Todd Witsken
Country (sports) | United States |
---|---|
Born | Indianapolis, Indiana, US | November 4, 1963
Died | May 25, 1998 Zionsville, Indiana, US | (aged 34)
Turned pro | 1985 |
Retired | 1993 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
College | University of Southern California |
Prize money | $1,420,910 |
Singles | |
Career record | 115–135 |
Career titles | 0 |
Highest ranking | No. 43 (November 13, 1989) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (1988) |
French Open | 2R (1988, 1989) |
Wimbledon | 2R (1986, 1989) |
US Open | 4R (1986) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 222–148 |
Career titles | 12 |
Highest ranking | No. 4 (August 29, 1988) |
Todd Witsken (November 4, 1963 – May 25, 1998) was an American tennis player. He specialized in playing doubles and began his professional career in 1985. He was a three-time all-American at the University of Southern California. His career-high rankings were world No. 43 in singles and No. 4 in doubles.[1] Witsken retired just before the 1993 US Open and died from brain cancer on May 25, 1998, at the age of 34.[1]
His biggest singles win was at the 1986 US Open, where he beat five-time US Open champion, Jimmy Connors, 6–2, 6–4, 7–5, in their third-round match. It was the first time since 1973 that Connors had failed to reach the US Open semifinals.
In 1989, Witsken lost to Greg Holmes 7–5, 4–6, 6–7(5), 6–4, 12–14, in the second round at Wimbledon, a match that was the longest men's singles match at Wimbledon, timed at 5 hours 28 minutes, until the record-breaking Isner-Mahut match in 2010.
He was one of eight children born to Marilyn and Henry Witsken. His hometown was Carmel, Indiana, where he left behind four children. His nephew is Ben Shelton.
ATP career finals
[edit]Legend |
---|
Grand Slam (0) |
ATP Masters Series (2) |
ATP International Series Gold (0) |
ATP Tour (10) |
Doubles: 21 (12 wins, 9 losses)
[edit]Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | Oct 1987 | San Francisco, US | Carpet (i) | Glenn Layendecker | Jim Grabb Patrick McEnroe |
2–6, 6–0, 4–6 |
Loss | 2. | Mar 1988 | Indian Wells, US | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Boris Becker Guy Forget |
4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 3. | May 1988 | Charleston, US | Clay | Jorge Lozano | Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 1. | May 1988 | Forest Hills, US | Clay | Jorge Lozano | Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–3, 7–6 |
Win | 2. | May 1988 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Jorge Lozano | Anders Järryd Tomáš Šmíd |
6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 3. | Jul 1988 | Boston, US | Clay | Jorge Lozano | Bruno Orešar Jaime Yzaga |
6–2, 7–5 |
Loss | 4. | Jul 1988 | Washington, US | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
3–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
Win | 4. | Jul 1988 | Stratton Mountain, US | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–3, 7–6 |
Loss | 5. | Nov 1988 | Itaparica, Brazil | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Sergio Casal Emilio Sánchez |
6–7, 6–7 |
Win | 5. | Apr 1989 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano | Patrick McEnroe Tim Wilkison |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 6. | Jul 1989 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Cássio Motta | Petr Korda Milan Šrejber |
6–4, 6–3 |
Win | 7. | Aug 1989 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Kelly Evernden | Charles Beckman Shelby Cannon |
6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 8. | Nov 1989 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano | Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
6–3, 5–7, 6–3 |
Loss | 6. | Nov 1989 | Itaparica, Brazil | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
2–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 7. | Jul 1990 | Washington, USA | Hard | Jorge Lozano | Grant Connell Glenn Michibata |
3–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 8. | Oct 1990 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano | Udo Riglewski Michael Stich |
4–6, 4–6 |
Win | 9. | Apr 1991 | Hong Kong, UK | Hard | Patrick Galbraith | Glenn Michibata Robert Van't Hof |
6–2, 6–4 |
Win | 10. | May 1991 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Patrick Galbraith | Anders Järryd Danie Visser |
7–5, 6–4 |
Win | 11. | Jul 1991 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Patrick Galbraith | Grant Connell Glenn Michibata |
6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
Win | 12. | Mar 1992 | Key Biscayne, US | Hard | Ken Flach | Kent Kinnear Sven Salumaa |
6–4, 6–3 |
Loss | 9. | Jul 1992 | Washington, USA | Hard | Ken Flach | Bret Garnett Jared Palmer |
2–6, 3–6 |
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
[edit]Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | Feb 1990 | San Francisco, US | Hard (i) | Andre Agassi | 1–6, 3–6 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Todd Witsken, 34, Champion in Tennis Doubles". New York Times. May 27, 1998. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
External links
[edit]- Todd Witsken at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Todd Witsken at the International Tennis Federation
- 1963 births
- 1998 deaths
- American male tennis players
- Carmel High School (Indiana) alumni
- Deaths from brain cancer in Indiana
- People from Zionsville, Indiana
- Tennis players from Indianapolis
- USC Trojans men's tennis players
- Sportspeople from Carmel, Indiana
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American tennis biography stubs