1982 Cincinnati ATP Semifinal: Steve Denton vs. John McEnroe
Aug 21, 2022 | Men's Tennis
With the Cincinnati Open in full swing from Aug. 5-18 in Ohio, 12thMan.com was reminded that 43 years ago the tournament was the site of arguably the greatest singles victory of Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton’s illustrious tennis career.
On Aug. 16, 1982, Denton, then ranked No. 19 in the world, upset the world’s top-ranked player, John McEnroe, in the Cincinnati ATP Open semifinals in straight sets, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Against one of the top returners in the history of tennis, the hard-serving Denton delivered five aces and nine service winners to overpower McEnroe, who won seven Grand Slam singles titles during his career and finished as the world’s No. 1 player at the end of the year from 1981-84.
As a player, anytime you get a chance to play the No. 1 player in the world in a premier tournament like Cincinnati, it is a great opportunity. It was no doubt the best singles win of my career on that big of a stage and against, in my opinion, one of the greatest players of all time.Steve Denton
Denton towered over the 5-foot-11 McEnroe, standing 6-foot-2 and outweighing the eventual seven-time grand slam champion by 25 pounds.
“Nicknamed “The Bull”, Denton utilized his power with a more rhythmic than mechanical serve that wore down his opponents.” as said in a New York Times article by Neil Amdur in 1983.
Despite losing in the final to Ivan Lendl, 6-2, 7-6, Denton left Cincinnati having slayed a giant.
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