1974 Italian Open (tennis) 1974 Italian Open (tennis) The 1974 Italian Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that was played by men on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. The men's tournament was part of the 1974 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix circuit while the women's tournament was part of the Women's International Grand Prix circuit. The tournament was held from 26 May through 3 June 1974. The singles titles were won by third-seeded Björn Borg and first-seeded Chris Evert. World no. 2 Jimmy Connors and Evonne Goolagong were banned from playing in the 1974 Italian Open
US Open (tennis) semifinals were held one day prior. The Women's final was originally held in between the two men's semi-final matches; in 2001, the Women's final was moved to the evening so it could be played on primetime television, citing a major growth in popularity for women's tennis among viewers. This scheduling pattern helped to encourage television viewership, but proved divisive among players because it only gave them less than a day's rest between their semi-finals and championship match. For five consecutive tournaments between 2007 through 2012, the men's final was postponed to Monday due to weather. In 2013 and 2014, the