ACT Open

Last updated
ACT Championships
ACT Open
Defunct tennis tournament
Tour ILTF Circuit
Founded1929;95 years ago (1929)
Abolished1978;46 years ago (1978)
Location Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
VenueManuka Tennis Courts (1942-69)
Canberra Tennis Centre (1970-2008)
SurfaceHard

The ACT Open [1] formally known as the Australian Capital Territory Open was a combined men's and women's hard court tennis tournament founded in 1929 as the ACT Championships or Australian Capital Territory Championships. [2] The tournament was organised by the Canberra Lawn Tennis Association and first played at at the Manuka Tennis Courts, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia It ran annually until 1968 as part of the ILTF Circuit, then part of the ILTF Independent Tour until 1977 when it was downgraded. [3]

Contents

History

The Australian Capital Territory Championships the most important tennis championship held in the Australian Capital Territory, was inaugurated in 1929. [4] However, the finals were not played. [5] In 1930 the first open women's singles event was held along with the first men's singles final. [2] The venue for the tournament for many years was the Canberra Lawn Tennis Association courts in the Manuka area of Canberra. [2] The event was originally played on outdoor hard cement tennis courts. [3]

With the onset of open tennis in 1968 this tournaments status began to decline. In 1969 following the start of the open era it became part of the ILTF Independent Tour (tournaments not aligned to the Grand Prix Circuit or WCT Circuit until 1977. In 1970 the tournament was moved from Manuka to the new Canberra Tennis Centre at Lyneham. [2] In 1978 downgraded to a Satellite tournament. [3] The tournament was not held from 1982 to 1984, and 1999 to 2003. It continued until 2006. [3] Today the men's tournament has survived in one form or another and is known as the Canberra Tennis International, [3] and women's event is known as the ACT Clay Court International.

The tournament was sponsored from 1970 until at least 1980 by Ampol, Patra Foods and W.D. and H.O. Wills. [2]

Finals

Men's singles

YearChampionRunner-upScore
1930 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stanley Gee Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roy Ayliffe6-1, 6-1, 7-9, 6-4 [6] [5]
1931 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roy Ayliffe [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sidney Bell3-6, 6-0, 8-6
1932 Flag of Australia (converted).svg A. Murray [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sidney Bell6-4, 7-5
1933 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Stanley Gee [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg James Nish7-9, 7-5, 6-3
1934 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Chrystal [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg G. Fry6-2, 4-6, 6-2
1935 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Chrystal [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reginald Bennett6-1, 6-2
1936 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Chrystal [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Sidwell 6-2, 6-1
1937 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reginald Bennett [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sidney Bell7-5, 6-1
1938 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Thompson [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Bennett6-1, 6-2
1939 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reginald Bennett [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jim Bennett2-6, 6-1, 11-9
1940-45No competition [6]
1946 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aubrey Brogan [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Taylor6-2, 6-2
1947 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reginald Bennett [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Frank Pryor6-3, 6-3
1948 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kevin Johnstone [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Max Anderson6-4, 6-4
1949 Flag of Australia (converted).svg William Wallace [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Reginald Bennett6-2, 8-6
1950 Flag of Australia (converted).svg William Wallace [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roy Felan6-2, 4-6, 8-6
1951 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Sidwell [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg William Wallace6-4, 6-1
1952 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don Candy [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg John O'Brien 6-2, 6-2
1953 Flag of Australia (converted).svg George Worthington [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Keith Pepper6-2 6-2
1954 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Woodcock [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Regan6-0, 6-1
1955 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roy Emerson [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Woodcock 6-0, 6-4
1956 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Barry Phillips-Moore [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Neil Gibson 6-2, 6-0
1957 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Woodcock [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Binns 6-4, 7-5
1958 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roy Emerson [6] Flag of Spain.svg Andres Gimeno 6-3, 10-8
1959 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Neale Fraser [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Hewitt 6-2, 6-2
1960 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Neale Fraser [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Hewitt 6-1, 6-4
1961 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bob Hewitt [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe 6-0, 1-6, 6-2
1962 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Geoff Pollard [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael Callaghan1-6, 6-1, 6-1
1963 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Fred Stolle 6-3, 6-4
1964 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Geoff Pollard [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Crealy 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
1965 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bill Bowrey [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Geoff Pollard 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
1966 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Doug Kelso [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham6-0, 3-6, 9-7
1967 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Jacques 6-1, 6-1
1968 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ray Ruffels [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dick Crealy 6-2, 6-2
1969 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Alexander [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham6-1, 6-4
1970 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Geoff Pollard 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
1971 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Howard Humphries6-7, 7-5, 6-2
1972 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Trevor Allan 7-6, 6-2
1973 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bruce Larkham [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael Kenny6-3, 6-3
1974 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Chris Kachel [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael Kenny7-6, 6-3
1975 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter Hawking [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Martin6-4, 6-2
1976Abandoned due to rain [7]
1977 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Martin [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Wurtz7-5, 6-3
1978 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Pat Serret [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Edwards6-3, 2-6, 6-4
1979 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Eddie Myers Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Martin6-4, 6-2 [8]
1980 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Edwards Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Martin6-2, 6-4 [9]
1981 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Charlie Fancutt [6] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Terry Rocavert 6-4, 6-3

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References

  1. "TENNIS Fifty years of the ACT Open". The Canberra Times . Canberra: Trove: National Library of Australia. 21 September 1980. p. 25. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 The Canberra Times
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tournaments:ACT Championships - ACT Open" . The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  4. "Big money for Canberra tennis". Weekly Times. Canberra: Trove: National Library of Australia. 2 July 1952. p. 58. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Fifty years of the ACT Open". The Canberra Times . 21 September 1980. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 "Australian Capital Territory Championships". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  7. "ACT open tennis titles abandoned". The Canberra Times . 5 October 1976. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  8. "Sure-footed singles win". The Canberra Times . 2 October 1979. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  9. "Minter upsets Bryant in open tournament". The Canberra Times . 7 October 1980. Retrieved 30 November 2024.