Arthur Ashe

American Born 1943 185 cm Right handed
Head to heads vs Tom Okker (27)vs Marty Riessen (26)vs Bob Lutz (25)vs Stan Smith (24)vs Rod Laver (21)vs Ken Rosewall (20)

Match log

1979

KitzbuhelClay, July
R16LChristophe Freyss7-6 2-6 4-6
R32WFernando Dalla Fontana6-1 6-3
WimbledonGrass, June
R128LChris Kachel4-6 6-7 3-6
Queen's ClubGrass, June
SFLVictor Pecci3-6 5-7
QFWDick Stockton6-4 6-4
R16WBernie Mitton7-6 4-6 15-13
R32WPaul Kronk6-4 6-0
R64WChris Kachel6-3 6-1
Roland GarrosClay, May
R32LIvan Lendl7-5 6-7 2-6 3-6
R64WChris Lewis3-6 6-3 6-4 6-2
R128WJavier Soler6-4 6-2 6-3
FlorenceClay, May
QFLJean Francois Caujolle6-1 6-7 3-6
R16WAntonio Zugarelli6-2 6-4
R32WJavier Soler6-1 7-5
Nations CupClay, May
SFLCorrado Barazzutti2-6 2-6
RRLJohn Alexander3-6 7-6 4-6
Las VegasHard, April
R32LJohan Kriek1-6 3-6
Washington IndoorCarpet, March
SFLBrian Gottfried1-6 5-7
QFWJeff Borowiak6-1 3-6 6-3
R16WFrancisco Gonzalez3-6 6-2 7-6
R32WBob Lutz6-4 0-6 7-5
New HavenCarpet, March
RRWJohn Alexander6-0 6-2
RRWPhil Dent6-4 6-1
MemphisCarpet, February
FLJimmy Connors4-6 7-5 3-6
SFWRoscoe Tanner2-6 6-4 6-4
QFWGene Mayer6-3 6-2
R16WTim Gullikson1-6 7-6 6-1
R32WKim Warwick6-3 6-1
R64WTim Wilkison7-6 3-6 6-3
DenverCarpet, February
SFLVictor Amaya7-6 5-7 4-6
QFWBuster C Mottram6-3 6-4
R16WStan Smith6-4 4-6 6-4
R32WNick Saviano6-4 7-5
Richmond WCTCarpet, January
SFLGuillermo Vilas3-6 4-6
QFWBrian Gottfried6-2 2-6 6-3
R16WRoss Case7-6 6-7 6-2
R32WEliot Teltscher7-6 6-2
PhiladelphiaCarpet, January
FLJimmy Connors3-6 4-6 1-6
SFWVitas Gerulaitis1-6 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-4
QFWBrian Gottfried6-3 7-5
R16WGuillermo Vilas6-3 7-5
R32WMarty Riessen6-1 4-6 6-4
R64WBernie Mitton6-2 7-6
MastersCarpet, January
FLJohn McEnroe7-6 3-6 5-7
SFWBrian Gottfried7-5 3-6 6-3
RRLJohn McEnroe3-6 1-6
RRWJimmy ConnorsW/O
RRWHarold Solomon6-1 6-4

1978

Australian OpenGrass, December
SFLJohn Marks4-6 2-6 6-2 6-1 7-9
QFWPeter Feigl4-6 6-2 4-6 6-2 9-7
R16WKim Warwick2-6 6-2 7-5 4-6 6-3
R32WRaymond Moore6-4 6-4 6-3
R64WBruce Kleege6-3 6-3 7-6

Arthur Ashe

The first US Open of the Open era, in 1968, went to an amateur; no man has done it since. Arthur Ashe beat Tom Okker in five sets and watched the $14,000 prize go to the man he had beaten. The 1970 Australian Open followed, then Wimbledon in 1975, where he took the pace off everything, gave the heavy favorite Jimmy Connors nothing to hit and won 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 five days short of turning 32. He remains the only Black man to have won all three.

The tennis was only half of it. South Africa refused him a visa in 1969 and was out of the Davis Cup within a year; he kept protesting, and being arrested, into his final year. A heart attack at 36 ended his career, and a transfusion during heart surgery in 1983 infected him with HIV. He went public in April 1992 and died of AIDS-related pneumonia in February 1993, at 49. Since 1997 the US Open's main stadium has carried his name.