| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1956-11-13)November 13, 1956 Dallas, Texas, US |
| Died | June 2, 2021(2021-06-02) (aged 64) Park City,Utah, US |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1976[1] |
| Retired | 1989 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,427,007 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 305–259 |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 9 (January 9, 1984) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1980) |
| French Open | 2R (1977,1979) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1979) |
| US Open | SF (1983) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WCT Finals | SF (1983) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 99–152 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 132 (July 13, 1987) |
William Neil Scanlon[2] (November 13, 1956 – June 2, 2021) was atennis player from the United States, who won seven singles and two doubles titles during his 13-year professional career. The right-hander reached his career-highATP singles ranking of World No. 9 in January 1984. He is also known for having upset top-seededJohn McEnroe in the fourth round at the1983 US Open.[1]
After winning theNCAA Singles championships in 1976 as a sophomore forTrinity University (upsetting UCLA'sPeter Fleming), Scanlon turned pro and, in his firstGrand Prix event, defeated world #7Harold Solomon to reach the quarter-finals. His first everATP singles ranking was No. 154. Later that summer, Scanlon defeated world no. 4Adriano Panatta at theUS Open and, with two wins over former world #1Ilie Năstase in early 1977, climbed the rankings to No. 23 by March 1977.
After a frustrating season in 1978, Scanlon rebounded in his final tournament of the year to take the title inMaui with wins overJohn McEnroe, Harold Solomon, and Peter Fleming. In 1979 he reached the quarter-finals ofWimbledon (losing toJimmy Connors) before successfully defending his title in Maui, again beating Fleming in the final.
Scanlon peaked in 1983 when he reached the semi-finals of theUS Open. He defeatedHenrik Sundström,Chris Lewis,Pat Cash, John McEnroe, andMark Dickson, before losing toJimmy Connors.
In 1985 Scanlon underwent two knee surgeries, missing most of the season. He continued to compete through 1989, winning only one more singles title, the 1986Hall of Fame Championships inNewport, Rhode Island.
During his career, Scanlon would log wins over eight players who had been or would be ranked #1 in the world, namelyStan Smith,Ilie Năstase (twice),Björn Borg,John McEnroe (three times),Ivan Lendl,Mats Wilander,Boris Becker, andAndre Agassi. Scanlon's other notable victories over top players included wins overGuillermo Vilas (career high No. 2) andVitas Gerulaitis (career high #3), as well asAdriano Panatta (career high No. 4),Pat Cash (career high No. 4), andHarold Solomon (career high No. 5).
Scanlon achieved agolden set againstMarcos Hocevar of Brazil in the first round of the WCT Gold Coast Classic atDelray Beach, Florida on February 22, 1983. Scanlon won the match, 6–2, 6–0.[3] A golden set is a player winning a set without losing a single point. The feat is recorded in theGuinness Book of World Records. OnlyTine Scheuer-Larsen,[4]Yaroslava Shvedova, andJulian Reister have since repeated the feat.
Scanlon was inducted into theIntercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame and theTexas Tennis Hall of Fame. His Golden Set achievement is represented in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame. He served on theATP Board of Directors during his professional career and also founded theDallas Youth Foundation in 1984 to provide sports activities to Dallas area youth featuring professional tennis players,Dallas Cowboys,Texas Rangers,Dallas Mavericks, and Olympic athletes. He also served on the board of the Southern California Tennis Association and theUSTADavis Cup committee. He was chairman of theCarl Reiner Celebrity Pro-Am and was co-founder of the Beverly Hills Invitational Charity Event.
Scanlon was a professional investment advisor from 1992 on. He was founder and principal of Advantage Capital Advisors LLC, a registered investment advisor inLos Angeles, California. He was formerly the senior partner of The Scanlon Group, a top wealth management team at UBS Financial in Los Angeles.
In 2014, Scanlon authored "Zen Tennis - Playing in the Zone" with co-author Dr. Joe Parent. Parent is a renowned PGA Tour mental game coach, and author of "Zen Golf". Scanlon also authored the bookBad News for McEnroe: Blood, Sweat, and Backhands with John, Jimmy, Ilie, Ivan, Bjorn, and Vitas in 2004 as a tribute to the era during which he participated on the ATP International Tour. The book focuses on the high-profile personalities of the sport during that era, their rivalries, their celebrity, and the growth of the sport's popularity.
Scanlon and his wife, Stephanie, lived inBel Air, California, and Park City, Utah.
Bill Scanlon died of cancer on June 2, 2021, at the age of 64.[5]
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 1977 | Birmingham WCT, Birmingham, U.S. | Carpet (i) |  Jimmy Connors | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Apr 1977 | Jackson Mississippi, US | Carpet (i) | Brian Teacher | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Oct 1978 | Maui, Hawaii, US | Hard | Peter Fleming | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 2–2 | Oct 1979 | Maui, Hawaii, US | Hard | Peter Fleming | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 3–2 | Jan 1981 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Tim Wilkison | 6–7, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6, 6–0 |
| Win | 4–2 | Nov 1981 | Bangkok, Thailand | Carpet (i) |  Mats Wilander | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 5–2 | Mar 1982 | Zurich WCT, Zurich, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | Vitas Gerulaitis | 7–5, 7–6, 1–6, 0–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–3 | Oct 1982 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | Brian Gottfried | 1–6, 4–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 5–4 | Oct 1982 | Paris Indoor, Paris France | Carpet (i) |  Wojciech Fibak | 2–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 5–5 | Nov 1982 | Chicago-2 WCT, Chicago, U.S. | Carpet (i) | Wojciech Fibak | 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 5–6 | Dec 1982 | Hartford WCT, Hartford, U.S. | Carpet (i) |  Ivan Lendl | 2–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 5–7 | Aug 1983 | Vienna, Austria | Hard | Brian Teacher | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 6–7 | Jul 1986 | Newport, U.S. | Grass | Tim Wilkison | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6–8 | Dec 1986 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass |  Wally Masur | 4–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1977 | Birmingham WCT, Birmingham, U.S. | Carpet | Billy Martin | Wojciech Fibak Tom Okker | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1977 | Monterrey WCT, Monterrey, Mexico | Carpet | Billy Martin | Ross CaseWojciech Fibak | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1977 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Vitas Gerulaitis | Mal AndersonKen Rosewall | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1980 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet | Brian Teacher |  Vijay AmritrajStan Smith | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1980 | Wembley, England | Carpet | Eliot Teltscher | Peter FlemingJohn McEnroe | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1981 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | Tony Graham | Ferdi TayganTim Wilkison | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 1987 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Ivan Lendl | Peter DoohanLaurie Warder | 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1988 | Bossonnens, Switzerland | Hard | Bret Garnett |  Hugo NúñezBranislav Stankovič | 4–6, 6–7 |
| Tournament | Year | Record accomplished | Player tied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delray Beach WCT | 1983 | Achieved a Golden Set[3] | Stefano Napolitano Julian Reister |
