18. 10/4-10/7 NTL Corpus Christi TX *
19. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL Sao Paulo
20. (Dates in Oct or Nov?) NTL La Paz
21. (part of RR played on 11/1) NTL Lima
22. 11/2-11/10 Buenos Aires Open
23. 11/7 Marseille
24. 11/10 Lyon

 

Thanks for posting that Scott tennis.

I'm just going to concentrate on the tournaments where the four girls played amongst themselves.

As you say it is hard tracking some of the results down and I'm not confident there aren't some missing.

As far as I can make out the girls didn't play any separate events after Fort Worth in August. They were in the PSW and Buenos Aires/Argentina Open so I suppose it might be possible they played in the other South American events although Billie-Jean was definitely not with them as she had the knee operation after Forest Hills.

 

With the Professionals allowed to play in designated Open events it turned out that the women's group actally only played 9 Professional tournaments where all were present in 1968.

Billie-Jeans' knee operation after Forest Hills probably upset the applecart somewhat. It was probably intended that they would play a tournament in each of the 3 South American venues but in the event Francoise returned to Europe after the US Open and Rosie and Ann played against each other at subsequent events although there is an outside chance Francoise may have been at Fort Worth. Rosie and Ann played doubles together at the Argentinian and South American Open winning the event.

Part of the men's group went to France in early November where Francoise played matches agaist Ilse Buding who was surprisingly co-opted to the ranks.

Ilse was the lesser-known sister of Edda Buding who was a sold top 15-20 player throughout the 60s reaching the French semis and winning the US Clay courts in 1961, her best year when Ned Potter of World Tennis ranked her world #9 although Lance Tingay excluded her from his top 10. Ilse was not as good a player as Edda but more a journeywoman perhaps top 30 at best.

On the probable basis that Jones beat Casals in Los Angeles and Casals beat Jones at Oakland although I don't have firm results the statistics for 1968 were as follows accepting results based on professional sets as valid:

Tournaments won:

King 5
Jones 2 + 1 shared with Durr
Casals 1
Durr 1 shared with Jones

h2hs

King 5 Jones 2
King 5 Casals 1
King 3 Durr 1
Jones 6 Casals 2
Jones 3 Durr 0
Casals 2 Durr 0
Durr 3 Buding 0

Billie-Jean won 5 of the 9 tournaments and only failed to reach the final once when she lost to Francoise at Aix-en-Provence.

There is the possibility that Jones and Casals may have played more matches in South America but World Tennis seems to have a comprehensive list of the matches and only four are listed.

Ann Jones claimed to have beaten Billie-Jean twice on the inaugural tour of France and certainly the UK Press at the time seemed to have wind of some victory because they got quite excited about Ann's prospects of beating BJ at Wimbledon because of this but I have never come across any evidence of such results.

It is quite difficult to get these professional results and I have never seen any for doubles matches between them (King/Casals, Durr/Jones) but I'm also pretty certain they would have played doubles at each venue.

 

In King's first autobio she wrote that McCall and Margaret Court couildn't come to terms because she demanded more money that he was offering King.

 

I think there may have been more activity in April or May 1968. Unfortunately I do not have any of the missing match details.

A Neil Amdur article in the New York Times on May 10, 1968 previewed the NTL event in New York. The article included a table with the following match records to that point:
King 8-3
Jones 7-3
Casals 2-6
Durr 2-7

If I calculate the 1968 post the listed going into the NY event were:
King 6-1 (so the missing matches would be 2-2)
Jones 3-3 (so the missing matches would be 4-0)
Casals 1-4 (so the missing matches would be 1-2)
Durr 1-3 (so the missing matches would be 1-4)

The text of the article also mentioned Casals being 0-2 vs Jones

Another Neil Amdur article appeared in the New York TImes on May 16, 1968 describing the King-Jones final. Per the article, after the finals Jones was 9-3 and King was 9-4. King and Jones were reported as 3-3 vs each other at that point.

Does anyone know if there were any 3rd place matches? I wonder if any of the missing match results were matches between the losers of the first round/SF matches.

 

It does very much look as if are a number (maybe significant) of tournaments for which results have not been widely reported. I was quite surprised to find only 9 pro-only women events.

There must have been extra ones in France. I'd said previously that Ann Jones had claimed to have beaten BJ twice in France and the British Media seemed to know of these because it was on this basis they were quite excited about her prospects against BJ at Wimbledon that year - I've never seen any other mention of this and subsequently was inclined to disbelieve it. But it must be true if Neil Amdur in the NYT is reporting the same.

If Ann had beaten BJ twice in France that would make the score between them after MSG 3-3 as reported.

Of the three tournaments reported in France, BJ won two and was beaten by Frankie in the semis at the third but Ann reached the final there so there could have been no third place play-off between them in any of those.

The figures quoted after MSG would make sense if there had been another two tournaments both won by Jones beating King in the final. This would mean Casals and Durr would each have lost two matches. If they played off for 3rd place and won one each that would account for the wins but it wouldn't explain how Casals would only have had two losses yet Durr 4. Durr could only have had four defeats if she had lost all her matches including the 3rd place play-offs but then where did the win come from or how did Casals not have another defeat.

What am I not seeing?

 

Also, I wonder if any of the missing matches took place during the week of Bournemouth/BHC (April 22 through April 28).
The posted 1968 results above reflect a gap between Paris (April 19-20) and Aix-en-Provence (May 01). As the NTL women did not play at Bournemouth due to low prize money, I wonder if MacCall arranged for separate tour dates or matches for King/Jones/Casals/Durr.

 

As the NTL women did not play at Bournemouth due to low prize money....

True. http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAIBAJ&sjid=LlwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6327,4082406&dq=billie+jean+king+professional&hl=en

Was there an NTL tournament around July 23, 1969, in Aix-les-Bains? See this:
http://www.google.com/archivesearch...+aix&num=100&scoring=a&hl=en&sa=N&sugg=d&as_ldate=1965&as_hdate=1969&lnav=hist1

 

From WORLD TENNIS MAGAZINE JANUARY 1968

At the end of 1967 Billie-Jean King was quoted as saying she might accept if someone were to make her a professional bid:

"We could do with the money. My husband still is a law student and has one year to go at college. I have not yet received any offer and I certainly will not make any decision without talking to my husband, but I am all for professional tennis".

She said that on November 27, 1967, in Melbourne, Australia. She also said, "All the great sports in the world today are professional. We just have got to recognize we no longer are living in the 1930s." King was in Melbourne to play in the Victorian Championships.

George MacCall said that King was guaranteed "in the neighborhood of $40,000 to $50,000. She could make up to $70,000 if she wins enough tournaments." Ann Haydon Jones, Rosemary Casals, and Francoise Durr were guaranteed somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000. http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAIBAJ&sjid=qDEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5037,4195966&dq=billie+jean+king+professional&hl=en

After she signed the contract, King said, "A great deal for me and a great deal for tennis. I have always wanted to be a pro. In this country, if you're a pro, you're a somebody. If you're an amateur, you're nobody." http://digitalnewspapers.libraries....p?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1968/04/02&EntityId=Ar00804

 

After the South American Open in Novenber 1968 Tennis World reports that the winnings to date were:

Ann Jones $17,900
Billie-Jean King $17,140
Rosie Casals $13,700
Francoise Durr $9,350

BJ would have missed any events after the USO including the Pacific Southwest and the South American Open but even if she had won those she would only have been around $20,000. Considering that was eight months of the first year (from Apr 01) and included the Slams at RG, Wimbledon and Forest Hills on those figures it doesn't seem likely she would even have reached the $40,000 let alone $70,000 so MacCall would have had to make up the shortfall in the guarantee. He lost money on the women.

 

In December 1968 World Tennis reported that the win/loss ratios for the 4 women pros were as follows:

Billie-Jean King 31-8
Ann Jones 40-14
Rosie Casals 21-17
Francoise Durr 18-18

These included both Open and pro results and would probably have been supplied by the NTL.

It doesn't state exactly at which date these pertained to but it was after the Pacific Southwest and commenced when the players signed up on 01 April that year.

BJK didn't play after the USO because of the knee operation so using Austinrunner's BJK results as a base her combined results were 28-6 (unless my counting's up the left but I've double-checked it.) Because she withdrew before playing her 1r match at PSW that doesn't count as a loss so therefore there would appear to be 3 wins and 2 losses missing.

This would look to be two tournaments which would appear to have been played in France at the beginning of the tour for which results are not to hand but what the other 1 win could be is puzzling unless there was an event where the final wasn't played or there was a 2-women only one.

But it looks as if that would be all events accounted for.

 

Results keep turning up. I found another match between Durr and Buding in France during November 1968.

Prize Money at end of 1968:

Ann Jones $19,223
Billie-Jean King $17,140
Rosie Casals $14,683
Francoise Durr $10,545

 

In previewing a possible final between Jones and King at Wembley (after Jones had won her semifinal but before King had won hers), The Times of London said that Jones had beaten King twice in France, as follows:

Lille: 10-6 (indoor wood)
Pau: 3 sets, 6-1 in the third (asphalt but unknown whether indoor or outdoor)

Dates were not given. Nor is it known whether those were finals or semifinals.

 

I must admit that until the Neil Amdur article in NY Times came to light I was sceptical that these results had existed.

Ann claimed in her autobigraphy that she had beaten BJ twice during their tour of France and the British press during Wimbledon 1968 were building up her chances in the semis on the basis that she had beaten BJ several times recently. I was a teenager then and never took The Times so I assumed that this was the typical British Tabloid hyperbole.

As these results never surfaced elsewhere I thought Mrs Jones had got confused as is inevitable considering the number of matches they play.

These are most likely finals since Amdur is quoting 4 extra wins and no losses for Ann.

 

Wasn't it one of those south of France events where a concrete/asphalt court was laid at the last minute? The people who laid it out didn't leave any space outside the lines, so players literally had to serve and then hop onto the court!

I suppose footfaults were not a problem....

 

There are too many results missing for 1969 for h2hs to be meaningful.

It's likely that there are no events missing although that is by no means certain.

I did somehow think there might have been a German player co-opted for Europe at the ned of the year but I could very well be mixing this up with the previous year.

McCall was losing money on the woman and when Ann JOnes became disillusioned after Wimbledon 1969 and asked to be released early from her contract he was quite happy to let her go which she did early in Otober. I don't know what happened to Francoise Durr after that but there were few Pro events.

In addition to the 2 extra events in France in 1968 recently uncovered Tennis World of June 1968 reports that the ladies played exhibition matches in San Francisco but no dates nor formats nor scores are given. Perhaps there could be similar in 1969.

However Billie-Jean completely dominated the tour in 1969 winning every tournament and exhibition she played. After Ann Jones had challenged her for a while in 1968 the status quo was restored.

I would say that a doubles match was played at each venue but no results are to hand.

Ann Jnes said that she believed McCall would have been better to have two pairs with one attacking and one defensive player rather than the two attacking ones (King/Casals) and defensive ones (Jones/Durr).

Perhaps McCall knew exactly what he was doing for over the two years 1968/69 the two pairs wer among the top 3 in the world. At one stage Jones/Durr having won the South Afdrican, Italian and French titles may have been the #1 doubles pair in the world as Margaret Court had played in Slams with different partners.

Francoise Durr doesn't seem to have won a single match.

 

According to published reports on 2 April 1968, the National Tennis League was scheduled to have its first competition at The Forum in Los Angeles, played April 7 and 9-10. King played Durr, and Jones played Casals. But I have not found any results.

Cannes was a one-night stand on 14 April.

 

It seems to me that for some reason the event at the Forum didn't proceed - at least, for the women.

Although I'm not 100% certain I seem to remember Ann Jones saying that their first professional engagement was in France.

Assuming that the London Times report of Jones' two French victories over BJ is correct and with the detail supplied it would appear so this would complete the statistical data supplied by Neil Amdur's article in NY Times at MSG.

While it is possible that any results at The Forum in LA, if any matches had occurred, might not have been carried by the papers why would they not be included the overall statistics? I would assume Mr Amdur's figures would have been supplied by the McCall Organisation.

 

The NTL was originally scheduled to hold an event at the Los Angeles Forum in April, however that event was one of many sporting events in the US either postponed or cancelled due to the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr.

The NTL rescheduled the Forum event and it took place from July 17 to 19, 1968.

I was able to locate an article referring to a doubles-only match held in San Francisco on April 11. Durr Jones d King Casals 36 63 97. This appears to have been the first appearance for the NTL women. Their first singles event appeared to have been Cannes on April 14.

 

Great that's another mystery solved!

The doubles match in SF on Apr 11 must be the exhibition given for The Youth Tennis Foundation which Tennis World alludes to.

Then with LA cancelled the tour began in earnest in France as Ann Jones stated.

 

Results from Lille seem to still be elusive, as well as exact dates of the South American and French events of late 1968. Here is the full list of 1968 NTL results - women's pro events only, not including open events:

San Francisco
April 11
Doubles only
Jones Durr d King Casals 36 63 97

Cannes
April 14
King d Jones 10 7; Casals d Durr 10 3
F King d Casals 10 6

Paris
April 16/19
King d Casals 61 62; Jones d Durr 61 64
F King d Jones 97 64

London Wembley BBC2
April 17
Doubles only
King Casals were ahead of Jones Durr 9-7 when match ended due to time

Pau
April 21
King d Durr 9 6; Jones d Casals 9 8
F Jones d King 64 36 64 (also reported as 61 for third set)

Lille
April ?
Jones beat King 10 6? Final? Other results?

Aix En Provence
May 1
Jones d Casals 97 46 61; Durr d King 75 97
Final rained out

London Wembley
May 3-6
King d Casals 46 75 75; Jones d Durr 75 36 62
F King d Jones 46 97 75

New York - Madison Square Garden
May 15/17/18
King d Durr 61 63; Jones d Casals 61 75
F Jones d King 64 64

Los Angeles
July 17/19
(originally scheduled for April 7/9/10)
King d Durr 10 7; Jones d Casals 10 7
F King d Jones 12 10 6 3

Oakland
July 24/25
King d Durr 63 64; Casals d Jones 36 11 ret
F Casals d King 10 8 26 60

Binghamton
August 9/11
Casals d Durr 86 36 64; King d Jones 60 63
F King d Casals 10 8. 64
Third place Durr d Jones 60 62

McAllen
August 12
King d Jones 57 61 64
(only one women's singles match at this event)

Fort Worth
August 15/18
King d Casals 60 64; Jones d Durr 63 63
F Jones d King 61 62
Third place Durr d Casals 62 57 62

Corpus Christi
October 4/6
Jones d Casals 63 62
(only singles match at this event due to King's injury)

Sao Paulo
October 18/20?
Day one Jones d Casals 60 75
Day three Casals d Jones 63 63

La Paz
October 25/27?
Day three Jones d Casals 60 46 61

Lima
November 1/3?
Day three Jones d Casals 62 75

Marseille
November 7?
Durr d Buding 62 63

Lyon
November 8?
Durr d Buding 60 63

Lyon
November 10?
Durr d Buding 60 63