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Manuel Orantes facts for kids

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Manuel Orantes
Manuel Orantes c1974.jpg
Country (sports)  Spain
Residence Barcelona, Spain
Born (1949-02-06) 6 February 1949 (age 76)
Granada, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro 1968 (amateur from 1964)
Retired 1983
Plays Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money $1,398,303
Int. Tennis HoF 2012 (member page)
Singles
Career record 722–292 (71.2%) in pre Open-Era & Open Era
Career titles 36
Highest ranking No. 2 (23 August 1973)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open QF (1968)
French Open F (1974)
Wimbledon SF (1972)
US Open W (1975)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals W (1976)
Olympic Games F (1968, demonstration)
Doubles
Career record 298–155
Career titles 23
Highest ranking No.1 1975
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open SF (1968)
French Open F (1978)
Wimbledon QF (1972)
US Open 3R (1975)
Team competitions
Davis Cup F (1967Ch, 1970)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Mediterranean Games
Gold 1971 İzmir Singles
Gold 1971 İzmir Doubles
Silver 1967 Tunis Doubles

Manuel Orantes Corral, born on February 6, 1949, is a famous tennis player from Spain. He was a professional player who won many matches. Manuel won 36 big tennis tournaments in his career. One of his most important wins was the US Open in 1975, where he beat the champion, Jimmy Connors. He even became the second-best tennis player in the world at one point!

Manuel Orantes: A Tennis Star

Manuel Orantes had an amazing tennis career. On September 7, 1975, he won his only Grand Slam title at the US Open in New York. He beat the top player, Jimmy Connors, in the final match.

A year before that, in 1974, Manuel almost won the French Open. He was playing against Björn Borg and was ahead by two sets. But Borg made an incredible comeback and won the next three sets, taking the title.

Manuel won 36 singles titles in total. These included big tournaments like Rome (1972), Hamburg (1972 and 1975), Canada (1975), and Monte Carlo (1975). He also won the Masters tournament in 1976. He reached the finals in 35 other tournaments too.

Manuel was a very important part of the Spanish Davis Cup team from 1967 to 1980. He played many matches for his country. He also helped Spain win the first-ever World Team Cup in 1978.

Besides singles, Manuel was also great at doubles. He won 22 doubles titles, including Hamburg in 1975 and Canada in 1974. He reached 20 doubles finals, showing his skill in team play.

In 2012, Manuel Orantes was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This means he is recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Big Wins and Close Calls

Manuel Orantes played in some of the biggest tennis tournaments, known as Grand Slams. Here's how he did in the finals:

Grand Slam Singles Finals

Manuel played in two Grand Slam singles finals. He won one and was the runner-up in another.

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1974 French Open Clay Sweden Björn Borg 6–2, 7–6(7–1), 0–6, 1–6, 1–6
Win 1975 US Open Clay United States Jimmy Connors 6–4, 6–3, 6–3

Grand Slam Doubles Finals

Manuel reached one Grand Slam doubles final.

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1978 French Open Clay Spain José Higueras United States Gene Mayer
United States Hank Pfister
3–6, 2–6, 2–6

Other Important Tournaments

Manuel also played in other very important tournaments, like the year-end championships.

Winning the Masters Cup

He won the singles title at the Masters Cup once.

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win 1976 Masters Carpet (i) Poland Wojciech Fibak 5–7, 6–2, 0–6, 7–6(7–1), 6–1

Doubles Success

He also had a win in doubles at the Masters Cup.

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponent Score
Win 1975 Masters Carpet (i) Spain Juan Gisbert Sr. West Germany Jürgen Fassbender
West Germany Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
Round robin

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Manuel Orantes para niños

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