| Biography | Bill Scanlon (born November 13, 1956 in Dallas, Texas) is a former tennis player from the United States, who won seven singles and two doubles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 9 in January 1984. He is also known for upsetting top-seeded John McEnroe (76, 76, 46, 63) in the fourth round at the 1983 US Open.
The only known example of a golden set in men's professional tennis was achieved by Scanlon against Marcos Hocevar (of Brazil) in the first round of the WCT Gold Coast Classic at Delray Beach, Florida on February 22, 1983. Scanlon won the match, 62, 60.[2] A golden set is when a player wins the set without losing a single point. The feat is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. Only Tine Scheuer-Larsen [3] and Yaroslava Shvedova has since repeated the feat. The feat, however, remains unmatched on the ATP World Tour.
Scanlon authored the book "Bad News for McEnroe : Blood, Sweat, and Backhands with John, Jimmy, Ilie, Ivan, Bjorn, and Vitas" 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.
Prior to turning pro, he won the NCAA men's singles championship in 1976 while attending Trinity University, defeating Peter Fleming. |