South Australian Championships

The South Australian Championships (1889–1989), also known as the South Australian State Championships and later known as the South Australian Open was an amateur and later a professional men's and women's tennis tournament played originally on outdoor grass courts up to 1987 when it switched to hard courts in its final two years. The tournament was staged at Memorial Drive Park tennis complex in Adelaide, South Australia and was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1972 until 1989.

History The origins of the South Australian Championships is thought to be traced back to 1880, however other sources give the start date as 1890 when the Adelaide-based South Australian Tennis Championships, the first known recorded winner of the event was Herbert Hambridge running as part of the men's amateur tour until 1967. The tournament was first staged on courts adjacent to the Adelaide Oval tennis courts, in 1895 it switched to the then newly built Jubilee Exhibition Oval where it remained until 1921. The 1910 edition of the championships staged the Australasian Championships, the champion that year Rodney Heath held the dual titles of Australasian and South Australian Champion. In 1920 the men's South Australian Championships in Adelaide carried the Australasian title in March and was won by Pat O'Hara Wood. In 1921 the tournament moved location to Memorial Drive Park and would continue to be played there until the tournament finished. From 1969 until 1971 the event was part of the ITF independent tour, in 1972 the tournament became part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit, which ran concurrently with other tours as the World Championship Tennis circuit.

The tournament had a chaotic history over the following years, taking place on the professional tour again in 1974, in 1977, as the Marlboro-sponsored South Australian Men's Tennis Classic, and in 1979, as the South Australian Open, before it started a regular run in 1981 under the latter title. Moved from January to December in the Grand Prix circuit calendars of the early 1980s, the South Australian Open sealed its place as the opening event of the season in 1987, when it was scheduled again in January, following the return of the Australian Open as the first Grand Slam event of the year. After the surface change of the Australian Open, the tournament also switched to hard courts, starting with the 1988 edition when the event was concurrently called the Australian Hard Court Championships however this national championship had been staged in rotation at various cities around Australia since 1938. The 1989 edition would be the last event to be called South Australian Open.

Notes The winners of the 1988 and 1989 editions of this tournament were simultaneously called Australian Hard Court Champion and South Australian Open champion. This occurred when the South Australian tournament switched from grass to hard courts in 1988. The roll of honor for both of these events are different and as such are treated as two different tournaments, with the exception of these years when they were combined titles.

Past finals

Men's singles LocationYearChampionsRunners-upScoreAdelaide 1889 Herbert Hambidge William Hambidge 11–2 1890 Herbert Hambidge John Baker 13–10 1891 John Baker Herbert Hambidge 13–7 1892 John Baker Leo Kaines 14–12 1893 David Harbison John Baker 6–0 6–2 6–2 1894 Robert George Bowen David Harbison w.o 1895 David Harbison Robert George Bowen 2–6, 6–1, 6–3, 7–5 1896 Robert George Bowen David Harbison 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 1897 Robert George Bowen Wilfred Lang 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 1898 Robert George Bowen Wilfred Lang 6–3, 6–0, 6–1 1899 Robert George Bowen David Harbison 6–3 3–6 7–5 6–1 1900 Augustus Kearney Robert George Bowen 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 1901 Robert George Bowen Cecil Vincent Heath 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 1902 Cecil Vincent Heath Robert George Bowen 2–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–3 1903 Joseph Croswell Blair Cecil Vincent Heath 4–6, 6–1 6–4, 6–3 1904 Harry Parker David Harbison 8–6, 7–5, 6–1 1905 Harry Parker Robert George Bowen 6–0, 6–3, 7–5 1906 Norman Brookes Rodney Heath 6–2 6–4 6–2 1907 Harry Parker Roy Taylor 6–3,3–6, 6–1, 6–4 1908 Harry Parker Robert George Bowen 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 1909 Harry Parker Robert George Bowen 3–6, 10–8, 6–2, 6–0 1910 Rodney Heath Harry Parker 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 1911 Harry Parker Roy Taylor 5–7, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2 1912 Roy Taylor Horace Rice 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–1 1913 Roy Taylor Ronald Thomas6–3, 6–4, 6–2 1914 Horace Rice Roy Taylor6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2 1915 Horace Rice Ronald Thomas 7–5, 9–7, 2–6, 6–0 1916–18 No event, due to WW1 1919 Roy Taylor Ashley Campbell 6–1, 6–2, 6–1 1920 Pat O'Hara Wood Ronald Thomas 6–3, 4–6, 6–8, 6–1, 6–3 1921 Gerald Patterson Ronald Thomas 18–16, 6–3, 1-1 ret. 1922 Gerald Patterson Pat O'Hara Wood 7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 8–6 1923 Gerald Patterson Ian D. McInnes 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 1924 Pat O'Hara Wood Garton Hone 6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 1925 Pat O'Hara Wood Richard Schlesinger 2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 1926 Ernest Rowe Lum Pao-Hua 6–2, 6–3, 7–5 1927 Ernest Rowe Pat O'Hara Wood 5–7, 6–0, 6–3, 6–2 1928 Richard Schlesinger Garton Hone 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 1929 Jack Crawford Rupert Shepherd 6–1, 6–4, 6–4 1930 Don Turnbull Rupert Shepherd 6–4, 7–9, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5 1931 Harry Hopman Adrian Quist 6–2, 6–3, 6–3 1932 Harry Hopman Adrian Quist 6–2, 6–0, 6–3 1933 Harry Hopman Leonard Schwartz 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 1–6, 10–8 1934 Vivian McGrath Adrian Quist 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 1935 John Bromwich Don Turnbull 6–1, 9–11, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2 1936 John Bromwich Don Turnbull 6–2, 11–9, 6–1 1937 Adrian Quist Leonard Schwartz 6–4, 6–1, 6–1 1938 John Bromwich Leonard Schwartz 9–7, 6–4, 6–1 1939 Adrian Quist Leonard Schwartz 7–5, 6–4, 6–4 1940 Adrian Quist Harry Hopman 6–3, 7–5, 1–6, 6–1 1941 Adrian Quist John Bromwich 6–2, 6–4, 6–8, 6–4 1942–45 No event, due to WW2 1946 John Bromwich Frank Sedgman 6–1, 6–3, 6–1 1947 Gardnar Mulloy Bill Talbert 6–3, 8–6, 9–7 1948 James Brink Eddie Moylan 6–4, 6–4, 6–3 1949 Geoff Brown Colin Long 5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–4 1950 Frank Sedgman Jaroslav Drobný 6–1, 6–0, 6–2 1951 Frank Sedgman Arthur Larsen 6–3, 6–1, 6–3 1952 Rex Hartwig Mervyn Rose 11–9, 2–6, 6–2, 9–11, 7–5 1953 Mervyn Rose Vic Seixas 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 11–9 1954 Tony Trabert Lew Hoad 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 1955 Vic Seixas Lennart Bergelin 6–3, 7–5, 8–6 1956 Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 1957 Malcolm Anderson Mervyn Rose 7–5, 6–8, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 1958 Roy Emerson Malcolm Anderson 3–6, 12–10, 10–8, 6–2 1959 Lew Hoad Frank Sedgman Professional round robin 1960 Roy Emerson Bob Hewitt 6–3, 6–4, 6–3 1961 Rod Laver Mike Sangster 11–9, 3–6, 4–6, 14–12, 6–3 1962 Roy Emerson John Newcombe 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 1963 John Newcombe Dennis Ralston 6–1, 6–3, 15–17, 6–1 1964 John Newcombe Tony Roche 6–4, 9–7, 7–5 1965 Arthur Ashe Roy Emerson 7–9, 7–5, 6–0, 6–4 1966 John Newcombe Fred Stolle 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 1967 John Newcombe Tony Roche 6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 11–9Open era 1968 Bill Bowrey Allan Stone 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 1969 Non-tour event 1970 Alex Metreveli Ken Fletcher 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 1971 Non-tour event 1972 Alex Metreveli Kim Warwick 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 1973 Jiří Hřebec Robert Giltinan 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2 1974 Björn Borg Onny Parun 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 1975 Syd Ball John Lloyd 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 1976 John James Bill Durham 6–4, 6–4 1977 Victor Amaya Brian Teacher 6–1, 6–4 1978 Non-tour event 1979 Kim Warwick Bernard Mitton 7–5, 6–4 1980 Not held 1981 Mark Edmondson Brad Drewett 7–5, 6–2 1982 Rod Frawley Chris Johnstone 4–6, 7–6, 6–2 1983 Mike Bauer Miloslav Mečíř 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 1984 Peter Doohan Huub van Boeckel 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 1985 Eddie Edwards Peter Doohan 6–2, 6–4 1986 Not held 1987 Wally Masur Bill Scanlon 6–4, 7–6 1988 Mark Woodforde Wally Masur 6–2, 6–4 1989 Mark Woodforde Patrik Kühnen 7–5, 1–6, 7–5

Men's doubles LocationYearChampionsRunners-upScoreAdelaide 1972 Competition Not Held 1973 Non-tour event 1974 Grover Raz Reid Allan Stone Mike Estep Paul Kronk 7–6, 6–4 1975 Non-tour event 1976 Non-tour event 1977 Cliff Letcher Dick Stockton Syd Ball Kim Warwick 6–3, 6–4 1978 Non-tour event 1979 Colin Dibley John James John Alexander Phil Dent 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 1980 Non-tour event 1981 Colin Dibley Chris Kachel Eddie Edwards Craig Edwards 6–3, 6–4 1982 Pat Cash Chris Johnstone Broderick Dyke Wayne Hampson 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 1983 Craig Miller Eric Sherbeck Broderick Dyke Rod Frawley 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 1984 Broderick Dyke Wally Masur Peter Doohan Brian Levine 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 1985 Mark Edmondson Kim Warwick Nelson Aerts Tomm Warneke 6–4, 6–4 1986 Not held 1987 Ivan Lendl Bill Scanlon Peter Doohan Laurie Warder 6–7, 6–3, 6–4 1988 Darren Cahill Mark Kratzmann Carl Limberger Mark Woodforde 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 1989 Neil Broad Stefan Kruger Mark Kratzmann Glenn Layendecker 6–2, 7–6

See also Australian Hard Court Championships

References

External links ATP results archive South Australian Champions Roll of Honour