1965-1967

Highlights

1965

Serve-and-volley merchant Fred Stolle helps Australia to get the men’s singles title back after the brief Santana-led hiatus. Two years after her first win in Paris, Lesley Turner repeats the feat, defeating fellow Australian Margaret Smith in the final. 

1966

In a magnanimous gesture, Hungary’s Istvan Gulyas accepts to postpone the final of the men’s singles for 24 hours to give Tony Roche time to treat an ankle injury, and though he is far from 100%, the Australian duly lives up to his ranking and wins in three straight sets in under two hours. Gulyas’ sense of fair play means that while he takes home no silverware, he will be remembered for all the right reason. In the women’s draw, Britain’s Ann Haydon Jones finally brings an end to four years of Australian domination. 

1967

To almost everyone’s sur- prise, Françoise Dürr wins Roland-Garros. In the final, she is up against Lesley Turner and finds herself 4-2, 30-0 down on the Australian’s service in the third set, only to turn it around, winning four games in a row and taking the decider 6-4. Dürr thus becomes the first Frenchwoman since Nelly Landry in 1948 to take the title. Tony Roche makes it to the final for the third year in a row, and this time around, the defending champion comes up against Roy Emerson. The latter proves to be too strong and wins his second Paris title, four years after the first.