Todd Witsken
| Country (sports) |
 United States |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 4, 1963 Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Died |
May 25, 1998 (aged 34) Zionsville, Indiana |
| Turned pro | 1985 |
| Retired | 1993 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-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]
Witsken's biggest singles win was at the 1986 US Open, where he beat 5-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 semi finals.
In 1989 he lost to Greg Holmes 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 14-12 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 epic 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.
ATP Tour finals
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (2) |
| ATP International Series Gold (0) |
| ATP Tour (10) |
Doubles (12 titles, 9 runner-ups)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | October 4, 1987 | San Francisco, USA | Carpet (i) | Glenn Layendecker |
Jim Grabb Patrick McEnroe |
2–6, 6–0, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | March 6, 1988 | Indian Wells, USA | Hard |  Jorge Lozano |
 Boris Becker Guy Forget |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | May 1, 1988 | Charleston, USA | Clay | Jorge Lozano |
.svg.png){kind=small} Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–7, 3–6 |
| Winner | 1. | May 8, 1988 | Forest Hills, USA | Clay | Jorge Lozano |
Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–3, 7–6 |
| Winner | 2. | May 15, 1988 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Jorge Lozano |
 Anders Järryd Tomáš Šmíd |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 3. | July 10, 1988 | Boston, USA | Clay | Jorge Lozano |
 Bruno Orešar Jaime Yzaga |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 4. | July 24, 1988 | Washington, USA | Hard | Jorge Lozano |
Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
3–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 4. | July 31, 1988 | Stratton Mountain, USA | Hard | Jorge Lozano |
Pieter Aldrich Danie Visser |
6–3, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | November 27, 1988 | Itaparica, Brazil | Hard | Jorge Lozano |
 Sergio Casal Emilio Sánchez |
6–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 5. | April 16, 1989 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano |
Patrick McEnroe Tim Wilkison |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 6. | July 16, 1989 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay |  Cassio Motta |
Petr Korda Milan Šrejber |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | August 20, 1989 | Montreal, Canada | Hard |  Kelly Evernden |
Charles Beckman Shelby Cannon |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 8. | November 12, 1989 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano |
Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
6–3, 5–7, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 6. | November 26, 1989 | Itaparica, Brazil | Hard | Jorge Lozano |
Rick Leach Jim Pugh |
2–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 7. | July 22, 1990 | Washington, USA | Hard | Jorge Lozano |
 Grant Connell Glenn Michibata |
3–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | October 21, 1990 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | Jorge Lozano |
Udo Riglewski Michael Stich |
4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 9. | April 7, 1991 | Hong Kong | Hard | Patrick Galbraith |
Glenn Michibata Robert Van't Hof |
6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 10. | May 5, 1991 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Patrick Galbraith |
Anders Järryd Danie Visser |
7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 11. | July 28, 1991 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Patrick Galbraith |
Grant Connell Glenn Michibata |
6–4, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 12. | March 22, 1992 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Ken Flach |
Kent Kinnear Sven Salumaa |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 9. | July 19, 1992 | Washington, USA | Hard | Ken Flach |
Bret Garnett Jared Palmer |
2–6, 3–6 |
Singles finals (1)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | February 11, 1990 | San Francisco, USA | Carpet (i) | Andre Agassi |
1–6, 3–6 |
References
- 1 2 "Todd Witsken, 34, Champion in Tennis Doubles". New york Times. May 27, 1998. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
External links
- Todd Witsken at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Todd Witsken at the International Tennis Federation