TOP TENNIS PLAYERS RANKED

Jimmy Conners has been co-ranked with Stan Smith as the No. 1 tennis player in the United States, the men's ranking committee of the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association announced yesterday.

This is the first time in the history of men's rankings, dating back to 1885, that two men have shared the honor.

Conners made the quarter-finals in both the 1973 Wimbledon and U.S. Open Championships. He defeated Smith last week in the preliminaries of the Grand Prix Masters at Boston before eventually losing to Ilse Nastase.

This is the third straight year that Smith has topped the list.

Arthur Ashe was ranked third, followed by Tom Gorman, No. 4, and Cliff Richey, No. 5.

The rankings are subject to review by the USLTA general meeting in February.