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1977 Australian Open (December) – Men's Singles
Vitas Gerulaitis defeated John Lloyd in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 5–7, 3–6, 6–2 to win the men's singles tennis title at the December 1977 Australian Open. It was his first and only major singles title. Gerulaitis was making his tournament debut. Roscoe Tanner was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Chris Lewis. The second of the two Australian Opens held in 1977 started on 19 December and ended on 31 December. For the first Australian Open held in 1977, see: 1977 Australian Open (January). Seeds The seeded players are listed below. Vitas Gerulaitis is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated. # Vitas Gerulaitis (champion) # Roscoe Tanner ''(first round)'' # Tony Roche ''(first round)'' # Ken Rosewall ''(quarterfinals)'' # Phil Dent ''(second round)'' # John Alexander ''(semifinals)'' # Stan Smith ''(third round)'' # Tim Gullikson ''(third round)'' Qualifying Draw Key * Q = Qualifier * WC = Wild ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitas Gerulaitis
Vytautas "Vitas" Kevin Gerulaitis (July 26, 1954 – September 17, 1994) was an American professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1978. Gerulaitis won the men's singles title at the December 1977 Australian Open, and the men's doubles title at the 1975 Wimbledon Championships, partnering with Sandy Mayer. Gerulaitis also won two Italian Opens in 1977 and 1979, and the 1978 WCT Finals. Early life Born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, Gerulaitis grew up in Howard Beach, Queens, attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, and graduated in 1971. He attended Columbia College of Columbia University with the class of 1975 for one year, then dropped out to pursue tennis full-time. Gerulaitis was nicknamed "The Lithuanian Lion". His younger sister Ruta was also a professional tennis player; both siblings' native language was Lithuanian. Career highlights Gerulai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |