Phil Dent

Phillip "Phil" Dent, born on 14 February 1950, in Sydney, Australia, is a former professional

Professional

A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

 tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 player. Dent's high water mark as a pro singles player was reaching the Australian Open

Australian Open

The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...

 final in 1974, which he lost to Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....

 7–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3. Dent was also the men's doubles champion at the Australian Open in 1975 (with teammate John Alexander

John Alexander (tennis player)

John Gilbert Alexander OAM MP is a former Professional Touring Tennis Player and current Australian Politician.During an ATP tour career spanning the late 1960s to mid 1980s, Alexander won 7 singles titles and 27 doubles titles. He achieved a career best singles ranking of World No. 8 in...

), and the mixed-doubles champion at the US Open in 1976 (with teammate Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...

).

Dent also reached five more men's doubles finals in Grand Slam Tournaments, finishing second in the Australian Open in 1970, 1973, and 1977, and second in the French Open in 1975 and 1979. Dent was a member of the Australian tennis teams that won the Davis Cup

Davis Cup

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...

 in 1977 and the World Team Cup

World Team Cup

The World Team Cup is the international team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals . The tournament has been contested annually since 1978 and is generally considered to be second most prestigious men's team competition in tennis after the Davis Cup.Every year, the eight nations...

 in 1979.

Before turning professional, Dent won the boy's singles titles at both the Australian Open tournament and at the French Open in 1968.

During his professional career, Dent won two top-level singles titles (in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 and in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

, Australia, both in 1979) and 25 doubles titles. His career-high international singles ranking was No. 19 (in 1978). Dent retired from professional tennis in 1983.

Since retiring as a player, Dent has settled in Orange County, California

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

. His son, Taylor Dent

Taylor Dent

Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States.-Early career and back injury:He won 4 ATP singles titles during his career: Newport , Bangkok , Memphis , and Moscow , and reached the finals of three other events on tour...

, is also a professional tennis player and citizen of the United States.

Dent defeated Björn Borg

Björn Borg

Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...

 in the third round of the Australian Open in 1974

1974 Australian Open

List of the 1974 Australian Open champions:-Men's singles: Jimmy Connors def. Phil Dent, 7–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3-Women's singles: Evonne Goolagong Cawley def. Chris Evert, 7–6, 4–6, 6–0-Men's doubles:...

, which was the only time that Borg chose to journey all the way to Australia, during wintertime in his native Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, to play in the Australian Open.

Runner-up

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1974	Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...	Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....	7–6(7), 6–4, 4–6, 6–3

Win

Year	Championship	Partner	Opponents in Final	Score in Final
1976	US Open	Billie Jean King Billie Jean King Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...	Frew McMillan Frew McMillan Frew Donald McMillan is a former professional male tennis player from South Africa.He won five major doubles championships including three Wimbledons with Bob Hewitt. The most notable aspect of his game was that he had both a two-handed backhand and forehand, which simultaneously increased his...   Betty Stöve Betty Stöve Betty Stöve is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.-Career:...	3–6, 6–2, 7–5

Doubles titles (25)

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1.	1970	Kitzbühel, Austria	Clay	John Alexander	Željko Franulović Željko Franulovic Željko Franulović is a former Croatian tennis player who competed for Yugoslavia, best remembered for reaching the final of the French Open in 1970 where he lost against Czech Jan Kodeš in straight sets...     Jan Kodeš Jan Kodeš Jan Kodeš is a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early-1970s.Kodeš's greatest success was on the clay courts of the French Open. He won the title there in 1970, beating Željko Franulović in the final, and in 1971, defeating Ilie Năstase in the final...	10–8, 6–2, 6–4
2.	1971	Sydney Outdoor, Australia	Hard	John Alexander	Mal Anderson    Alex Metreveli Alex Metreveli Alexander Metreveli is a retired Soviet amateur tennis player.Metreveli is probably best known for making the final at Wimbledon in 1973, where he lost to Jan Kodeš of Czechoslovakia...	6–7, 2–6, 6–3, 7–6, 7–6
3.	1971	Gstaad, Switzerland	Clay	John Alexander	John Newcombe John Newcombe John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...     Tom Okker Tom Okker Thomas S. Okker is a former Dutch tennis player. He was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years, 1968–74, reaching a career high of world # 3 in 1969. He also was ranked World # 1 in doubles in 1969.-Tennis career:Okker was the Dutch champion from 1964 through...	5–7, 6–3, 6–4
4.	1971	Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	John Alexander	Frank Froehling Frank Froehling Frank Froehling is a former American tennis player.Froehling recorded a 46-5 career in singles matches and won nine singles titles during college career at Trinity University. He was also runner-up at U.S. National Tennis Championships in 1963. That year Froehling was named No. 6 player in the...     Clark Graebner Clark Graebner Clark Graebner , is a retired American professional tennis player, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, who won a number of championships. He graduated from Northwestern University, where he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Graebner's deceased wife, Carole, was also a successful touring tennis...	7–6, 6–4
5.	1972	Louisville WCT, U.S. Louisville Tennis Classic The Louisville Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament played in Louisville, Kentucky from 1970-1979. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit.-Men's singles:-Doubles:...	Clay	John Alexander	Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...     Robert Lutz	6–4, 6–3
6.	1973	Toronto WCT, Canada Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...	Carpet	John Alexander	Roy Emerson Roy Emerson Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...     Rod Laver Rod Laver Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...	3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
7.	1973	Cincinnati, U.S. Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...	Clay	John Alexander	Brian Gottfried Brian Gottfried Brian Edward Gottfried is a retired tennis player from the United States who won 25 singles titles and 54 doubles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest ranking on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour on June 19, 1977, when he became World No....     Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez is a retired Mexican professional tennis player. He was active during the 1970s and 1980s, and is regarded as one of the great all-around players of the modern era. Ramírez was also the first player to finish first in both singles and doubles Grand Prix point standings, accomplishing...	1–6, 7–6, 7–6
8.	1974	Miami WCT, U.S.	Hard	John Alexander	Tom Okker Tom Okker Thomas S. Okker is a former Dutch tennis player. He was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years, 1968–74, reaching a career high of world # 3 in 1969. He also was ranked World # 1 in doubles in 1969.-Tennis career:Okker was the Dutch champion from 1964 through...     Marty Riessen Marty Riessen Marty Riessen played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings...	4–6, 6–4, 7–5
9.	1974	Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco	Clay	John Alexander	Manuel Orantes Manuel Orantes Manuel Orantes Corral was a tennis champion in the 1970s and 1980s. He won the US Open in 1975, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final.-Career:...     Tony Roche Tony Roche Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...	7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
10.	1975	Australian Open, Melbourne Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...	Grass	John Alexander	Bob Carmichael Bob Carmichael Bob "Nails" Carmichael was an Australian tennis player and coach.As a player, Carmichael won 1 singles title and 12 doubles titles, and achieved a top 10 ranking in 1970. Partnering Allan Stone, he reached the doubles final of the 1974 Australian Open...     Allan Stone Allan Stone ----Allan Stone played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as World No. 38 in singles on the ATP Rankings , although Stone played for many years before the ATP Rankings were instituted.Stone found the majority of his success on the doubles court...	6–3, 7–6
11.	1975	San Antonio WCT, U.S.	Hard	John Alexander	Mark Cox    Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...	7–6, 4–6, 6–4
12.	1975	Las Vegas, U.S. Alan King Tennis Classic The Alan King Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1972-1985 and was part of the WCT Tour from 1972 until 1977 then it became part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1978 until 1985, and one of the major ranking tournaments of both tour's it was part of...	Hard	John Alexander	Bob Carmichael Bob Carmichael Bob "Nails" Carmichael was an Australian tennis player and coach.As a player, Carmichael won 1 singles title and 12 doubles titles, and achieved a top 10 ranking in 1970. Partnering Allan Stone, he reached the doubles final of the 1974 Australian Open...     Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...	6–1, 6–4
13.	1975	Chicago, U.S. Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...	Carpet	John Alexander	Mike Cahill Mike Cahill Micheal Cahill is a former professional tennis player from the United States.Cahill enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won five doubles titles. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No...     John Whitlinger John Whitlinger John Whitlinger is a former professional tennis player from the United States.Whitlinger enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won one doubles title.-Doubles titles :...	6–3, 6–4
14.	1975	Cincinnati, U.S. Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...	Hard	Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...	Marcello Lara Marcello Lara Marcello Lara , is a former professional tennis player from Mexico. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 2 doubles titles.-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :...     Joaquin Loyo-Mayo Joaquin Loyo-Mayo Joaquin Loyo-Mayo played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s.Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Loyo-Mayo's playing career was coming to an end as the ATP Rankings were coming into being. He achieved a World No...	7–6, 6–4
15.	1976	Atlanta WCT, U.S. Atlanta WCT The Atlanta WCT was a men's tennis tournament played in Atlanta, Georgia from 1973-1976. The event was part of the WCT Tour. It was played on outdoor clay courts in 1973-74 and on indoor carpet courts in 1975-1976. This tournament is not to be confused with the WCT Atlanta, a WCT tournament...	Carpet	John Alexander	Wojtek Fibak    Karl Meiler Karl Meiler Karl Meiler is a former tennis player from West Germany.Meiler won four singles and seventeen doubles titles during his professional career...	6–3, 6–4
16.	1976	Denver WCT, U.S. ATP Denver The Denver Open is a defunct WCT and Grand Prix affiliated tennis tournament played from 1972 to 1982. It was held in Denver, Colorado in the United States and played on indoor carpet courts....	Carpet	John Alexander	Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....     Billy Martin Billy Martin (tennis) Billy Martin , is a former professional tennis player from the United States. During his career he won 1 singles titles and 3 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 32 in 1975.-Singles titles :-Runner-ups :-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :-External links:...	6–7, 6–2, 7–5
17.	1977	Cincinnati, U.S. Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...	Clay	John Alexander	Bob Hewitt Bob Hewitt Robert "Bob" Anthony John Hewitt is a former professional male tennis player from Australia...     Roscoe Tanner Roscoe Tanner Roscoe Tanner is an American former professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1972 and reached a career high world singles ranking of World No...	6–3, 7–6
18.	1977	Washington, D.C., U.S. Legg Mason Tennis Classic The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...	Clay	John Alexander	Fred McNair Fred McNair ----Frederick V. McNair, IV is a former professional tennis player from the United States who reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1976. That year, he teamed up with Sherwood Stewart to capture the men's doubles titles at French Open, the German Open and the Masters...     Sherwood Stewart Sherwood Stewart Sherwood Stewart played amateur and professional tennis in the 1970s and 1980s. Stewart was ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings on December 31, 1978, and No...	7–5, 7–5
19.	1977	Louisville, U.S. Louisville Tennis Classic The Louisville Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament played in Louisville, Kentucky from 1970-1979. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit.-Men's singles:-Doubles:...	Clay	John Alexander	Chris Kachel Chris Kachel Chris Kachel , is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Kachel enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 3 doubles titles.-Doubles titles :...     Cliff Letcher Cliff Letcher Cliff Letcher , is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Letcher enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 2 doubles titles and finished runner-up in doubles at 3 Grand Slam events.-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :-External links:...	6–1, 6–4
20.	1977	Sydney Outdoor, Australia	Grass	John Alexander	Ray Ruffels Ray Ruffels Ray Ruffels is a former professional tennis player.Ruffels was an Australian Open semi-finalist in 1969 and 1975, and a quarter-finalist in 1968, 1970 and 1977....     Allan Stone Allan Stone ----Allan Stone played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as World No. 38 in singles on the ATP Rankings , although Stone played for many years before the ATP Rankings were instituted.Stone found the majority of his success on the doubles court...	7–6, 2–6, 6–3
21.	1978	Forest Hills WCT, U.S. WCT Invitational The WCT Invitational was a professional tennis tournament held from 1978-1981. The tournament was held in Forest Hills, New York on clay courts from 1978–79 and in Salisbury, Maryland on indoor carpet from 1980-81...	Clay	John Alexander	Fred McNair Fred McNair ----Frederick V. McNair, IV is a former professional tennis player from the United States who reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1976. That year, he teamed up with Sherwood Stewart to capture the men's doubles titles at French Open, the German Open and the Masters...     Sherwood Stewart Sherwood Stewart Sherwood Stewart played amateur and professional tennis in the 1970s and 1980s. Stewart was ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings on December 31, 1978, and No...	7–6, 7–6
22.	1978	Los Angeles, U.S.	Carpet	John Alexander	Fred McNair Fred McNair ----Frederick V. McNair, IV is a former professional tennis player from the United States who reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1976. That year, he teamed up with Sherwood Stewart to capture the men's doubles titles at French Open, the German Open and the Masters...     Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez Raúl Ramírez is a retired Mexican professional tennis player. He was active during the 1970s and 1980s, and is regarded as one of the great all-around players of the modern era. Ramírez was also the first player to finish first in both singles and doubles Grand Prix point standings, accomplishing...	6–3, 7–6
23.	1978	Brisbane, Australia South Pacific Tennis Classic The South Pacific Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament played in Brisbane, Australia from 1976-1981. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit.-Men's singles:-Doubles:-References:**...	Grass	John Alexander	Syd Ball Syd Ball Syd Ball , is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Ball enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 7 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 14 times. Partnering Bob Giltinan, Ball finished runner-up at the 1974 Australian Open...     Allan Stone Allan Stone ----Allan Stone played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as World No. 38 in singles on the ATP Rankings , although Stone played for many years before the ATP Rankings were instituted.Stone found the majority of his success on the doubles court...	6–3, 7–6
24.	1979	Hobart, Australia Australian Hard Court Tennis Championships The Australian Hard Court Tennis Championships is a defunct tennis tournament that was played on the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1979-1980. The event was held in Hobart, Australia and was played on hardcourts.-Singles:-Doubles:...	Grass	Bob Giltinan	Ion Ţiriac Ion Tiriac Ion Țiriac is a Romanian former tennis player and businessman. He is also the current owner of the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open.-Sports career:...     Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:...	8–6
25.	1982	Guarujá, Brazil	Clay	Kim Warwick Kim Warwick Kim Warwick is a former Australian professional male tennis player mostly known for his doubles titles with Mark Edmondson, and for reaching the final of the singles Australian Open in 1980...	Carlos Kirmayr Carlos Kirmayr Carlos Kirmayr is a retired Brazilian professional tennis player.Kirmayr won a total of 10 Grand Prix doubles titles, but none for singles. He did win a number of Challenger tournaments in singles and achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 36.-Runner-ups :-Doubles titles :-External links:*...     Cassio Motta Cassio Motta Cassio Motta is a former professional tennis player from Brazil.- Runner-ups :- Doubles :- Singles :- Doubles :- External links :*...	6–7, 6–2, 6–3

External links

• Official ATP profile
• Tennis Corner profile and results
• Davis Cup record