1968 US Open – Men's singles
| Men's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 US Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion | United States Arthur Ashe | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runner-up | Netherlands Tom Okker | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Score | 14–12, 5–7, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Details | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draw | 96 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeds | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Events | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arthur Ashe defeated Tom Okker in the final, 14–12, 5–7, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1968 U.S. Open.[1] It was his first major singles title, and Ashe became the first African-American man to win a major. This was the first edition of the tournament open to professional players, a period in tennis history known as the Open Era.
John Newcombe was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Clark Graebner.
Seeds
[edit ]The seeded players are listed below. Arthur Ashe is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.
- Australia Rod Laver (fourth round)
- Australia Tony Roche (fourth round)
- Australia Ken Rosewall (semifinals)
- Australia John Newcombe (quarterfinals)
- United States Arthur Ashe (champion)
- United States Dennis Ralston (quarterfinals)
- United States Clark Graebner (semifinals)
- Netherlands Tom Okker (finals)
- n/a
- Spain Andrés Gimeno (first round)
- Australia Fred Stolle (second round)
- United States Charlie Pasarell (third round)
- United States Richard Pancho Gonzales (quarterfinals)
- Australia Roy Emerson (fourth round)
- United States Marty Riessen (second round)
- South Africa Cliff Drysdale (quarterfinals)
Draw
[edit ]Key
[edit ]- Q = Qualifier
- WC = Wild card
- LL = Lucky loser
- r = Retired
Final eight
[edit ]Section 1
[edit ]Section 2
[edit ]Section 3
[edit ]Section 4
[edit ]Section 5
[edit ]Section 6
[edit ]Section 7
[edit ]Section 8
[edit ]Effects of Ashe's Victory
[edit ]Arthur Ashe's victory took the public by storm. Telegrams from fans, politicians, and celebrities began to flood in. One celebrity who celebrated the importance of Ashe's victory was Jackie Robinson. He stated that this victory would "bridge the gap between races and inspire black people the world over and also affect the decency of all Americans".[2] Ashe's victory was a sign that Blacks could excel anywhere, even in places flooded with racial prejudice. This is proven with the steady fight for Black rights in years to come.
References
[edit ]- ^ "Ashe Wins U.S. Open Singles Title", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 10, 1968, p27
- ^ Hall, Eric Allen (2014). Arthur Ashe: tennis and justice in the Civil Rights era. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-1395-2.