1971 ILTF Women's Tennis Circuit

1971 ILTF Women's Tennis Circuit
	Billie Jean King (pictured in 1973) won 17 tour titles.
Details
Duration	22 December 1970 – 20 December 1971
Edition	58th
Tournaments	165
Categories	Grand Slam (4); Virginia Slims Circuit (19); ILTF Pepsi Grand Prix (17); ILTF World Circuit (125)
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles	Billie Jean King (17)
Most tournament finals	Billie Jean King (25)
	← 1970 1972 →

Last updated November 21, 2024

The 1971 ILTF Women's Tennis Circuit was the 58th season since the formation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation in 1913,^[1] it consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players.

It was composed of three circuits the first Virginia Slims Circuit with 19 events approved by the ILTF,^[2] and the first Grand Prix Circuit with 17 events under the auspices of the ILTF and the regular ILTF World Circuit,^[3]^[4] with 125 events makes up the majority of the 165 tournaments staged this year.

Circuits

Grand Prix Circuit

The 1971 ILTF Pepsi-Cola Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. This article covers all tournaments that were part of that year's Women's Grand Prix.^[5]

Virginia Slims Circuit

Prior to the establishment of this circuit there was an inequality between the prize money purses for male and female tennis players which gave rise to complaints from a number of the leading female tennis players of the time. Nine of them, including Billie Jean King, became later known as the "Original 9" after being banned from the then existing multi-gender invitational professional events run by the influential United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to their boycotting of the Pacific Southwest Championships. This resulted in the first Virginia Slims-sponsored event being held in September 1970 in Houston, an event which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the annual Virginia Slims Circuit the following year.^[6] In 1971 the total prize money available from the Virginia Slims events was $309,100 and Billie Jean King became the first female athlete in history to earn more than $100,000 in one season.^[7]^[8]

ILTF World Circuit

This worldwide circuit consisted of 125 events that were not part of the sponsored Virginia Slims and Grand Prix circuits they made up the majority of the 165 tournaments staged this year. This years singles title leader Billie Jean King won her 17 tournaments across all three circuits.^{[ citation needed ]}

This circuit began on 30 December 1970 with the Western Australian Open in Perth, Australia and ended on 25 December with the Border Championships, East London, South Africa.^{[ citation needed ]}

Schedule

This is a calendar of all events sponsored by Virginia Slims in the year 1971, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage. The table also includes the Grand Slam tournaments and the 1971 Federation Cup.^[7]

Key

Grand Slam tournaments
Virginia Slims Circuit
ILTF Pepsi Grand Prix Circuit
ILTF World Circuit
Team events

December (1970)

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
29 Dec	Federation Cup Perth, Australia Federation Cup Grass – 14 teams knockout	Australia 3–0	Great Britain	France United States	Yugoslavia Netherlands South Africa New Zealand
	Western Australian Open Perth, Australia Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 6–1, 6–2	Virginia Wade	Gail Chanfreau Betty Stöve	Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Laura Rossouw Lesley Hunt
		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 6–4, 7–5	Winnie Shaw Virginia Wade	Gail Chanfreau Betty Stöve	Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Laura Rossouw Lesley Hunt

January

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
4 Jan	British Motor Cars Invitational San Francisco, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $15,200 – 16S/8D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–4	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones (3rd) Nancy Richey (4th)	Françoise Dürr Kerry Melville Jane Bartkowicz Mary-Ann Eisel
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 6–7, 6–1	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones	Ann Jones (3rd) Nancy Richey (4th)
	New South Wales Open Sydney Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 6–2, 6–2	Olga Morozova	Gail Chanfreau Kazuko Sawamatsu	Brenda Kirk Kristien Kemmer Betty Stöve Patti Hogan
		Margaret Court Olga Morozova 6–2, 6–0	Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris	Gail Chanfreau Kazuko Sawamatsu	Brenda Kirk Kristien Kemmer Betty Stöve Patti Hogan
11 Jan	Billie Jean King Invitational Long Beach, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $14,000 – 16S/8D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Nancy Richey	Stephanie Johnson Valerie Ziegenfuss Denise Carter Mary-Ann Eisel
11 Jan		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 7–5, 6–3	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones	Ann Jones Nancy Richey
18 Jan	Virginia Slims of Milwaukee Milwaukee, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $12,500 – 16S/8D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr	Mary-Ann Eisel Karen Krantzcke Valerie Ziegenfuss Denise Carter
18 Jan		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 1–6, 6–2	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr
25 Jan	Virginia Slims of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $12,500 – 16S/4D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 1–6, 7–6, 6–4	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr	Kerry Melville Denise Carter Tory Fretz Mary-Ann Eisel
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–7, 6–0, 7–5	Mary-Ann Eisel Valerie Ziegenfuss	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr	Kerry Melville Denise Carter Tory Fretz Mary-Ann Eisel
	Victoria Championships Melbourne, Australia Non-tour event Singles	Evonne Goolagong 7–6, 7–6	Margaret Court	Kazuko Sawamatsu Winnie Shaw	Patti Hogan Olga Morozova Trudy Walhof Gail Chanfreau

February

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
1 Feb	Virginia Slims of Chattanooga Chattanooga, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $12,700 – 16S/8D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–4, 6–1	Ann Jones	Françoise Dürr Kerry Melville	Jane Bartkowicz Karen Krantzcke Kristy Pigeon Rosie Casals
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–5	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones	Françoise Dürr Kerry Melville	Jane Bartkowicz Karen Krantzcke Kristy Pigeon Rosie Casals
	BP New Zealand Championships Christchurch, New Zealand Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–1, 6–4	Betty Stöve	Kathleen Harter Gail Chanfreau	Laura Rossouw Trudy Walhof Patty Ann Reese Winnie Shaw
		Kathleen Harter Winnie Shaw 6–4, 4–6, 7–5	Gail Chanfreau Evonne Goolagong	Kathleen Harter Gail Chanfreau	Laura Rossouw Trudy Walhof Patty Ann Reese Winnie Shaw
8 Feb	Philadelphia Indoor Championships Philadelphia, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $12,500 – 16S Singles – Doubles	Rosie Casals 6–2, 3–6, 6–2	Françoise Dürr	Billie Jean King Ann Jones	Tory Fretz Denise Carter Kerry Melville Judy Tegart-Dalton
8 Feb		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King		Billie Jean King Ann Jones	Tory Fretz Denise Carter Kerry Melville Judy Tegart-Dalton
15 Feb	Station WLOD Fort Lauderdale, United States Virginia Slims Clay – $10,000 – 16S Singles – Doubles	Françoise Dürr 6–3, 3–6, 6–3	Billie Jean King	Kerry Melville Rosie Casals	Judy Dalton Ann Jones Denise Carter Valerie Ziegenfuss
	USSR Championships Moscow, Soviet Union Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Olga Morozova 6–1, 7–5	Maria Kull	Yelena Granaturova Anna Yeremeyeva	Yekaterina Kryuchkova Marina Kroschina Eugenia Birioukova Rausa Islanova
		Eugenia Birioukova Marina Kroschina 7–6, 5–7, 7–5	Yelena Granaturova Olga Morozova	Yelena Granaturova Anna Yeremeyeva
22 Feb	Virginia Slims National Indoors Winchester, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $12,500 – 16S/2D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 4–6, 6–2, 6–3	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr	Judy Tegart-Dalton Jane Bartkowicz Kristy Pigeon Kerry Melville
22 Feb		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–5	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr

March

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
1 Mar	Benson & Hedges Centennial Open Auckland, New Zealand Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 3–6, 7–6^(5–1), 6–2	Evonne Goolagong	Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan	Sharon Walsh Lesley Bowrey Lesley Hunt Marilyn Pryde
1 Mar		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 7–6, 6–0	Lesley Bowrey Winnie Shaw	Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan	Sharon Walsh Lesley Bowrey Lesley Hunt Marilyn Pryde
8 Mar	Dunlop Australian Open Sydney, Australia Grand Slam Grass – 30S/14D Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 2–6, 7–6, 7–5	Evonne Goolagong	Lesley Hunt Winnie Shaw	Helen Gourlay Jan O'Neill Norma Marsh Sharon Walsh
8 Mar		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 6–0, 6–0	Jill Emmerson Lesley Hunt	Lesley Hunt Winnie Shaw	Helen Gourlay Jan O'Neill Norma Marsh Sharon Walsh
15 Mar	Virginia Slims US Indoors Detroit, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $10,000 – 8S/2D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Mary-Ann Eisel	Valerie Ziegenfuss Tory Fretz Wendy Gilchrist Judy Tegart-Dalton
15 Mar		Mary-Ann Eisel Valerie Ziegenfuss 2–6, 6–2, 6–3	Judy Tegart-Dalton Jane Bartkowicz	Ann Jones Mary-Ann Eisel
22 Mar	Virginia Slims of New York New York, United States Virginia Slims Hard (i) – $15,600 – 20S Singles – Doubles	Rosie Casals 6–4, 6–4	Billie Jean King	3rd: Ann Jones 4th: Françoise Dürr	Julie Heldman Kerry Melville Cecilia Martinez Jane Bartkowicz
29 Mar	Caribe Hilton Invitational San Juan, Puerto Rico Virginia Slims $10,000 – 24S/11D Singles – Doubles	Ann Jones 6–4, 6–4	Nancy Richey	Mary-Ann Eisel Jane Bartkowicz	Denise Carter Tory Fretz Judy Tegart-Dalton Rosie Casals
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 7–6, 6–3	Karen Krantzcke Kerry Melville	Mary-Ann Eisel Jane Bartkowicz	Denise Carter Tory Fretz Judy Tegart-Dalton Rosie Casals
	Natal Open Championships Durban, South Africa Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 6–2, 6–1	Patti Hogan	Virginia Wade Heide Schildeknecht	Lesley Hunt Winnie Shaw Evonne Goolagong Helga Niessen Masthoff
		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 3–6, 6–3, 6–3	Kerry Harris Winnie Shaw	Virginia Wade Heide Schildeknecht

April

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Apr	Virginia Slims Masters St. Petersburg, United States Virginia Slims Clay – $10,000 – 16S/15Q/11D Singles – Doubles	Chris Evert 6–1, 6–2	Julie Heldman	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals	Karen Krantzcke Judy Alvarez Kerry Melville Judy Tegart-Dalton
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 7–6, 3–6, 6–3	Judy Tegart-Dalton Julie Heldman	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals
	Monte Carlo Open Championships Monte Carlo, Monaco Non-tour event 16S/4D Singles – Doubles	Gail Chanfreau 6–4, 4–6, 6–4	Betty Stöve	Christina Sandberg Odile de Roubin	Lucia Bassi Marie Neumannová Katalin Borka Lea Pericoli
		Katja Ebbinghaus Betty Stöve 6–4, 6–3	Lucia Bassi Lea Pericoli	Christina Sandberg Odile de Roubin	Lucia Bassi Marie Neumannová Katalin Borka Lea Pericoli
	South Africa Open Johannesburg, South Africa Non-tour event 26S/8D Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 6–3, 6–1	Evonne Goolagong	Winnie Shaw Virginia Wade	Kerry Harris Helga Niessen Masthoff Pat Walkden Patti Hogan
		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 6–3, 6–2	Brenda Kirk Laura Rossouw	Winnie Shaw Virginia Wade	Kerry Harris Helga Niessen Masthoff Pat Walkden Patti Hogan
12 Apr	Caesar's Palace World Pro Championships Las Vegas, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $29,200 – 16S/13Q/10D Singles – Doubles	Ann Jones 7–5, 6–4	Billie Jean King	Julie Heldman Judy Dalton	Nancy Richey Françoise Dürr Mary-Ann Eisel Rosie Casals
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 0–6, 6–2, 6–4	Rosie Casals Billie Jean King	Julie Heldman Judy Dalton	Nancy Richey Françoise Dürr Mary-Ann Eisel Rosie Casals
	USA National Bank Open Charlotte, North Carolina, US Non-tour event 6S/2D Singles – Doubles	Chris Evert 6–2, 6–0	Laura duPont	Janet Newberry Eliza Pande	Sue Stap Beverly Cansler
		Chris Evert Sue Stap 6–3, 1–6, 6–3	Janet Newberry Eliza Pande	Janet Newberry Eliza Pande	Sue Stap Beverly Cansler
19 Apr	Virginia Slims of San Diego San Diego, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $12,500 – 16S/4D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 4–6, 7–5, 6–1	Rosie Casals	Julie Heldman Valerie Ziegenfuss	Esmé Emmanuel Kerry Melville Tory Fretz Kristy Pigeon
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–7, 6–2, 6–3	Françoise Dürr Judy Tegart-Dalton	Julie Heldman Valerie Ziegenfuss	Esmé Emmanuel Kerry Melville Tory Fretz Kristy Pigeon
	Catania Open Grand Prix Catania, Italy Non-tour event 15S/8D Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 6–0, 6–3	Gail Chanfreau	Helga Schultze Laura Rossouw	Marie Neumannová Brenda Kirk Miloslava Holubová Pam Teeguarden
		Pam Teeguarden Virginia Wade 6–4, 6–4	Gail Chanfreau Helga Schultze	Helga Schultze Laura Rossouw
26 Apr	Rothmans Sutton Hard Courts Sutton, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 7–5, 2–6, 6–3	Joyce Williams	Jill Cooper Shirley Brasher	Barbara Hawcroft Nell Truman Susan Minford Sally Holdsworth
		Evonne Goolagong Joyce Williams 6–4, 6–3	Shirley Brasher Margaret Cooper	Jill Cooper Shirley Brasher	Barbara Hawcroft Nell Truman Susan Minford Sally Holdsworth
	River Plate Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Olga Morozova 6–0, 6–3	Anna-Maria Nasuelli	Betty Stöve Beatriz Araujo	Marta Fernández Ruiz Raquel Giscafré Inés Roget Graciela Morán
		Olga Morozova Betty Stöve 7–5, 6–1	Beatriz Araujo Ines Roget	Betty Stöve Beatriz Araujo

May

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
3 May	Italian Open Rome, Italy Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 6–4, 6–4	Helga Niessen Masthoff	Helga Schultze Gail Chanfreau	Marie Neumannová Lesley Bowrey Lea Pericoli Laura Rossouw
	Italian Open Rome, Italy Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Helga Niessen Masthoff Virginia Wade 5–7, 6–2, 6–2	Lesley Bowrey Helen Gourlay	Helga Schultze Gail Chanfreau	Marie Neumannová Lesley Bowrey Lea Pericoli Laura Rossouw
	Tulsa Claycourts Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States Non-tour event 10S/4D Singles – Doubles	Chris Evert 6–0, 6–3	Mary-Ann Eisel	Laura duPont Marcie Louie	Jeanne Evert Karin Benson Kathy Kraft Sue Stap
		Mary-Ann Eisel Karin Benson 2–6, 7–5, 7–5	Chris Evert Jeanne Evert	Laura duPont Marcie Louie	Jeanne Evert Karin Benson Kathy Kraft Sue Stap
10 May	London Hard Court Championships London, England Grand Prix Circuit (C)	Margaret Court 6–0, 6–3	Françoise Dürr	Gail Chanfreau Virginia Wade	Julie Heldman Nell Truman Judy Dalton Rosie Casals
10 May		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–4	Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong	Gail Chanfreau Virginia Wade	Julie Heldman Nell Truman Judy Dalton Rosie Casals
17 May	British Hard Court Championships Bournemouth, England Grand Prix Circuit (B)	Margaret Court 7–5, 6–1	Evonne Goolagong	Françoise Dürr Mary–Ann Curtis	Winnie Shaw Tory Fretz Betty Stöve Patti Hogan
		Mary–Ann Curtis Françoise Dürr 6–3, 5–7, 6–4	Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong	Françoise Dürr Mary–Ann Curtis	Winnie Shaw Tory Fretz Betty Stöve Patti Hogan
	Grand Prix German Open Hamburg, West Germany Grand Prix Circuit (B)	Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Helga Masthoff	Helga Hösl Rosie Casals	Heide Orth Valerie Ziegenfuss Kazuko Sawamatsu Kerry Melville
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–2, 6–1	Helga Masthoff Heide Orth	Helga Hösl Rosie Casals
24 May 31 May	French Open Paris, France Grand Slam (A) Clay – 64S/44Q/32D/38X Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–3, 7–5	Helen Gourlay	Marijke Schaar Nancy Richey	Linda Tuero Françoise Dürr Lesley Bowrey Gail Chanfreau
		Gail Chanfreau Françoise Dürr 6–4, 6–1	Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris
		Jean-Claude Barclay Françoise Dürr 6–3, 6–4	Toomas Leius Winnie Shaw

June

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
7 Jun	Players Nottingham Nottingham, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Julie Heldman 6–4, 7–9, 6–3	Barbara Hawcroft	Helen Amos Laura Rossouw	Brenda Kirk Michelle Rodríguez Patricia Faulkner Madeleine Pegel
		Françoise Dürr Julie Heldman 6–0, 6–3	Ana María Pinto Bravo Raquel Giscafré	Helen Amos Laura Rossouw
	Kent Championships Beckenham, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Kerry Melville 6–0, 3–6, 9–7	Kristy Pigeon	Patti Hogan Wendy Gilchrist	Tam O'Shaughnessy Janet Newberry Betty Stöve Christine Janes
		Christine Truman Nell Truman 6–3, 9–7	Olga Morozova Zaiga Yanzone	Patti Hogan Wendy Gilchrist
14 Jun	Queen's Club Championships London, England Grand Prix Circuit (D) Grass – 64S/32D	Margaret Court 6–3, 3–6, 6–3	Billie Jean King	Rosie Casals Virginia Wade	Kristy Pigeon Jill Cooper Christine Janes Helen Gourlay
14 Jun		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–2, 8–6	Mary–Ann Curtis Valerie Ziegenfuss	Rosie Casals Virginia Wade	Kristy Pigeon Jill Cooper Christine Janes Helen Gourlay
21 Jun 28 June	Wimbledon Championships London, England Grand Slam (A) Grass – 96S/24D/80X Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–4, 6–1	Margaret Court	Judy Tegart-Dalton Billie Jean King	Winnie Shaw Kerry Melville Nancy Richey Françoise Dürr
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong
		Owen Davidson Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–2, 15–13	Marty Riessen Margaret Court

July

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
5 Jul	Swedish Open Båstad, Sweden Grand Prix Circuit (B) Clay – 32S/32D	Helga Masthoff 4–6, 6–1, 6–3	Ingrid Bentzer	Christina Sandberg Linda Tuero	Ana María Pinto Bravo Heide Orth Ann-Charlotte Dahlberg Odile de Roubin
		Helga Masthoff Heide Orth 6–2, 6–1	Ana María Pinto Bravo Linda Tuero	Christina Sandberg Linda Tuero
	Open Welsh Championships Newport, Wales Grand Prix Circuit (C) Grass – S32/D16	Virginia Wade 6–3, 6–4	Judy Tegart-Dalton	Winnie Shaw Helen Gourlay	Kerry Harris Elizabeth James Gail Chanfreau Joyce Williams
		Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris 6–3, 8–6	Gail Chanfreau Winnie Shaw	Winnie Shaw Helen Gourlay	Kerry Harris Elizabeth James Gail Chanfreau Joyce Williams
	Swiss Open Gstaad, Switzerland Grand Prix Circuit (B) Clay – S32/D16	Françoise Dürr 6–3, 6–3	Lesley Hunt	Marijke Schaar Alena Palmeová-West	Lea Pericoli Fiorella Bonicelli Silvia Gubler Laura Rossouw
		Brenda Kirk Laura Rossouw 8–6, 6–3	Françoise Dürr Lea Pericoli	Marijke Schaar Alena Palmeová-West	Lea Pericoli Fiorella Bonicelli Silvia Gubler Laura Rossouw
	Carroll's Irish Open Dublin, Ireland Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Margaret Court 6–3, 2–6, 6–3	Evonne Goolagong	Betty Stöve Lesley Bowrey	Geraldine Barniville Sue Minford Veronica Burton Tam O'Shaughnessy
		Kathleen Harter Winnie Shaw 6–4, 4–6, 7–5	Gail Chanfreau Evonne Goolagong	Betty Stöve Lesley Bowrey
12 Jul	North of England Championships Hoylake, England Grand Prix Circuit (C) Grass – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–3	Rosie Casals	Margaret Court Patti Hogan	Evonne Goolagong Judy Tegart-Dalton Virginia Wade Julie Heldman
12 Jul		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King walkover	Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong	Margaret Court Patti Hogan
19 Jul	Green Shield Midland Championships Leicester, England Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–2, 6–4	Patti Hogan	Helen Gourlay Judy Tegart-Dalton	Kristien Kemmer Kerry Harris Barbara Hawcroft Fay Toyne
		Judy Tegart-Dalton Evonne Goolagong 8–6, 6–4	Barbara Hawcroft Patti Hogan	Helen Gourlay Judy Tegart-Dalton	Kristien Kemmer Kerry Harris Barbara Hawcroft Fay Toyne
	Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Austria Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–2, 4–6, 7–5	Laura Rossouw	Helga Schultze Rosie Casals	Heide Orth Tory Fretz Ana María Arias Brenda Kirk
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–2, 6–4	Helga Niessen Masthoff Heide Orth	Helga Schultze Rosie Casals	Heide Orth Tory Fretz Ana María Arias Brenda Kirk
26 Jul	Dutch Open Championships Hilversum, Netherlands^[9] Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 8–6, 6–3	Christina Sandberg	Cora Schediwy Betty Stöve	Trudy Waldhof Katja Ebbinghaus Brenda Kirk Alena Palmeová-West
26 Jul		Christina Sandberg Betty Stöve 6–1, 6–2	Katja Ebbinghaus Trudy Waldhof	Cora Schediwy Betty Stöve

August

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
2 Aug	Virginia Slims International Houston, United States Virginia Slims $40,000 Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–4, 4–6, 6–1	Kerry Melville	3rd: Nancy Richey 4th: Judy Tegart-Dalton	Mary-Ann Eisel Julie Heldman Françoise Dürr Rosie Casals
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 1–6, 6–2	Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr	3rd: Nancy Richey 4th: Judy Tegart-Dalton	Mary-Ann Eisel Julie Heldman Françoise Dürr Rosie Casals
	Cincinnati Open Cincinnati, United States Grand Prix Circuit (C) Hard – 32S/16D	Virginia Wade 6–3, 6–3	Linda Tuero	Gail Chanfreau Helen Gourlay	Nathalie Fuchs Winnie Shaw Sue Stap Kerry Harris
		Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris 6–4, 6–4	Gail Chanfreau Winnie Shaw	Gail Chanfreau Helen Gourlay	Nathalie Fuchs Winnie Shaw Sue Stap Kerry Harris
9 Aug	Women's Clay Court Championships Indianapolis, US Grand Prix Circuit (D) Clay – 32S/16D	Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–5	Linda Tuero	Helen Gourlay Gail Chanfreau	Julie Heldman Winnie Shaw Kerry Harris Kerry Melville
9 Aug		Judy Dalton Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–2	Julie Heldman Linda Tuero	Helen Gourlay Gail Chanfreau	Julie Heldman Winnie Shaw Kerry Harris Kerry Melville
16 Aug	Virginia Slims of Chicago Lake Bluff, Illinois, United States Virginia Slims Clay – $20,000 Singles – Doubles	Françoise Dürr 6–4, 6–2	Billie Jean King	Nancy Richey Rosie Casals	Lesley Hunt Betty Ann Hansen Judy Tegart-Dalton Linda Tuero
		Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr 6–4, 7–6	Rosie Casals Billie Jean King	Nancy Richey Rosie Casals	Lesley Hunt Betty Ann Hansen Judy Tegart-Dalton Linda Tuero
	Wightman Cup Cleveland, United States Hard (i) Team event	United States 4–3	Great Britain
23 Aug	Eastern Grass Court Championships South Orange NJ, United States Grand Prix Circuit (C) Grass – 64S/32D	Chris Evert 6–4, 6–0	Helen Gourlay	Winnie Shaw Lita Liem	Lany Kaligis Joyce Williams Virginia Wade Lesley Bowrey
23 Aug		Cancelled		Winnie Shaw Lita Liem	Lany Kaligis Joyce Williams Virginia Wade Lesley Bowrey
30 Aug	Virginia Slims of Newport Newport, United States Virginia Slims Grass – $20,000 Singles – Doubles	Kerry Melville 6–3, 6–7^(3–5), 7–6^(5–4)	Françoise Dürr	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals	Christina Sandberg Judy Tegart-Dalton Lesley Hunt Mary-Ann Eisel
30 Aug		Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr 6–2, 6–1	Kerry Harris Kerry Melville	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals
30 Aug 6 Sep	US Open New York, United States Grand Slam (A) Grass – 64S/32D/47X Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles	Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–6^(5–2)	Rosie Casals	Chris Evert Kerry Melville	Laura du Pont Lesley Hunt Judy Tegart-Dalton Joyce Williams
		Rosie Casals Judy Tegart-Dalton 6–3, 6–3	Gail Chanfreau Françoise Dürr
		Owen Davidson Billie Jean King 6–3, 7–5	Bob Maud Betty Stöve

September

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
13 Sep	Virginia Slims of Louisville Louisville, United States Virginia Slims $20,000 Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 6–1, 4–6, 6–3	Rosie Casals	Kerry Melville Françoise Dürr	Lita Liem Alena Palmeová-West Helen Gourlay Margaret Cooper
13 Sep		Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr 2–6, 6–4, 6–3	Kerry Melville Betty Stöve	Kerry Melville Françoise Dürr	Lita Liem Alena Palmeová-West Helen Gourlay Margaret Cooper
20 Sep	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles, United States Grand Prix Circuit (B) Carpet (i) – 32S/16D	Billie Jean King vs. Rosie Casals 6–6 double default		Kerry Melville Françoise Dürr	Wendy Overton Lesley Hunt Helen Gourlay Judy Tegart-Dalton
20 Sep		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr	Kerry Melville Françoise Dürr	Wendy Overton Lesley Hunt Helen Gourlay Judy Tegart-Dalton
27 Sep	Virginia Slims Thunderbird Classic Phoenix, United States Virginia Slims Hard – $20,000 – 32S/4D Singles – Doubles	Billie Jean King 7–5, 6–1	Rosie Casals	Kerry Melville Nancy Richey Gunter	Wendy Overton Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr Lesley Hunt
27 Sep		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr	Kerry Melville Nancy Richey Gunter	Wendy Overton Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr Lesley Hunt

October

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
11 Oct	Dewar Cup Edinburgh Edinburgh, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–0, 6–3	Françoise Dürr	Jackie Fayter Virginia Wade	Corinne Molesworth Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Julie Heldman
11 Oct		Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman 6–3, 6–0	Patti Hogan Nell Truman	Jackie Fayter Virginia Wade	Corinne Molesworth Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Julie Heldman
18 Oct	Dewar Cup Billingham Billingham, United Kingdom Non-tour event 15S/4D Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 4–6, 7–5, 6–3	Julie Heldman	Evonne Goolagong Françoise Dürr	Betty Stöve Cathie Lorains Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan
18 Oct		Françoise Dürr Virginia Wade 6–3, 4–6, 6–2	Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman	Evonne Goolagong Françoise Dürr	Betty Stöve Cathie Lorains Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan
25 Oct	Embassy British Indoor Championships London, England Grand Prix Circuit (B) Carpet – 32S/16D	Billie Jean King 6–1, 5–7, 7–5	Françoise Dürr	Rosemary Casals Evonne Goolagong	Patti Hogan Betty Stöve Virginia Wade Winnie Shaw
25 Oct		Françoise Dürr Virginia Wade 3–6, 7–5, 6–3	Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman	Rosemary Casals Evonne Goolagong	Patti Hogan Betty Stöve Virginia Wade Winnie Shaw

November

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
1 Nov	Dewar Cup Aberavon Aberavon, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 7–6, 6–3	Evonne Goolagong	Julie Heldman Françoise Dürr	Wendy Gilchrist Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Betty Stöve
1 Nov		Françoise Dürr Virginia Wade 7–5, 6–4	Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman	Julie Heldman Françoise Dürr	Wendy Gilchrist Winnie Shaw Patti Hogan Betty Stöve
8 Nov	Dewar Cup Torquay Torquay, United Kingdom Non-tour event 16S/4D Singles – Doubles	Evonne Goolagong 6–1, 6–0	Françoise Dürr	Julie Heldman Virginia Wade	Jackie Fayter Winnie Shaw Penny Moor Betty Stöve
8 Nov		Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman 7–6, 6–4	Françoise Dürr Virginia Wade	Julie Heldman Virginia Wade	Jackie Fayter Winnie Shaw Penny Moor Betty Stöve
15 Nov	Dewar Cup Championships London, United Kingdom Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 6–1, 6–3	Julie Heldman	Françoise Dürr Evonne Goolagong	Betty Stöve Winnie Shaw Jackie Fayter Patti Hogan
15 Nov		Evonne Goolagong Julie Heldman 7–5, 6–4	Françoise Dürr Virginia Wade	Françoise Dürr Evonne Goolagong	Betty Stöve Winnie Shaw Jackie Fayter Patti Hogan
29 Nov	Clean Air Classic New York City, United States Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Virginia Wade 6–3, 6–3	Rosie Casals

December

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
1 Dec	Benson & Hedges International Christchurch, New Zealand Non-tour event Singles – Doubles	Françoise Dürr 6–3, 6–0	Billie Jean King	Rosemary Casals Kerry Melville	Lesley Hunt Kristien Kemmer Valerie Ziegenfuss Judy Tegart-Dalton
1 Dec		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 9–8^(8–6)	Judy Tegart-Dalton Françoise Dürr	Rosemary Casals Kerry Melville

Awarding points system

Grand Prix Circuit

The Grand Prix tournaments were divided into four groups. Group A consisted of the three Grand Slam events – French Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open – while the other tournaments were divided into Groups B, C and D by prize money and draw size. Points were allocated based on these groups and the finishing position of a player in a tournament. The points allocation is listed below:

**Group A**
Champion: 40 Runner-up: 30 Semifinalist: 20 Quarterfinalist: 10 Round of 16: 5 Round of 32: 3

**Group B**
Champion: 30 Runner-up: 20 Semifinalist: 10 Quarterfinalist: 5 Round of 16: 3 Round of 32: –

**Group C**
Champion: 20 Runner-up: 12 Semifinalist: 6 Quarterfinalist: 4 Round of 16: 2 Round of 32: –

**Group D**
Champion: 15 Runner-up: 9 Semifinalist: 5 Quarterfinalist: 3 Round of 16:: – Round of 32: –

Standings and bonus pool earnings

A bonus pool of $50,000 was available for the top 13 points ranked players. To qualify for a share of the bonus pool the players had to participate in a minimum of nine tournaments.^[10]

Rk	Name	Tour.	Points	Bonus
1	Billie Jean King	9	181	$10,000
2	Françoise Dürr	9	119	$7,500
3	Evonne Goolagong ^[b]	6	116	–
4	Margaret Court ^[b]	6	106	–
5	Helen Gourlay	12	83	$6,500
6	Rosemary Casals ^[b]	8	71	–
7	Judy Dalton	9	70	$5,250
8	Virginia Wade	10	69	$4,000
9	Linda Tuero ^[b]	7	60	–
10	Kerry Melville ^[b]	7	55	–

Top 10 World Rankings

The 1971 singles rankings as per Lance Tingay.^{[ citation needed ]}

World ranking
No	Player Name
1	Evonne Goolagong (AUS)
2	Margaret Court (AUS)
3	Billie Jean King (USA)
4	Rosemary Casals (USA)
5	Kerry Melville (AUS)
6	Judy Dalton (AUS)
7	Françoise Dürr (FRA)
8	Virginia Wade (GBR)
9	Helga Masthoff (FRG)
10	Chris Evert (USA)

Under 21 world ranking
No	Player Name
1	Evonne Goolagong (AUS)
2	Chris Evert (USA)
3	Lesley Hunt (AUS)
4	Denise Carter-Triolo (USA)
5	Kristy Pigeon (USA)
6	Kazuko Sawamatsu (JPN)
7	Linda Tuero (USA)
8	Kristien Kemmer (USA)
9	Barbara Hawcroft (AUS)
10	Eliza Pande (USA)

Prize money leaders

No.	Player Name	Prize money
1	Billie Jean King (USA)	$117,000
2	Françoise Dürr (FRA)	$65,000
3	Rosemary Casals (USA)	$62,000
4	Judy Dalton (AUS)	$33,876
5	Kerry Melville (AUS)	$29,767
6	Ann Jones (GBR)	$26,148
7	Margaret Court (AUS)	$26,000
8	Evonne Goolagong (AUS)	$25,000
9	Virginia Wade (GBR)	$24,000
10	Nancy Gunter (USA)	$15,300

Statistical information

These tables present the number of singles (S), doubles (D), and mixed doubles (X) titles won by each player and each nation during the 1971 Virginia Slims Circuit. They also include data for the Grand Slam tournaments.

total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation);
highest amount of highest category tournaments (for example, having a single Grand Slam gives preference over any kind of combination without a Grand Slam title);
a singles > doubles > mixed doubles hierarchy;
alphabetical order (by family names for players).

Key

Grand Slam tournaments
Virginia Slims events

Titles won by player

Total	Player	S	D	X	S	D	S	D	X
38	Billie Jean King (USA)	●	●	● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	17	19	2
21	Rosie Casals (USA)		● ●		● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	2	19	0
19	Evonne Goolagong (AUS)	● ●	●				9	10	0
16	Margaret Court (AUS)	●	●				10	6	0
16	Françoise Durr (FRA)		●	●	● ●	● ● ● ● ● ●	4	12	1
6	Judy Tegart Dalton (AUS)		●			● ● ●	0	6	0
5	Chris Evert (USA)				●		4	1	0
5	Ann Haydon-Jones (GBR)				● ●	● ● ●	2	3	0
2	Gail Chanfreau (FRA)		●				1	1	0
2	Kerry Melville (AUS)				●		1	1	0
2	Mary-Ann Eisel (USA)					●	0	2	0
1	Valerie Ziegenfuss (USA)					●	0	1	0

Titles won by nation

Total	Nation	S	D	X	S	D	S	D	X
30	United States (USA)	1	2	2	14	11	15	13	2
10	France (FRA)	0	1	1	2	6	2	7	1
9	Australia (AUS)	3	2	0	1	3	4	5	0
7	Great Britain (GBR)	0	0	0	2	5	2	5	0

Notes

↑ Including three Grand Slam events.
1 2 3 4 5 Player did not participate in the required minimum of nine tournaments and therefore did not share in the bonus pool.

References

↑ "History of the ITF: Foundation of International Lawn Tennis Federation 1913". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
↑ "Reprieve for Girls". The Age. Sydney, Australia: The Wikipedia Library - Newspapers.Com. 19 January 1971. p. 23. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
↑ Kimball, Warren F. (December 2017). The United States Tennis Association: Raising the Game. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-4962-0462-2.
↑ Hall, Eric Allen (15 September 2014). Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era. Baltimore, Maryland, United States: JHU Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4214-1394-5.
↑ John Barrett, ed. (1972). World of Tennis '72. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 143, 144. ISBN 9780362001037. OCLC 86035663.
↑ Adam Lincoln (6 January 2021). "50 years ago today: Virginia Slims Circuit kicks off". Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
1 2 "WTA Tour Finals" (PDF). www.wtatennis.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
↑ "About The WTA". www.wtatennis.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
↑ "Tennisbegroting voor Hilversum iets lager". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 21 July 1971. p. 4 – via Delpher.
↑ John Dolan (2011). Women's Tennis 1968–84: the Ultimate Guide. Remous. p. 507.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[grandslams-1] Including three Grand Slam events.

[nobonus-12] 1 2 3 4 5 Player did not participate in the required minimum of nine tournaments and therefore did not share in the bonus pool.

[2] "History of the ITF: Foundation of International Lawn Tennis Federation 1913". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 26 September 2023.

[3] "Reprieve for Girls". The Age. Sydney, Australia: The Wikipedia Library - Newspapers.Com. 19 January 1971. p. 23. Retrieved 26 September 2023.

[4] Kimball, Warren F. (December 2017). The United States Tennis Association: Raising the Game. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-4962-0462-2.

[5] Hall, Eric Allen (15 September 2014). Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era. Baltimore, Maryland, United States: JHU Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4214-1394-5.

[wot1972-6] John Barrett, ed. (1972). World of Tennis '72. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 143, 144. ISBN 9780362001037. OCLC 86035663.

[wta50-7] Adam Lincoln (6 January 2021). "50 years ago today: Virginia Slims Circuit kicks off". Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

[VSCalendar1971-8] 1 2 "WTA Tour Finals" (PDF). www.wtatennis.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2012.

[9] "About The WTA". www.wtatennis.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.

[10] "Tennisbegroting voor Hilversum iets lager". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 21 July 1971. p. 4 – via Delpher.

[dolan2011-11] John Dolan (2011). Women's Tennis 1968–84: the Ultimate Guide. Remous. p. 507.

[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[b]

v t e 1971 Women's Tennis Circuit « 1970 1972 »
Grand Slam events	Australian Open (S, D) French Open (S, D, X) Wimbledon (S, D, X) US Open (S, D, X)
Virginia Slims Circuit	San Francisco (S, D) Long Beach (S, D) Milwaukee (S, D) Fort Lauderdale (S, D) Oklahoma City (S, D) Washington (S, D) Birmingham (S, D) Dallas (S, D) Philadelphia (S, D) San Juan (S, D) St. Petersburg (S, D) Tucson (S, D) Indianapolis 1 (S, D) Columbus (S, D) Denver (S, D) Newport (S, D) Oakland (S, D) Phoenix (S, D)
Grand Prix Circuit	Johannesburg (S, D) Rome (S, D) Bournemouth (S, D) Hamburg (S, D) Cincinnati (S, D) Indianapolis 2 (S, D) Toronto (S, D) New York (S, D) Atlanta (S, D) Tokyo 1 (S, D) Palm Harbor (S, D) Atlanta (S, D) Phoenix (S, D) Melbourne (S, D)
Non-tour events	Sydney (S, D) Auckland (S, D) Kitzbühel (S, D) London (S, D) Beckenham (S, D) Tokyo 2 (S, D) Tokyo 3 (S, D) Billingham (S, D) Edinburgh (S, D) Aberavon (S, D) Torquay (S, D) Nottingham (S, D)
Team events	Fed Cup Wightman Cup
Virginia Slims Championships (S, D)

v t e Women's tennis seasons
Seasons (1881-1912) ILTF (1913-72)	1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
ILTF Independent Circuit	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
ILTF Grand Prix Circuit	1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976
Virginia Slims Circuit	1971 1972 1973 1974 1975
Virginia Slims/Colgate Series	1976 1977 1978
Avon/Colgate Series	1979 1980
Avon/Toyota Series	1981 1982
Virginia Slims World Championship Series	1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
WTA Tour	1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

1971 ILTF Women's Tennis Circuit

Contents

Circuits

Grand Prix Circuit

Virginia Slims Circuit

ILTF World Circuit

Schedule

December (1970)

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Awarding points system

Grand Prix Circuit

Standings and bonus pool earnings

Top 10 World Rankings

Prize money leaders

Statistical information

Key

Titles won by player

Titles won by nation

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

References

External links