The Northern India Championships[1] or formally the Northern India Lawn Tennis Championship[2] and, also known as the Northern India Tennis Championships,[3] was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament founded as the North India Championship c. 1899. The first tournament was played at Delhi, India. The championships ran until 1970 before it was discontinued.

Northern India Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event nameNorthern India Lawn Tennis Championships
Founded1899; 125 years ago (1899)
Abolished1975; 49 years ago (1975)
LocationVarious
VenueVarious
SurfaceGrass

History edit

Tennis was introduced to India in the 1880s by British Army and Civilian Officers.[4] In 1899 the North India Championship was established and played at Delhi, India. The championships were not staged during World War II and a few years after Indian Independence in 1947.

The tournament was hosted at different cities in India and was also played on different surfaces, such as grass courts and clay courts. This tournament was also held in conjunction with the National Lawn Tennis Championships of India for the years 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1966. In 1969 and 1970 the event was also held in conjunction with the Punjab State Championships.

Locations and venues edit

The Northern India Championships were predominantly staged in New Delhi, over a number of years it was also held in other cities such as Amritsar and Lahore at the Cosmopolitan Club, Lahore and Lahore Gymkhana Club.

Finals edit

Men's singles edit

Incomplete roll included.[5][6]
Year Location Winner Runner-up Score
North India Championship
1899 Delhi   Abdul Majid   ? ?
Northern India Championships
1919 Delhi   Hassan Ali Fyzee   Bhagwan Dass 6–2, 6–2, 6–3
1933 Lahore   Giorgio de Stefani   Emanuele Sertorio 6–0, 6–3
1936 Lahore   Ghaus Mohammed Khan   Subba L.R. Sawhney 2–6, 6–3, 5–5, ret.
1937 Lahore   Subba L.R. Sawhney   Hira-Lal Soni 6–4, 6–1, 6–3
1938 Lahore   Subba L.R. Sawhney   Hira-Lal Soni 6–4, 6–1, 6–3
1939 Lahore   Khan-Iftikhar Ahmed   Sohan Lal 6–3, 2–6, 7–5, 8–6
1940 Lahore   Ghaus Mohammed Khan   Franjo Kukuljević 7–9, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
1941/1944 Not held (due to World War II)
1950 New Delhi   Felicisimo Hermoso Ampon   Geoff Paish 9–7, 9–7, 5–7, 6–0
1952 New Delhi   Tony Mottram   Naresh Kumar 7–5, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
1954[7] New Delhi   Jack Arkinstall   Staffan Stockenberg 6–2, 7–5, 6–3.[8]
1955 New Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Władysław Skonecki 6–3, 6–1, 6–2
1957 Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Jack Arkinstall 6–3, 6–4, 6–3
1958 New Delhi   Ulf Schmidt   Billy Knight 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1959 New Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Ulf Schmidt 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
1961 New Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Premjit Lall 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
Northern India and India National Championships
1962 New Delhi   Roy Emerson   Ramanathan Krishnan 6–4, 6–4, 6–3
Northern India Championships
1963 New Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Jaidip Mukerjea 6–4, 6–0, 6–2
Northern India and India National Championships
1964 New Delhi   Ramanathan Krishnan   Alan Mills 6–1, 6–3, 6–4
1966 New Delhi   Jaidip Mukerjea   Premjit Lall 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–0
Northern India Championships
1967 New Delhi   Premjit Lall   Ramanathan Krishnan 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 1–2, ret.
Open era
Northern India and Punjab State Championships
1969 Amritsar   Tadeusz Nowicki   Premjit Lall 6–1, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
1970 Amritsar   Zlatko Ivancic   Alex Metreveli 6–3, 6–4

Women's singles edit

Incomplete roll included.
Year Location Winner Runner-up Score
Northern India Championships
1936 Lahore   Meher Dubash   Dorothy Haydon Crouch 6–1, 6–3
1937 Lahore   Leela Row   Meher Dubash ?
1938 Lahore   Mrs E.H. Edney   Dorothy Haydon Crouch 6–4, 6–3
1941/1944 Not held (due to World War II)
1950 New Delhi   Gussie Moran   Pat Canning Todd 6–1, 4–6, 6–1
1953[9] New Delhi   Rita Davar   Urmila Thapar 6–4, 9–7
1955 New Delhi   Parveen Sheikh   Urmila Thapar 6–4, 5–7, 6–1
1957 Delhi   Khanum Haji Singh   Mrs. J.B. Singh 4–6, 7–5, 6–1
Northern India and India National Championships
1960 New Delhi   Margaret Hellyer   Mimi Arnold 4–6, 7–5, 6–0
1962 New Delhi   Lesley Turner   Madonna Schacht 6–1, 6–3
1966 New Delhi   Tiiu Soome   Marion Law 6-2, 3–6, 6–4
1967 New Delhi   Alla Ivanova   Rena Abjandadze 8–6, 6–3
Open era
Northern India and Punjab State Championships
1969 Amritsar   Judith Dibar   Alice Tym 6–1, 5–7, 7–5
1970 Amritsar   Aleksandra Ivanova   Irena Škulj 6–1, 6–3

References edit

  1. ^ Datta, Pratip Kumar (2001). A Century of Indian Tennis. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 93. ISBN 978-81-230-0783-0.
  2. ^ Meenakshi Saxena (2000). Kiran Bedi, the Kindly Baton. Books India International. p. 232.
  3. ^ GHOSH, S. N. (7 December 1940). THE INDIAN LISTENER: Vol. V. No. 24. (7th DECEMBER 1940). Delhi: All India Radio (AIR),New Delhi. p. 1933.
  4. ^ "History". aitatennis. New Delhi, India: All India Tennis Association. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  5. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Tennisarchives.com". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  6. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – National and Northern India Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Two Titles for Arkinstall:New Delhi: Northern India Lawn Tennis Championships". Adelaide Advertiser. Adelaide, Victoria, Australia: Newspaper Archives. 25 January 1954. p. 14.
  8. ^ Adelaide Advertiser, p.14.
  9. ^ Shukla, Dr Balraj (10 January 2019). "First Queens of Indian tennis and the reign of Rita Davar". thebridge.in. The Bridge. Retrieved 8 August 2023.