| Ameritech Cup | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Event name | VS of Chicago (1971–78, 1983–94) Avon Championships of Chicago (1979–82) Ameritech Cup (1995–97) |
| Tour | WTA Tour (1971–97) |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Abolished | 1997 |
| Editions | 26 |
| Surface | Carpet (1971–97) |
The Ameritech Cup (known also as the Virginia Slims of Chicago and the Avon Championships of Chicago) is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament held every year from 1971 until 1997 in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. Its sponsors were Virginia Slims from 1971 to 1978 and again from 1983 to 1994, Avon from 1979 to 1982 and Ameritech from 1995 to 1997. The tournament was classified as Tier III in 1988-1989, Tier I in 1990 and Tier II until 1997, and was played on indoor carpet courts.
Martina Navratilova was the most successful player at the tournament, winning the singles competition 12 times and the doubles competition 7 times. Past champions also include former No. 1 players Chris Evert (1977), Monica Seles (1993) and Lindsay Davenport (1997).
Martina Hingis is a Swiss former professional tennis player. Hingis is the first Swiss player, male or female, to win a major title and attain a world No. 1 ranking. She spent a total of 209 weeks as the singles world No. 1 and 90 weeks as doubles world No. 1, holding both No. 1 rankings simultaneously for 29 weeks. She won five major singles titles, 13 major women's doubles titles, and seven major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 25 major titles. In addition, she won the season-ending WTA Finals two times in singles and three in doubles, an Olympic silver medal in doubles, and a record 17 Tier I singles titles.
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tennis. The WTA's corporate headquarters is in St. Petersburg, Florida, with its European headquarters in London and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing.
Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. Goolagong was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The WTA Finals is a tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) played annually at the end of the season. The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA rankings. The format predates WTA and started in 1972 as the Championship tournament of WTA Tour's predecessor: the Virginia Slims Circuit. Since 2003 there have been eight singles players divided into two round-robin groups, and eight doubles teams.
Virginia Ruano Pascual is a Spanish former professional tennis player. She had moderate success in singles, winning three career Women's Tennis Association (WTA) titles as well as reaching two Grand Slam quarterfinals and a top-30 ranking, but she had been far more successful in doubles.
Françoise Dürr is a retired French tennis player. She won 50 singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.
The Virginia Slims of Florida is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1984 to 1995 in various locations in Florida in the United States. It was held at the Frenchman's Creek Beach & Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens in 1984, at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne from 1985 to 1986, at the Polo Club in Boca Raton from 1987 to 1992, and at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach from 1993 to 1995. The tournament was played on outdoor clay courts in 1984 and on outdoor hard courts from 1985 to 1995.
The 1988 WTA Tour was the elite tour for professional women's tennis of the Women's International Tennis Association (WITA) for the 1988 season. The 1988 WTA Tour included the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WITA Tour Championships and the WTA Category 1-5 events. ITF tournaments were not part of the WTA Tour, although they award points for the WTA World Ranking.
The 1985 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 15th season since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced in March 1985, and concluded in March 1986 after 52 events.
The 1983 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 13th season since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 3, 1983, and concluded on March 4, 1984, after 64 events.
The 1984 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 14th season since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced in March 1984, and concluded in March 1985 after 53 events.
The 1986 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 16th season since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on March 24, 1986, and concluded in December, 1986 after 41 events. The season was abbreviated in order to return the tour to a calendar year basis.
The 1987 Virginia Slims World Championship Series was the 15th season of the tennis circuit since the foundation of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced in January 1987, and concluded in December 1987 after events.
The 1971 Women's Tennis Circuit consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players. It was composed of two series of events ; the Virginia Slims Circuit and the ILTF Pepsi Grand Prix as well as non-tour events.
The 1972 Women's Tennis Circuit was composed of the second annual Virginia Slims Circuit, a tour of tennis tournaments for female tennis players, sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes and the Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix.
The 1973 WTA Tour was composed of the third annual Virginia Slims Circuit and Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix, a tour of tennis tournaments for female tennis players, sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes. It was also the year that the WTA Tour was officially formed by Billie Jean King following a meeting held in the Gloucester Hotel in London during the week before Wimbledon.
The 1974 WTA Tour was composed of the fourth annual Virginia Slims Circuit and Women's International Grand Prix, a tour of tennis tournaments for female tennis players, sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes. The WTA signed their first television broadcast contract in 1974, with the broadcasting network CBS with Brent Musburger announcing.
The 1975 WTA Tour consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players. It was composed of the newly streamlined version of the Virginia Slims Circuit and the Woman's International Grand Prix. The year 1975 also saw the creation of the first official ranking system and these rankings were used to determine acceptance into the tournaments.
The 1977 WTA Tour consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players. It was composed of the newly streamlined version of the Virginia Slims Circuit and the Colgate Series. The year 1977 also saw the creation of the first official ranking system and these rankings were used to determine acceptance into the tournaments.
The 1978 WTA Tour consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players. It was composed of the newly streamlined version of the Virginia Slims Circuit and the Colgate Series. The tour was administered by the Women's International Professional Tennis Council.
