Since the 1968 Summer Olympics did not feature tennis as an official sport, two unofficial tournaments were held during the Games: a Demonstration tournament and an Exhibition tournament.[1]
| Exhibition women's doubles | |
|---|---|
| Tennis at the 1968 Summer Olympics | |
| Champions |  Rosa María Darmon Julie Heldman |
| Runners-up | Peaches Bartkowicz Valerie Ziegenfuss |
| Score | 6–0, 10–8 |
The Exhibition tournament was played from 24 to 26 October 1968 on the clay courts of the Chapultepec Sports Center in Mexico City, Mexico.[2] All matches were played at best-of-three sets; since the tiebreak rule wasn't implemented until the 1970s, a team had to win a set by a two-game margin in case of a 6–6 draw. Due to the short length of the tournament, no third-place match was played, and both semifinal losers received bronze medals.
French Rosa María Darmon and American Julie Heldman won the tournament by defeating also Americans Peaches Bartkowicz and Valerie Ziegenfuss 6–0, 10–8 in the final. Ecuatorian María Eugenia Guzmán and Brazilian Suzana Petersen, alongside Mexican Cecilia Rosado and Soviet Zaiga Jansone, have all won bronze medals.
Due to the short draw, 4 out of 5 pairs have won medals, giving the tournament an unusual 80% of chances of winning a medal.
Seeds
editBoth seeds received a bye into the semifinals.
Peaches Bartkowicz (USA) / Valerie Ziegenfuss (USA) (final, silver medalists)
Rosa María Darmon (FRA) / Julie Heldman (USA) (champions, gold medalists)
Draw
edit| First round | Semifinals | Final (gold-medal match) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  Peaches Bartkowicz (USA) Valerie Ziegenfuss (USA)
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 Lucia Gongora (MEX) Patricia Montaño (MEX)
| 4 | 6 | 1 |  María Eugenia Guzmán (ECU) Suzana Petersen (BRA)
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| María Eugenia Guzmán (ECU) Suzana Petersen (BRA)
| 6 | 4 | 6 | 1 | Peaches Bartkowicz (USA) Valerie Ziegenfuss (USA)
| 0 | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 2 |  Rosa María Darmon (FRA) Julie Heldman (USA)
| 6 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
Cecilia Rosado (MEX) Zaiga Jansone (URS)
| 2 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Rosa María Darmon (FRA) Julie Heldman (USA)
| 6 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Mexico 68, Vol. 3: The Games" (PDF). Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. 1969. pp. 74 (491). Retrieved 15 April 2017.
After a lapse of more than four decades, tennis was reintroduced to Olympic Games spectators as one of two demonstration sports. Forty-six competitors from fifteen nations displayed their skill in singles and doubles matches on courts in the capital and in Guadalajara, and the tournament was received with enthusiasm by both players and fans.
- ^ "Mexico 68, Vol. 2: The Organization" (PDF). Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. 1969. pp. 78 (79). Retrieved 15 April 2017.
For the demonstration sports—fronton and tennis—the following installations were employed. In Mexico City: Frontón México, fronton and tennis courts of the Chapultepec Sports Center, fronton courts of the Asturian Sports Center, the Lebanese Sports Center and the Frontón Metropolitano. In other cities: fronton courts of the Acapulco Jai-Alai; and the tennis courts of the Guadalajara Country Club, the Atlas Sports Club and the Guadalajara Sports Club, all in the city of Guadalajara