The Colonial National Invitation was a men's tennis tournament played at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas from 1962 to 1973.[1][2][3][4] The club hired Tut Bartzen as a tennis pro and made him responsible for hosting the tournament.[5][6] The inaugural edition in 1962 was an amateur-only event.[7] In 1967 it became a professional tournament, which meant that amateurs could not compete. The total prize money for the tournament that year was $15,000 and the first-prize, won by Rod Laver, was $1,700.[1] The following year, 1968, a women's professional event was added which was won by Ann Haydon Jones.[1] The tournament was part of the WCT Tour from 1971 to 1973 and was held on outdoor hard courts.[8]
| Colonial National Invitation | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Tour | WCT (1971–1973) |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Abolished | 1973 |
| Editions | 12 |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Venue | Colonial Country Club |
| Surface | Hard / outdoor |
Finals edit
Singles edit
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 |  Roy Emerson |
 Chuck McKinley |
4–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1963 | Chuck McKinley |
Ham Richardson |
6–3, 3–6, 10–8 |
| 1964 |  Rafael Osuna |
 Manuel Santana |
3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1965 | Arthur Ashe |
Fred Stolle |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1966 | Rafael Osuna |
 Cliff Drysdale |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 1967 | Rod Laver |
Dennis Ralston |
8–6, 6–0 |
| 1968 | Ken Rosewall |
Andrés Gimeno |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1969 | Rod Laver |
Ken Rosewall |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 1970 | Rod Laver |
Roy Emerson |
6–3, 7–5 |
| 1971 | Rod Laver |
Marty Riessen |
2–6, 6–4, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 1972 | John Newcombe |
Ken Rosewall |
5–7, 1–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1973 | Eddie Dibbs |
Brian Gottfried |
7–5, 6–2, 6–4 |
Doubles edit
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Rafael Osuna Antonio Palafox |
Roy Emerson Fred Stolle |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 1963 | Rafael Osuna Antonio Palafox |
Ronnie Fischer Cliff Buchholz |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 1964 |  Pierre Darmon Jean-Noël Grinda |
José Luis Arilla Manuel Santana |
Not played, shared |
| 1965 | Arthur Ashe Ham Richardson |
Roy Emerson Fred Stolle |
3–6, 14–12, 6–4 |
| 1971 | Roy Emerson Rod Laver |
 Tom Okker Marty Riessen |
6–4, 7–5 |
| 1972 | Tom Okker Marty Riessen |
Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 1973 | Brian Gottfried Dick Stockton |
Owen Davidson John Newcombe |
7–6, 6–4 |
References edit
- ^ a b c "Laver, Newcombe head FW Tourney". The Denton Record-Chronicle. August 6, 1972. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "McKinley slices Ham to win Colonial tennis". No. St. Petersburg Times. AP. September 16, 1963. p. 2C.
- ^ "Osuna winner at Colonial". Corsicana Daily Sun. AP. September 21, 1964. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ashe Smacks Stolle Hard For Colonial". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. AP. September 20, 1965. p. 18.
- ^ Lisa Jordan Kilborn (January 7, 2011). "King Tut". Tennis.com.
- ^ "Bernard "Tut" Bartzen". Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
- ^ "Tennis – Top Field in Fort Worth". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. AP. September 13, 1962. p. 25.
- ^ "Newcombe Captures Colonial Tournament". Sarasota Journal. UPI. August 21, 1972. p. 3C.