# 1968 Davis Cup

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1968 edition of the Davis Cup

1968 Davis Cup Details Duration 20 March – 28 December 1968 Edition 57th Teams 49 Champion Winning nation United States ← 1967 1969 →

The **1968 Davis Cup** was the 57th edition of the [Davis Cup](/source/Davis_Cup), the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 32 teams entered the Europe Zone, 9 teams entered the Americas Zone, and 8 teams entered the Eastern Zone. [Peru](/source/Peru_Davis_Cup_team) made its first appearance in the tournament, having previously entered on 3 occasions before subsequently withdrawing before competing in a tie.

The [United States](/source/United_States_Davis_Cup_team) defeated [Ecuador](/source/Ecuador_Davis_Cup_team) in the Americas Inter-Zonal final, [India](/source/India_Davis_Cup_team) defeated [Japan](/source/Japan_Davis_Cup_team) in the Eastern Inter-Zonal final, and [Spain](/source/Spain_Davis_Cup_team) and [West Germany](/source/Germany_Davis_Cup_team) were the winners of the two Europe Zones, defeating [Italy](/source/Italy_Davis_Cup_team) and [South Africa](/source/South_Africa_Davis_Cup_team) respectively.

In the Inter-Zonal Zone, the United States defeated Spain and India defeated West Germany in the semifinals, and then the United States defeated India in the final. The United States then defeated the defending champions [Australia](/source/Australia_Davis_Cup_team) in the Challenge Round, ending Australia's four-year title run. The final was played at [Memorial Drive Park](/source/Memorial_Drive_Park) in [Adelaide](/source/Adelaide), Australia on 26–28 December.[1][2][3]

## Incidents

In what became known as the [Båstad riots](/source/B%C3%A5stad_riots), the Europe Zone first-round tie between [Sweden](/source/Sweden_Davis_Cup_team) and [Rhodesia](/source/Zimbabwe_Davis_Cup_team), planned to be held in [Båstad](/source/B%C3%A5stad), Sweden, caused widespread disruption as demonstrators protested the participation of both Rhodesia and [South Africa](/source/South_Africa_Davis_Cup_team) in the tournament. Both countries had been banned from competing in other sports competitions due to their [apartheid](/source/Apartheid) and [white minority rule](/source/Dominant_minority) policies.

Following discussions between the [Swedish government](/source/Government_of_Sweden) and demonstrators, the [International Tennis Federation](/source/International_Tennis_Federation) and Swedish Tennis Federation decided to move the tie to a neutral location in [Bandol](/source/Bandol), France.[4][5]

## Americas Zone

Further information: [1968 Davis Cup Americas Zone](/source/1968_Davis_Cup_Americas_Zone)

### North & Central America Zone

Semifinals 3–13 May Final 24–26 May Richmond, VA, United States (hard) United States 5 Berkeley, CA, United States (hard) Caribbean/West Indies 0 United States 5 Mexico City, Mexico (clay) Mexico 0 Canada 0 Mexico 5

### South America Zone

Quarterfinals 27–29 April Semifinals 29–31 March; 11–13 May Final 24–27 May Caracas, Venezuela Venezuela 3 Caracas, Venezuela (hard) Argentina 2 Venezuela 0 Ecuador 3 Ecuador Guayaquil, Ecuador (clay) bye Ecuador 3 Chile 1 bye Lima, Peru Peru Peru 0 Chile 5 bye Chile

### Americas Inter-Zonal Final

**United States vs. Ecuador**

United States 5 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC, United States[6] 7–9 June 1968 Carpet (indoor) Ecuador 0 1 2 3 4 5 1 Arthur Ashe Pancho Guzmán 6 3 6 3 6 2 2 Clark Graebner Miguel Olvera 6 2 6 1 6 2 3 Clark Graebner / Bob Lutz Pancho Guzmán / Miguel Olvera 6 3 6 2 7 5 4 Clark Graebner Pancho Guzmán 4 6 6 3 6 4 6 4 5 Arthur Ashe Miguel Olvera 6 1 6 3 6 0

## Eastern Zone

Further information: [1968 Davis Cup Eastern Zone](/source/1968_Davis_Cup_Eastern_Zone)

### Zone A

Quarterfinals Semifinals 23–25 March; 26–28 April Final 10–12 May Indonesia w/o Manila, Philippines South Vietnam Indonesia 1 Philippines 4 Philippines Tokyo, Japan bye Philippines 1 Japan 4 bye Tokyo, Japan South Korea South Korea 0 Japan 5 bye Japan

### Zone B

Semifinals 20–22 March Final 26–28 April Colombo, Ceylon (clay) Malaysia 1 Guwahati, India Ceylon 4 Ceylon 2 India 3 bye India

### Eastern Inter-Zonal Final

**Japan vs. India**

Japan 1 Tokyo, Japan[7] 21–23 September 1968 India 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 Keishiro Yanagi Premjit Lall 2 6 4 6 3 6 2 Koji Watanabe Ramanathan Krishnan 2 6 6 3 3 6 2 6 3 Isao Watanabe / Koji Watanabe Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea 2 6 2 6 7 5 6 1 0 6 4 Keishiro Yanagi Ramanathan Krishnan 4 6 3 6 1 6 5 Koji Watanabe Premjit Lall 8 6 6 1 6 2

## Europe Zone

Further information: [1968 Davis Cup Europe Zone](/source/1968_Davis_Cup_Europe_Zone)

### Zone A

First Round 26 April–7 May Quarterfinals 23–26 May Semifinals 13–16 June Final 19–21 July Valencia, Spain (clay) Spain 3 Barcelona, Spain (clay) Netherlands 2 Spain 4 Bandol, France (hard) Sweden 1 Sweden 4 Barcelona, Spain (clay) Rhodesia 1 Spain 4 Bournemouth, England (clay) Great Britain 1 Great Britain 3 London, England (grass) France 0 Great Britain 5 Helsinki, Finland (clay) Finland 0 Finland 4 Barcelona, Spain (clay) Portugal 1 Spain 3 Tbilisi, Soviet Union Italy 2 Soviet Union 4 Moscow, Soviet Union Greece 1 Soviet Union 5 Zagreb, Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 0 Yugoslavia 4 Reggio Emilia, Italy (clay) New Zealand 0 Soviet Union 2 Cagliari, Italy (clay) Italy 3 Italy 5 Biella, Italy (clay) Hungary 0 Italy 5 Monte Carlo, Monaco Monaco 0 Monaco 3 Ireland 1

#### Zone A Final

**Spain vs. Italy**

Spain 3 Real Club de Tenis, Barcelona, Spain[8] 19–21 July 1968 Clay Italy 2 1 2 3 4 5 1 Juan Gisbert Martin Mulligan 6 4 2 6 6 2 6 4 2 Manuel Santana Nicola Pietrangeli 6 3 3 6 4 6 6 4 6 2 3 José Luis Arilla / Manuel Orantes Martin Mulligan / Nicola Pietrangeli 5 7 2 6 6 3 3 6 4 Juan Gisbert Nicola Pietrangeli 8 6 6 4 6 2 5 Manuel Orantes Martin Mulligan 6 4 6 4 5 7 3 6 4 4

### Zone B

First Round 28 April–6 May Quarterfinals 17–26 May Semifinals 14–16 June Final 19–21 July Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria 5 Sofia, Bulgaria Turkey 0 Bulgaria 0 Freiburg, West Germany West Germany 5 Switzerland 1 Munich, West Germany (clay) West Germany 4 West Germany 4 Brussels, Belgium Czechoslovakia 1 Belgium 3 Brussels, Belgium (clay) Poland 2 Belgium 2 Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay) Czechoslovakia 3 Czechoslovakia 3 Düsseldorf, West Germany Brazil 2 West Germany 3 Luxembourg, Luxembourg (clay) South Africa 2 Luxembourg 1 Oslo, Norway (clay) Norway 4 Norway 0 Bucharest, Romania (clay) Romania 5 Romania 4 Denmark 1 Romania Tehran, Iran South Africa w/o Iran 4 Tehran, Iran Israel 1 Iran 0 Linz, Austria South Africa 5 Austria 0 South Africa 5

#### Zone B Final

**West Germany vs. South Africa**

West Germany 3 Düsseldorf, West Germany[9] 19–21 July 1968 South Africa 2 1 2 3 4 5 1 Wilhelm Bungert Bob Hewitt 9 7 7 5 7 5 2 Ingo Buding Ray Moore 6 3 4 6 10 8 6 8 6 4 3 Ingo Buding / Jürgen Fassbender Bob Hewitt / Frew McMillan 4 6 2 6 4 6 4 Wilhelm Bungert Ray Moore 6 1 6 1 6 1 5 Ingo Buding Bob Hewitt 5 7 2 6 6 2 3 6

## Inter-Zonal Zone

### Draw

Semifinals 14–16 August; 4–6 October Final 9–11 November Munich, West Germany EUR-B West Germany 2 San Juan, PR (hard) EAS India 3 EAS India 1 Cleveland, OH, United States (hard) AME United States 4 AME United States 4 EUR-A Spain 1

### Semifinals

**West Germany vs. India**

West Germany 2 Munich, West Germany[10] 4–6 October 1968 India 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 Ingo Buding Premjit Lall 6 2 2 6 3 6 4 6 2 Wilhelm Bungert Ramanathan Krishnan 4 6 6 0 8 6 7 5 3 Wilhelm Bungert / Jürgen Fassbender Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea 2 6 2 6 3 6 4 Ingo Buding Ramanathan Krishnan 2 6 5 7 2 6 5 Wilhelm Bungert Premjit Lall 6 1 4 6 6 4 6 3

**United States vs. Spain**

United States 4 Harold Clark Courts, Cleveland, OH, United States[11] 16–19 August 1968 Hard Spain 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 Clark Graebner Manuel Santana 2 6 3 6 3 6 2 Arthur Ashe Juan Gisbert 6 2 6 4 6 2 3 Clark Graebner / Charlie Pasarell Juan Gisbert / Manuel Santana 11 13 17 15 7 5 6 2 4 Clark Graebner Juan Gisbert 9 7 6 3 6 1 5 Arthur Ashe Manuel Santana 11 13 7 5 6 3 13 15 6 4

### Final

**United States vs. India**

United States 4 Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico[12] 9–11 November 1968 Hard India 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 Arthur Ashe Premjit Lall 6 2 5 7 6 2 6 4 2 Clark Graebner Ramanathan Krishnan 5 7 6 4 2 6 1 6 3 Bob Lutz / Stan Smith Ramanathan Krishnan / Jaidip Mukerjea 6 2 6 3 6 2 4 Arthur Ashe Ramanathan Krishnan 6 1 6 3 6 3 5 Clark Graebner Premjit Lall 9 11 9 7 7 5 6 4

## Challenge Round

**Australia vs. United States**

Australia 1 Memorial Drive Park, Adelaide, Australia[3] 26–28 December 1968 Grass United States 4 1 2 3 4 5 1 Bill Bowrey Clark Graebner 10 8 4 6 6 8 6 3 1 6 2 Ray Ruffels Arthur Ashe 8 6 5 7 3 6 3 6 3 John Alexander / Ray Ruffels Bob Lutz / Stan Smith 4 6 4 6 2 6 4 Ray Ruffels Clark Graebner 6 3 6 8 6 2 3 6 1 6 5 Bill Bowrey Arthur Ashe 2 6 6 3 11 9 8 6

## See also

- *[The White Game](/source/The_White_Game)*, a 1968 Swedish documentary film about the protests around the match between Sweden and Rhodesia.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Collins_1-0)** Bud Collins (2010). *The Bud Collins History of Tennis* (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 495–496, 499. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0942257700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0942257700).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Max Robertson (1974). *The Encyclopedia of Tennis*. London: Allen & Unwin. p. 384. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0047960426](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0047960426).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Challenge_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Challenge_3-1) ["Australia v United States"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-WG-CHR-AUS-USA-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Wijk, Johnny (March 7, 2009). ["Idrotten tjänar på de politiska aktionerna"](https://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/idrotten-tjanar-pa-de-politiska-aktionerna/). *[Dagens Nyheter](/source/Dagens_Nyheter)* (in Swedish). Retrieved June 26, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Chile waits for Cup decision"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rNVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MuADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4408,2869280&dq=davis+cup+chile&hl=en). *[Eugene Register-Guard](/source/The_Register-Guard)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). September 12, 1975. Retrieved May 7, 2019. Seven years ago, the Swedish Tennis Federation was forced to move a Davis Cup match between Sweden and white-ruled Rhodesia to southern France after demonstrators had clashed with police outside Baastad's tennis stadium.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["United States v Ecuador"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-AMI-M-USA-ECU-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Japan v India"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-EAS-M-JPN-IND-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Spain v Italy"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-EUR-A-M-ESP-ITA-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["West Germany v South Africa"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-EUR-B-M-FRG-RSA-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["West Germany v India"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-INZ-M-FRG-IND-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["United States v Spain"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-INZ-M-USA-ESP-01). daviscup.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["United States v India"](https://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-1968-INZ-M-USA-IND-01). daviscup.com.

## External links

- [Davis Cup Official Website](http://www.daviscup.com)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [1968 Davis Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Davis_Cup) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Davis_Cup?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.