British Hard Court Championships | |
---|---|
Defunct tennis tournament | |
Event name | British Hard Court Championships (1968–70, 1978, 1980–83) Rothmans British Hard Court Championships (1971–74) Coca-Cola British Hard Court Championships (1975–76) Men: Bournemouth International/Samsung Open (1996–99) Women: Rover British Clay Court Championships (1995–96) |
Tour | ILTF (1968–70) Grand Prix circuit (1970–76, 1978, 1980–83) ATP World Series (1996–99) WTA Tour (1968, 1971–76, 1995–96) |
Founded | 1924 |
Abolished | 1999 |
Location | Torquay (1924–26) Bournemouth (1927–83, 1995–99) Cardiff (1996, women) |
Surface | Clay |
The British Hard Court Championships was a Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament, played in the Open Era from 1968 to 1983 and again (albeit not named as such) from 1995 to 1999.
As an amateur tournament, the inaugural edition was held in 1924 in Torquay, moving to the West Hants Tennis Club in Bournemouth, England in 1927. The tournament remained there until 1983, although the 1977 and 1979 editions were cancelled due to lack of sponsorship. [1]
At that time, the tournament was played outdoors on red shale, [a] which is similar to European clay but with a grittier, looser surface, thus leading to faster play. [2] [3] When the tournament became a fixture of the Open Era in 1968 (see below), many professional competitors from overseas, unused to the playing conditions, complained that the shale courts were wet and slippery. [4] By the mid-1970s, however, the event had become a destination for several top European and South American clay courters: winners of the men's singles championship during those years include Ilie Năstase, Adriano Panatta, Manuel Orantes, Victor Pecci and José Higueras. This did not prevent it from being cancelled once again in 1984, which the organisers explained was due to the lack of a sponsor and the withdrawal of television coverage. [5]
In 1995, the event was revived at Bournemouth as a women's WTA tournament but was only played there that one time; the final edition the following year was held in Cardiff, Wales. [6] A men's ATP World Series tournament was also staged at the West Hants Club on American green clay from 1996 to 1999, before being relocated to indoor hard courts in Brighton for the 2000 edition (see Brighton International). [7]
Bournemouth was once one of the world's major tournaments, second only to Wimbledon in England and on the same level as Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg. [2] In the pre-war era, it was regarded as the most important event outside the four Grand Slams. Fred Perry is the record holder with five consecutive titles, from 1932 through to 1936. [6]
The Championships hold the distinction of being the first tennis tournament to be held in the Open Era, taking place in April 1968. [8] It started on 22 April at 1:43 p.m. when John Clifton served and won the first point. [9] [10] Ken Rosewall won the men's singles title, taking home $2,400, while runner-up Rod Laver received $1,200. Virginia Wade won the women's singles title, defeating Winnie Shaw in the final, but did not take home the winner's prize of $720 as she was still an amateur at the time of the tournament. She thus became the first amateur to win a title in the Open Era. [11] [12] Christine Janes and her sister Nell Truman became the first winners of an open tennis event by winning the women's doubles title. [2] The tournament was considered a success and attracted almost 30,000 visitors. [10] [13] The young British player Mark Cox went down in tennis history, when at the second round of the championships he became the first amateur player to beat a professional, after defeating the American Pancho Gonzales in five sets in two and a quarter hours. [9] [12] [14]
Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–3 |
1969 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 6–4 |
1970 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 6–8, 7–5 |
1971 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
1972 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–1 |
1973 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 7–5 |
1974 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 6–2 |
1975 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 6–3 |
1976 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 6–2 |
1977–1994 | Not held | ||
1995 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 7–5 |
1996 | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–0, 6–4 |
Source:The Tennis Base. [17]
The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year. In doubles, a Grand Slam may be achieved as a team or as an individual with different partners. Winning all four major championships consecutively but not within the same calendar year is referred to as a "non-calendar-year Grand Slam", while winning the four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a "Career Grand Slam".
Rodney George Laver is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was ranked the world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969 and by some sources also in 1964 and 1970. He was also ranked as the number 1 amateur in 1961 and 1962. Laver won 198 singles titles, which is the most won by a player in history.
Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking professional tennis player. Rosewall won 147 singles titles, including a record 15 Pro Majors and 8 Grand Slam titles for a total 23 titles at pro and amateur majors. He also won 15 Pro Majors in doubles and 9 Grand Slam doubles titles. Rosewall achieved a Pro Slam in singles in 1963 by winning the three Pro Majors in one year and he completed the Career Grand Slam in doubles.
Manuel Orantes Corral is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He won the US Open men's singles title in 1975, beating the defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final. Orantes reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2.
A grass court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Grass courts are made of grasses in different compositions depending on the tournament.
The Italian Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is played on clay courts at the Foro Italico, and is held during the second week of May. The tournament is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and part of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour. The two events were combined in 2011.
A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, brick, shale, and other aggregate, with a thin layer of fine clay particles on top. Clay courts are more common in Continental Europe and Latin America than in North America, Asia-Pacific or Britain. The only Grand Slam tournament that uses clay courts is the French Open.
Mark Cox is a former tennis player from England, who played professional and amateur tennis in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was ranked as high as world No. 12 on the ATP rankings, achieving that ranking in October 1977.
The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships is an annual ATP Tour tennis tournament. Founded in 1910, it has been held in nearly two dozen cities, and since 2001 has been held in Houston, Texas. It currently pays out US$742,350 with the winner receiving US$100,635. It is the only remaining ATP World Tour-level tournament in the United States to be played on clay courts.
This article is concerned with the major tennis achievements of tennis male players of all tennis history.
The Monte-Carlo Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, which borders on Monaco. It is played on clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club and is held in April. The tournament is part of the nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour. Rafael Nadal has won the men's singles title a record eleven times.
The West Hants Club is a sports and fitness club situated in Bournemouth, Dorset in the south of England. The club is primarily a tennis club but also incorporates a gym, swimming pool and squash and racquetball courts.
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first open tournament was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament, the 1968 French Open, a month later. Unless otherwise sourced, all records are based on data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official websites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. All rankings-related records are based on ATP rankings, which began in 1973. The names of active players appear in boldface.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2013. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
The 1976 British Hard Court Championships, also known by its sponsored name Coca-Cola British Hard Court Championships, was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Bournemouth, England. The men's event was part of the 1976 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix. The tournament was held from 10 May through 16 May 1976. Wojciech Fibak and Helga Masthoff won the singles titles.
The 1968 British Hard Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth in England. It was the first tournament in the Open Era of tennis. The tournament was held from 22 April to 27 April 1968. Ken Rosewall and Virginia Wade won the first open singles titles while the men's team of Roy Emerson and Rod Laver and the women's team of Christine Truman Janes and Nell Truman won the first open doubles titles.
This article covers the period from 1877 to present. Before the beginning of the Open Era in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon, the oldest of the majors, was founded in 1877, followed by the US Open in 1881, the French Open in 1891 and the Australian Open in 1905. Beginning in 1905 and continuing to the present day, all four majors have been played yearly, with the exception of during the two World Wars, 1986 for the Australian Open, and 2020 for Wimbledon. The Australian Open is the first major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July) and the US Open (August–September). There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four majors, in singles or as part of a doubles team, in the same calendar year is said to have achieved a "Grand Slam". If the player wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a "Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam". Winning all four at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Grand Slam". Winning the four majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics in the same calendar year has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988. Winning all four majors plus an Olympic gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the year-end championship while also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam". Winning all four majors, an Olympic gold, and the year-end championships at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Super Slam". Winning the four majors in all three disciplines a player is eligible for–singles, doubles and mixed doubles–is considered winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles.
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted in men's tennis since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first "open" tournament was held in Bournemouth, England, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament a month later. All records are based on data from the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official sites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Active streaks and active players are in boldface.
The 1975 British Hard Court Championships, also known by its sponsored name Coca-Cola British Hard Court Championships, was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at The West Hants Club in Bournemouth, England. The men's event was part of the Grand Prix circuit and categorized as B class. The women's event was part of the ILTF Independent Tour. It was the 46th edition of the tournament and was held from 12 May through 18 May 1975. Manuel Orantes and Janet Newberry won the singles titles.