Location | Melbourne Australia |
---|---|
Venue | Melbourne Park |
Governing body | Tennis Australia |
Created | 1922 (established) |
Editions | 98 events (2024) 56 events (Open Era) |
Surface | Grass (1922–1987) Rebound Ace (1988–2007) Plexicushion (2008–present) |
Prize money | A$ 4,000,000 (2018) |
Trophy | Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup |
Website | Australian Open |
Most titles | |
Amateur era | 7: Margaret Court |
Open era | 7: Serena Williams |
Most consecutive titles | |
Amateur era | 7: Margaret Court |
Open era | 3: Margaret Court 3: Evonne Goolagong 3: Steffi Graf 3: Monica Seles 3: Martina Hingis |
Current champion | |
Aryna Sabalenka |
The Australian Open [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] is an annual tennis tournament created in 1905 and played on outdoor hard courts [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. [6]
The women's singles was first contested in 1922 along with the women's and mixed doubles competition as the last three events to be added. The Australian Open is played during two weeks mid-January, and has been chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the tennis season since 1987. The event was not held from 1940 to 1945 because of World War II, and 1986 because Tennis Australia wanted to move the tournament start from mid-December 1986 to mid-January 1987. [1] [7] Margaret Court holds the all-time record for singles titles at this tournament with 11; 7 in the Amateur Era and 4 in the Open Era. Serena Williams holds the Open Era record with 7 singles titles.
Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne, Australia have all held the event. The competition switched locations every year before it settled in 1972 at the Kooyong Stadium, moving to Flinders Park, now Melbourne Park, in 1988. [1] Several calendar changes took place for the Australian Open, from January to December in 1972 to bypass the January-to-June International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITLF) ban of World Championship Tennis (WCT) players; from late to early December in 1977 to avoid the Christmas holidays, which resulted in having two Opens in the season; [8] and back to January, when the planned December 1986 edition was moved to early 1987, leaving no Open for the 1986 season. [9] [10]
An all British and an all American final were contested in 1935 and 1979 respectively, but otherwise every other final contested until 1980 featured an Australian player.
The women's singles' rules have undergone several changes, since the first edition. This event has been contested in a knockout format, and all matches played at the best-of-three sets. [6] Since 1922, all sets have been decided in the advantage format, with six games and two games difference. The lingering death best-of-twelve points tie-break was introduced in 1971, and used for the first two sets since then, except from 1980 to 1982, when the tie-break was also played in final sets. [6] [11]
The court surface changed once, from grass (1922–1987) to hard courts, since the move to Flinders Park in 1988. [1] [3] [4] No tennis player has won this event on both grass and Rebound Ace; Serena Williams is the only player to win the tournament on two different surfaces, winning her first three titles on Rebound Ace and her last four on Plexicushion. [2]
The champion receives a miniature replica of the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, named after the five-time champion, which was first awarded to the champion in 1934. [12] In 2010, the winner received prize money of A$2,100,000. [13]
In the Australasian Championship, Margaret Molesworth (1922–1923) and Daphne Akhurst (1925–1926) co-hold the records for most wins and most consecutive wins. [7]
In the Australian Championships, Margaret Court (1960–1966) holds the records for most titles with seven wins, and most consecutive titles with seven from (1960–1966). [7]
In the Australian Open, Serena Williams (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009–2010, 2015, 2017) has the most victories, with seven. The record for most consecutive titles is three held by the following players: Margaret Court (1969–1971), Evonne Goolagong (1974–1976), Steffi Graf (1988–1990), Monica Seles (1991–1993), Martina Hingis (1997–1999). [7]
Overall in the Championship's history, Margaret Court (1960–1973) holds the records for most titles with eleven wins, and most consecutive titles with seven from (1960–1966). [7]
This event has been won in straight sets during the Open Era of tennis by the following players: Margaret Court in 1969, 1970 and 1973, Virginia Wade in 1972, Kerry Melville Reid in 1977 January, Evonne Goolagong in 1975, 1976 and 1977 December, Chris O'Neil in 1978, Barbara Jordan in 1979, Hana Mandlíková in 1980 and 1987, Martina Navratilova in 1983, Steffi Graf in 1988, 1989 and 1994, Monica Seles in 1992 and 1996, Mary Pierce in 1995, Martina Hingis in 1997, 1998 and 1999, Lindsay Davenport in 2000, Jennifer Capriati in 2001, Amélie Mauresmo in 2006, Maria Sharapova in 2008, Victoria Azarenka in 2012, Li Na in 2014 and Serena Williams in 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2017.
Year [lower-alpha 5] | Country | Champion | Country | Runner-up | Score in the final [14] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1922 | AUS | Margaret Molesworth | AUS | Esna Boyd | 6–3, 10–8 |
1923 | AUS | Margaret Molesworth | AUS | Esna Boyd | 6–1, 7–5 |
1924 | AUS | Sylvia Lance Harper | AUS | Esna Boyd | 6–3, 3–6, 8–6 |
1925 | AUS | Daphne Akhurst | AUS | Esna Boyd | 1–6, 8–6, 6–4 |
1926 | AUS | Daphne Akhurst | AUS | Esna Boyd | 6–1, 6–3 |
Country | Amateur Era | Open Era | All-time | First title | Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia (AUS) | 33 | 11 | 44 | 1922 | 2022 |
United States (USA) | 7 | 18 | 25 | 1938 | 2020 |
Germany (GER) [lower-alpha 12] | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1988 | 2016 |
Belarus (BLR) | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2012 | 2024 [lower-alpha 14] |
Great Britain (GBR) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1935 | 1972 |
Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1997 | 1999 |
Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2004 | 2011 |
Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1980 | 1987 |
France (FRA) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1995 | 2006 |
Japan (JPN) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2019 | 2021 |
Yugoslavia (YUG) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1991 | 1992 |
China (CHN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2014 | 2014 |
Denmark (DEN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2018 | 2018 |
Russia (RUS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2008 | 2008 |
Yugoslavia (FRY) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1993 | 1993 |
Australian Open other competitions
Grand Slam women's singles
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The Australian Open starts in the middle of January and continues for two weeks coinciding with the Australia Day holiday. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; junior's championships; and wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events. Until 1987, it was played on grass courts, but since then three types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion from 2008 to 2019. Since 2020, it has been played on blue GreenSet.
Stefanie Maria Graf is a German former professional tennis player. She won 22 major singles titles, the second-most in women's singles won since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time. In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. She is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major singles tournament at least four times.
The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year. In doubles, a team may accomplish the Grand Slam playing together or a player may achieve it 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".
Monica Seles is a former world No. 1 tennis player who represented Yugoslavia and the United States. She won nine major singles titles, eight of them as a teenager while representing Yugoslavia, and the final one while representing the United States.
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held. The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from 17 to 30 January, it was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.
The 2012 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 16 to 29 January 2012. It was the 100th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments.
Esther Vergeer defeated Daniela di Toro in the final, 6–0, 6–0 to win the women's singles wheelchair tennis title at the 2011 Australian Open. It was her eighth Australian Open singles title and 17th major singles overall. It also marked the fourth time that Vergeer did not drop a game during a major final, and she only lost four games en route to the title. The win in the final was her 404th consecutive match win.
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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.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2014. It primarily provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.