1976 World Championship Tennis circuit
The 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1976. It was organized by World Championship Tennis and consisted of a schedule of 25 tournaments leading up to a singles WCT Finals play-off in Dallas and a doubles play-off in Kansas City in May. A total of 54 players participated, 30 players less than in the previous three years, and the group system used in the previous editions was replaced by a single pool. The U.S. Pro Indoor was the only tournament in which all players participated, all other tournaments had a 16 men draw. The season final was played by the eight best performers and was won by the Swede Björn Borg who defeated Guillermo Vilas from Argentina in four sets. The total prize money for the 1976 WCT circuit was $2,400,000, including a $320,000 Avis Challenge Cup round–robin special event played in Hawaii in January and May.
The Aetna World Cup between teams of the US and Australia was played in March in Hartford and was won by the US 6–1.
Overview
Schedule
The schedule of events on the 1976 WCT circuit, with player progression documented until the quarterfinals stage.January
February
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
| 2 Feb | Barcelona WCT Barcelona, Spain |  Eddie Dibbs6–1, 6–1 |  Cliff Drysdale |  Dick Crealy Mark Cox | Erik van Dillen Brian Fairlie Karl Meiler Wojciech Fibak |
| 2 Feb | Barcelona WCT Barcelona, Spain | Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–3, 6–3 | Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler | Dick Crealy Mark Cox | Erik van Dillen Brian Fairlie Karl Meiler Wojciech Fibak |
| 4 Feb | Richmond WCT Richmond, USA $50,000 – Carpet – 32S/16D | Arthur Ashe 6–2, 6–4 | Brian Gottfried |  Raúl Ramírez Tom Okker |  Jiří Hřebec Billy Martin Ross Case Geoff Masters |
| 4 Feb | Richmond WCT Richmond, USA $50,000 – Carpet – 32S/16D | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 7–5 | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | Raúl Ramírez Tom Okker | Jiří Hřebec Billy Martin Ross Case Geoff Masters |
| 9 Feb | Lagos Open Lagos, Nigeria Clay – 16S/8D | Dick Stockton 6–3, 6–2 | Arthur Ashe | Bob Lutz Jeff Borowiak | Karl Meiler Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon Dick Crealy |
| 9 Feb | Lagos Open Lagos, Nigeria Clay – 16S/8D | Bob Lutz Jeff Borowiak | Karl Meiler Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon Dick Crealy | ||
| 10 Feb | Toronto Indoor Toronto, Canada |  Björn Borg2–6, 6–3, 6–1 | Vitas Gerulaitis |  Ilie Năstase Marty Riessen | Jiří Hřebec Jan Kodeš Tony Roche Vijay Amritraj |
| 10 Feb | Toronto Indoor Toronto, Canada |  Jaime Fillol Frew McMillan6–7, 6–2, 6–3 |  Alexander Metreveli Ilie Năstase | Ilie Năstase Marty Riessen | Jiří Hřebec Jan Kodeš Tony Roche Vijay Amritraj |
| 17 Feb | Rome WCT Rome, Italy Carpet | Arthur Ashe 6–2, 0–6, 6–3 | Bob Lutz | Dick Stockton Adriano Panatta | Tom Okker Cliff Drysdale Mark Cox Stan Smith |
| 17 Feb | Rome WCT Rome, Italy Carpet | Robert Lutz Stan Smith 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 | Dick Crealy Frew McMillan | Dick Stockton Adriano Panatta | Tom Okker Cliff Drysdale Mark Cox Stan Smith |
| 17 Feb | St. Louis WCT St. Louis, USA Carpet – 32S/16D |  Guillermo Vilas7–6, 6–2 | Vijay Amritraj | Raúl Ramírez Billy Martin | Brian Gottfried John Alexander Ken Rosewall Manuel Orantes |
| 17 Feb | St. Louis WCT St. Louis, USA Carpet – 32S/16D | Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 6–2 | John Alexander Phil Dent | Raúl Ramírez Billy Martin | Brian Gottfried John Alexander Ken Rosewall Manuel Orantes |
| 23 Feb | Rotterdam WCT Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet – 32S/16D | Arthur Ashe 6–3, 6–3 | Bob Lutz | Tom Okker Rod Laver | Wojciech Fibak Jan Kodeš Jiří Hřebec Stan Smith |
| 23 Feb | Rotterdam WCT Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet – 32S/16D | Rod Laver Frew McMillan 6–1, 6–7, 7–6 | Arthur Ashe Tom Okker | Tom Okker Rod Laver | Wojciech Fibak Jan Kodeš Jiří Hřebec Stan Smith |
| 24 Feb | Colonial National Invitational Fort Worth, USA Carpet – 32S/16D | Guillermo Vilas 6–7, 6–1, 6–1 | Phil Dent | Sandy Mayer Roscoe Tanner | Harold Solomon Sherwood Stewart Tom Gorman Cliff Richey |
| 24 Feb | Colonial National Invitational Fort Worth, USA Carpet – 32S/16D | Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer 6–4, 7–5 | Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon | Sandy Mayer Roscoe Tanner | Harold Solomon Sherwood Stewart Tom Gorman Cliff Richey |
March
April
May
Standings
| Player | Tournaments Played | Tournaments Won | Matches Won | Matches Lost | Points | Prize Money |
| Arthur Ashe * | 8 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 860 | $253,013 |
| Raúl Ramírez * | 8 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 705 | $104,700 |
| Guillermo Vilas * | 7 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 695 | $99,163 |
| Eddie Dibbs * | 8 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 675 | $79,538 |
| Björn Borg * | 8 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 650 | $135,838 |
| Dick Stockton * | 8 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 595 | $62,475 |
| Bob Lutz * | 8 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 585 | $69,013 |
| Harold Solomon * | 8 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 565 | $75,038 |
| Vitas Gerulaitis | 8 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 540 | $40,900 |
| Brian Gottfried | 8 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 535 | $54,600 |
* Qualified for the WCT Finals.