The Natal Championships later known as the Natal Open Championships or simply Natal Open or was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament held at Pietermaritzburg or Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 1884 through 2005.[1]
| Natal Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Founded | 1884 |
| Abolished | 1976 (men) 2005 (women) |
| Editions | 93 (men) 121 (women) |
| Location | Pietermaritzburg or Durban or Umhlali KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Surface | outdoor (Grass), later outdoor (hard) |
History edit
The Natal Championships were founded in 1884 and first staged Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.[2] In 1885 it was then first staged at Durban then tournament alternated between both locations. In 1968 at the start of the Open era in tennis its title changed to the Natal Open for men which was the ATP Event and the Natal Open Championships for women which was a WTA Event in 1968.[3][4] The event was staged at Umhlali during the final four years of the women's event. In later years the tournament had switched to hard courts. The event was usually run between the middle two weeks of July each year.
References edit
- ^ "Tournament – Natal Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "The History of KZN Tennis". KZN Tennis Association. p. 1. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Natal Open - ATP Tournaments". Grand Slam History. grandslamhistory.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Natal Open Championships - WTA Tournaments - Grand Slam History". Grand Slam History. grandslamhistory.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.