Challenge of Champions

Last updated
Challenge of Champions
Defunct tennis tournament
TourInvitational/Exhibition
Founded1981
Abolished1989
Editions10
Location Chicago, U.S.
Atlanta, U.S. (1985–1989)
Las Vegas, U.S. (1984)
Surface Carpet (indoor) (1984-1987)
Clay (green) (1988-1989)

The Challenge of Champions was an exhibition tennis tournament. Featuring a roster of 8 invited players, it was not recognized by the sport's main sanctioning bodies, but was one of the most lucrative and better regarded non-tour events. Beginning in 1980, it was organized by Canadian company Concert Productions International, which the following year launched a sister event called the Molson Challenge in Toronto. [1] The tournament was discontinued after the 1989 edition.

Contents

Past finals

YearDatesLocationSurfacePrize MoneyWinnerRunner-upScore
1989 April 26–30Atlanta Clay (green)$1,200,000 Flag of the United States.svg Andre Agassi Flag of the United States.svg Michael Chang 6–3, 6–2
1988 April 28–May 1Atlanta Clay (green)$1,200,000 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Ivan Lendl Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Edberg 2–6, 6–1, 6–3
1987 October 6–11Atlanta Carpet (indoor)$1,200,000 Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe Flag of the United States.svg Paul Annacone 6–4, 7–5
1986 *November 25–30, 1986Atlanta Carpet (indoor)$1,200,000 Flag of Germany.svg Boris Becker Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
1985 January 6–12, 1986Atlanta Carpet (indoor)$1,000,000 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Ivan Lendl Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–3
1984 January 6–11, 1985Las Vegas$200,000 Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Vilas 7–5, 6–0
1983 January 3–8, 1984Chicago Carpet (indoor)$250,000 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors Flag of Ecuador.svg Andrés Gómez 6–3, 6–2, 6–1
1982 January 4–9, 1983Chicago Carpet (indoor)$250,000 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Ivan Lendl Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors 4–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4
1981 January 6–11, 1982Chicago Carpet (indoor)$310,000 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe 6–7, 7–5, 6–7, 7–5, 6–4
1980 January 7–12, 1981Chicago Carpet (indoor)$310,000 Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–4, 6–1

Related Research Articles

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of professional tennis players, and Drysdale became the first president. Since 1990 the association has organized the ATP Tour, the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the organization's name. It is the governing body of men's professional tennis. In 1990 the organization was called the ATP Tour, which was renamed in 2001 as just ATP and the tour being called ATP Tour. In 2009 the name of the tour was changed again and was known as the ATP World Tour, but changed again to the ATP Tour by 2019. It is an evolution of the tour competitions previously known as Grand Prix tennis tournaments and World Championship Tennis (WCT). The ATP's global headquarters are in London. ATP Americas is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; ATP Europe is headquartered in Monaco; and ATP International, which covers Africa, Asia and Australasia, is based in Sydney, Australia.

The WTA Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the Women's Tennis Association. The second-tier tour is the WTA 125K series, and third-tier is the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. The men's equivalent is the ATP Tour.

The Canadian Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is played on outdoor hard courts. The men's competition is an ATP Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour, and the women's competition is a WTA 1000 event on the WTA Tour. It is the second-oldest active tennis tournament after Wimbledon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Open Series</span> Series of tennis tournaments

The US Open Series is the name given by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to a series of North American professional tennis tournaments leading up to and including the US Open. It is part of the "North American hard court season". Emirates sponsored the series in the past, under a deal in place from 2012 to 2016. The series was initially organized in 2004 as a way to focus more attention on American tennis tournaments by getting more of them on domestic television. Until 2004, most summer North American tournaments were not on television, the exceptions being the prominent ATP Tour Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati. Since the inception of the series, Rafael Nadal is the only tennis player to win Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open in a calendar year (2013), a feat referred to as the "Summer Slam" or the "North American Hardcourt Slam".

The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. The Challenger Tour events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition, behind the ATP Tour. The ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments are on the entry-level of international professional tennis competition. The ATP Challenger Tour is administered by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Players who succeed on the ATP Challenger Tour earn sufficient ranking points to become eligible for main draw or qualifying draw entry at ATP Tour tournaments. Players on the Challenger Tour are usually young players looking to advance their careers, those who fail to qualify for ATP events, or former ATP players looking to get back into the big tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Kudryavtsev</span> Russian tennis player

Alexander Mikhailovich Kudryavtsev is a retired Russian professional tennis player who has played professionally since 2003. He made his breakthrough in 2008, playing in his first top-level international tournaments on the ATP tour, having spent time playing at the ATP Challenger Tour and Futures events. He reached his career-high singles ranking of 117 on 2 February 2015 and career-high doubles ranking of 70 on 7 November 2011.

The 1994 Canadian Open and the 1994 Matinée Ltd. - Canadian Open were tennis tournaments played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 105th edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP Super 9 of the 1994 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 1994 WTA Tour. The men's event took place at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from July 25 through July 31, 1994, and the women's event at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from August 15 through August 21, 1994.

The 1998 du Maurier Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 109th edition of the Canada Masters and was part of the Super 9 of the 1998 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 1998 WTA Tour. The men's event took place at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto in Canada from August 3 through August 10, 1998, while the women's event took place at the du Maurier Stadium in Montreal in Canada from August 17 through August 23, 1998.

The 1996 du Maurier Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 107th edition of the Canada Masters and was part of the Mercedes Super 9 of the 1996 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 1996 WTA Tour. The men's event took place at the National Tennis Centre in Toronto from August 5 through August 11, 1996, while the women's event took place at the du Maurier Stadium in Montreal from August 19 through August 26, 1996.

The Toronto Indoor was a professional men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts, held at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit and later, for one year, the ATP Championship Series of the ATP Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Marino</span> Canadian tennis player

Rebecca Catherine Marino is a Canadian professional tennis player. On 11 July 2011, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of world No. 38. Marino was awarded Female Player of the Year by Tennis Canada two times, in 2010 and 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATP Masters 1000 tournaments</span> Tennis tournaments

The ATP Masters events, known as ATP Masters 1000 tournaments since 2009, are an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990. The Masters tournaments, sitting below the Grand Slam tournaments and the year-end championships, make up the most coveted trophies on the annual ATP Tour calendar. In addition to the quadrennial Summer Olympics, they are collectively known as the 'Big Titles'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Duckworth (tennis)</span> Australian professional tennis player

James Duckworth is an Australian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 46 achieved on 31 January 2022 and No. 185 in doubles achieved on 10 February 2020. Duckworth represented Australia in tennis at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 ATP Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Zhao</span> Canadian tennis player

Carol Zhao is a Canadian tennis player. She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of No. 131 in June 2018, and her career-high junior rank of No. 9 on January 1, 2013. She won the Australian Open junior doubles title in 2013. Zhao was a member of the Stanford University tennis team, ending her college career with a 76–16 overall record and leading the team to win the 2016 NCAA championship. She also was the 2015 NCAA singles runner-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilio Gómez (tennis)</span> Ecuadorian tennis player (b. 1991)

Emilio Gómez Estrada is an Ecuadorian professional tennis player competing primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour. He is currently the No. 1 Ecuadorian tennis player. On 20 February 2023, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of world No. 90 and his highest doubles ranking of world No. 254 was achieved on 14 September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reilly Opelka</span> American former tennis player

Reilly Opelka is an American former professional tennis player. At 6 feet 11 inches tall, he is tied for the tallest-ever ATP-ranked player, and can produce serves that measure over 140 mph. He has been ranked as high as world No. 17 in singles by the ATP, which he achieved on February 28, 2022, and in doubles as world No. 89 on August 2, 2021. He has won four ATP singles titles and one doubles title. He is a junior Wimbledon champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Routliffe</span> Canadian-New Zealand tennis player

Erin Hope Routliffe is a New Zealand professional tennis player who previously represented Canada. She reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 5 on 18 March 2024. Routliffe is a two-time NCAA doubles champion with Maya Jansen for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Partnered with Gabriela Dabrowski, Routliffe won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the 2023 US Open, her best result at a major event. She became the first New Zealand woman to win the tournament and only the second one to win a major title in the Open Era, after Judy Connor won the women's doubles title at the 1979 Australian Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1877 men's tennis season</span>

The 1877 men's tennis season was composed of 5 tournaments for the second edition pre-open era lawn tennis season. Before the birth of Open Era (tennis), most tournaments were reserved for amateur athletes. In 1874 British Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patented with the House of London Crafts the invention of a new game, which consisted of a shaped field hourglass, divided in the middle by a suspended net. The game was packaged in a box containing some balls, four paddles, the net components and the signs to mark the field. The game was based on the rules of the old real tennis and, at the suggestion of Arthur Balfour, was called lawn-tennis. The official date of birth of the court would be February 23, 1874. In 1877 all were amateur tournaments, among them was the first 1877 Wimbledon Championship, the inaugural event was held from 9 to 19 July and saw as the inaugural winner Spencer Gore. The tournament would remain for a period of 35 years the sole major tennis tournament in the world until the International Lawn Tennis Federation introduces its three World championship series events in 1913 that continue until 1923, when the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association only agrees to join the ILTF on the basis of two compromises: the title 'World Championships' would be abolished and wording would be 'for ever in the English language'. Wimbledon would still retain its prestigious and historical status, and become one of the four Grand Slam tennis events from 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Sebov</span> Canadian tennis player

Katherine Sebov is a Canadian professional tennis player. She reached a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 136, on 10 April 2023. Sebov has a career-high combined ITF junior ranking of No. 22, achieved on 20 July 2015.

1876 Women's Tennis Season was mainly composed of national and local amateur tournaments. This year two tennis events were staged in Dublin, Ireland and Hamilton, Bermuda between April and December 1876.

References

  1. "Tennis roundup". The Toronto Star. January 11, 1981. p. C10   via newspapers.com (subscription required).