The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cleveland hosted 1964 Davis Cup final
For the first of four times, the world’s best tennis players traveled to Northeast Ohio in 1964for the Davis Cup.
At first glance in this day and age, it seems like the closest Northeast Ohio tennis fans can come to seeing the world’s best compete would be heading down Interstate 71 to Mason when it hosts the Western & Southern Open.
However, for the first of four times, the world’s best came to Northeast Ohio in 1964.
Because for all its diverse host locales year to year worldwide, the Davis Cup finals was staged in Cleveland.
On Jan. 12, 1964, it was announced an effort would be launched to bring the Davis Cup finals to Northeast Ohio, led by prominent Cleveland attorney Robert Malaga.
The United States had just been awarded the right to host the finals, and Malaga wanted to position Cleveland to be a viable host city in addition to Forest Hills, NY, the location where the Davis Cup finals were typically held on American soil.
Malaga, who played tennis in college at Michigan State, expected it would bring in crowds of 4,000, including internationally renowned names.
Northeast Ohio was no stranger to staging preliminary rounds of the competition. In 1960, 1961 and 1962, the Cleveland Skating Club had hosted matches involving the U.S. against Venezuela, Mexico and Canada, respectively.
The bid to host the Davis Cup finals received a massive boost the following day.
When contacted, United States Lawn Tennis Association president Edward Turville enthusiastically supported the effort.
“Your community has done the most outstanding job of promoting tennis of any community that I know,” Turville told local media. “Cleveland is a logical choice for the challenge round.”
Turville added it wouldn’t be preferable to have the Davis Cup finals in Forest Hills, because the U.S. Open would be staged there concurrently. That was done in 1958, “and the Davis Cup committee voted at that time never to do it again.”
In the Davis Cup format, the defending champion, in this case the U.S., awaited an opponent, which would advance through preliminary competition. ABC had broadcasting rights for the U.S. and Australian matches, and those telecasts would be disseminated worldwide.
Even further support came Jan. 18, when the Western Lawn Tennis Association unanimously recommended Cleveland to be named host.
“We’ve never had the Davis Cup final in our section, and it would be good for all of tennis for the matches to come to Cleveland,” WLTA president Stanley Malless said.
In separate early-February meetings in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Davis Cup committee and United States Lawn Tennis Association were expected to determine the host of the Davis Cup final.
In addition to Cleveland, Forest Hills and Los Angeles were also hopeful to land the bid.
“All anyone talks about here in Corpus Christi is the Davis Cup matches and who is going to be awarded the finals,” Malaga said. “Right now, it looks as if Los Angeles and Cleveland are out in front. No one is even mentioning Forest Hills.
“If I see Los Angeles’ plans are way ahead of ours, I’ll back down. But if I see we are just about even, I’ll take the floor and really fight for this thing.”
Malaga needed to fight, as it turned out.
Cleveland was awarded the bid Feb. 14, with it coming down to a vote against L. A. Cleveland won that vote, 17-15.
Plans were then set in motion. Part of the plan was to make the tournament accessible, with an average ticket costing $6. Total gross from tickets was still expected to reach nearly $200,000 for the three- day event. The dates would be Sept. 25-27.
It was decided the tournament would be staged on land near Roxboro Junior High School, on the corner of Roxboro Road and North Park Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, on which a tennis stadium would be built. The stadium would hold around 8,000.
The Cleveland Skating Club, also considered as a potential host, would be made available for players to practice.
The bid going to Cleveland was not met well by all parties.
A San Francisco newspaper reported a prominent unnamed man who supported L. A.’s bid believed Cleveland got the nod through nefarious means.
“So Cleveland wins the voting, 17-15,” the man said. “Can you imagine that — Cleveland? A city with about as much tennis tradition as St. Cloud, Minnesota.”
Ground was broken for the tennis stadium in Cleveland Heights on June 24.
The initial American team for the Davis Cup final was unveiled Aug. 18: Chuck McKinley, Dennis Ralston, Frank Froehling, Marty Riessen, Charles Pasarell, Clark Graebner — and a 21-year-old impresario from Virginia named Arthur Ashe.
By late August, the complex was nearly built. U.S. Davis Cup captain Vic Seixas was in town and stated the courts, which would be a composition surface and not grass, “look good.”
On Aug. 30, the Americans found out who their opponent would be, and it was a familiar foe. Australia defeated Sweden, in an interzone final, with the doubles team of Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle winning in straight sets to clinch the series.
Australia had won the Davis Cup 11 times from 1950-62.
Seixas pared down the seven-man preliminary squad to four Sept. 15, tapping McKinley, Ralston, Ashe and Riessen.
Ashe was the first Black player to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup squad.
A humorous scenario played out Sept. 20 as American and Australian players tried to practice.
McKinley, Ralston and Aussie star Roy Emerson, who had won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open that year, couldn’t focus on their practice sessions because of a swarm of gnats. Event organizers, embarrassed by the infestation, blamed in on rain and open areas around the junior high.
Matches were determined Sept. 24, the day before the final, in a draw at the Hotel Sheraton downtown. McKinley would compete in the opening match against Stolle. Ralston would face Emerson. Those two Americans and Aussies would then compete in a doubles match the following day.
The final two singles matches would then be Ralston-Stolle and McKinley-Emerson.
The teams earned a split on Day 1 on Sept. 25. McKinley took down Stolle, 6-1, 9-7, 4-6, 6-2, and Emerson dominated Ralston, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.
On Day 2, the American contingent gave the home fans plenty with which to be pleased, as McKinley and Ralston teamed up to defeat Emerson and Stolle, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. That left the U.S. one win away in the best-of-five format from keeping the Davis Cup.
Stolle returned Sept. 27 and answered for the Aussies with a 7-5, 6-3, 3-6, 9-11, 6-4 marathon win.
“It was a shame both couldn’t win, they played so well,” Seixas said. “But I have to give Stolle all of the credit in the world.”
Added Aussie captain Harry Hopman: “It was one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever seen in Davis Cup play.”
Because the match took three hours, and there was a two-hour, 45-minute rain delay in addition, the fifth and deciding match between McKinley and Emerson would have to be contested the following day.
Emerson, at 27 and regarded as the world’s best player, ensured the rally would be completed.
McKinley gave the crowd of 6,500 hope with a 6-3 first-set victory. But Emerson stormed back to win the next three sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, and the match.
“He was simply too good for me today,” McKinley said.
Australia had captured the Davis Cup for the 12th time, and just like that, Cleveland’s time hosting the final was over.
Officials gave hope the Davis Cup final could return to Cleveland. Eventually it did for the 1969 and 1970 editions, also at Cleveland Heights, and in 1973, when it was hosted for the first time indoors at Public Hall.
But the Davis Cup final’s unlikely journey began in 1964, when a local attorney’s vision for the tennis world to come to Northeast Ohio came to fruition.