South Florida Open Championships

The South Florida Open Championships also known as the South Florida Championships or South Florida Open[1] was an international men's and women's clay court tennis tournament founded in 1922.[2] The tournament was first played in Miami, Florida, United States. From 1946 this tournament also carried the joint denomination of West Palm Beach Open.[3] The tournament was played at other locations until 1977 when it was discontinued as part of the ILTF Independent Tour.[2]

South Florida Open Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourILTF World Circuit (1922–72)
ILTF Independent Tour (1973–77)
Founded1922; 102 years ago (1922)
Abolished1977; 47 years ago (1977)
LocationFort Lauderdale
Miami
Miami Beach
Punta Gorda
Palm Beach
West Palm Beach
VenueVarious
SurfaceClay

History

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The South Florida Championships was a combined men's and women's clay court tournament first established in February 1922 and played in Miami, Florida, United States. The inaugural singles winners were Fritz Bastian (men's)[2] and Martha Floyd (women's). The tournament was part regional USLTA Southern Circuit.[2] In 1954 a second edition of the men's event was held in Fort Lauderdale called the South Florida Fall Championships that was won by

The tournament was held in Miami, Miami Beach, Palm Beach Punta Gorda, West Palm Beach.[2] The fall championships were played in Fort Lauderdale.[2]

The championships ran annually until 1977 when they discontinued from the ILTF Independent Tour,[2] a series of worldwide tournaments not part of the men's Grand Prix Circuit or women's the WTA Tour. The final winners of the singles events were the Canadian player Harry Fritz (men's),[2] the American player Bunny Smith (women's)

Finals

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Men's singles (Winter)

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(incomplete roll)

Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
South Florida Championships
1922 Miami   Fritz Bastian   James Calder 6-2, 6–3, 6–3.[2]
1924 Miami   G. Carlton Shafer   George Bart Pfingst[4] 8-6, 6–4, 6–1.[2]
1926 West Palm Beach   Jerome (Jerry) Lang   John T. Graves jr. 6-1, 8–6, 6–3.[2]
1927 West Palm Beach   Bill Tilden II   Manuel Alonso Areizaga 6-3, 7–9, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2.[2]
1928 Miami Beach   Frank Hunter   John F. Hennessey 6-4, 6–4, 6–3.[2]
1929 Miami   John F. Hennessey   Frank Hunter 2-6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3.[2]
1930 Miami   George Lott   John Doeg 2-6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–2, 8–6.[2]
1931 Punta Gorda   J. Gilbert Hall   Gustavo Vollmer 7-5, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5.[2]
1932 Punta Gorda   Julius Seligson   Gustavo Vollmer 4-6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1.[2]
1939 West Palm Beach   Wayne Sabin   Gene Mako 7-9, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2.[2]
1940 West Palm Beach   Bobby Riggs   Henry Prusoff 6-1, 7–5, 6–2.[2]
1941 Palm Beach   Bobby Riggs (2)   Jack Kramer 6-3, 6–2, 6–3.[2]
1946 West Palm Beach   Gardnar Mulloy   Pancho Segura 6–4, 6–3.[2]
1948 West Palm Beach   Bruce Thomas   Sidney Schwartz 6-4, 6–4.[2]
1950 West Palm Beach   Tony Vincent   Malcolm Fox 7-5, 6–3.[2]
1951 West Palm Beach   Louis Straight Clark   Tony Vincent 6-4, 6–1, 5–7, 6–3.[2]
1952 West Palm Beach   Gardnar Mulloy (2)   Tony Vincent 6-4, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3.[2]
1953 West Palm Beach   Malcolm Fox   Charles Harris 1-6, 6–2, 10–8.[2]
1954 West Palm Beach   Gardnar Mulloy (3)   Lorne Main 6-1, 4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2.[2]
1955 West Palm Beach   Eddie Moylan   Jean-Noël Grinda 9-7, 6–2.[2]
1956 West Palm Beach   Vic Seixas   Eddie Moylan 2-6, 6–2, 6–4.[2]
1957 West Palm Beach   Don Candy   Armando Vieira 3-6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1.[2]
1958 West Palm Beach   Jack Frost   Kosei Kamo 6-3, 6–2.[2]
1959 West Palm Beach   Jack Frost (2)   John W. Frost 6-2, 6–2.[2]
1960 West Palm Beach   Mike Davies   Eduardo Zuleta 6-2, 6–0.[2]
1961 West Palm Beach   John C. Skogstad[5]   Eduardo Zuleta 6-0, 6–0, 2–6, 2–6, 6–3.[2]
1962 West Palm Beach   Ed Rubinoff   Thomaz Koch 8-6, 10–12, 9–7, 7–5.[2]
1963 West Palm Beach   Miguel Olvera   Eduardo Zuleta 6-1, 6–3, 6–1.[2]
1964 West Palm Beach   Nicky Kalogeropoulos   Eduardo Zuleta 7-5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3.[2]
1965 West Palm Beach   Billy Higgins   Lester M Sack[6] 6-3, 6–1, 6–0.[2]
1966 West Palm Beach   Eduardo Zuleta   Harry Fauquier 6-3, 6–1.[2]
1967 West Palm Beach   Eduardo Zuleta (2)   Keith Carpenter 10-8, 6–2.[2]
1968 West Palm Beach   Eduardo Zuleta (3)   Frank Tutvin 6-4, 6–3.[2]
↓  Open era  ↓
South Florida Open Championships
1969 West Palm Beach   Eduardo Zuleta (4)   Jamie Pressly[7] 8-6, 6–0.[2]
South Florida Open
1970 West Palm Beach   Frank Froehling III   Pancho Guzmán 7-5, 5–7, 6–3.[2]
1971 West Palm Beach   Frank Froehling III (2)   Pat Cramer 6-3, 6–2.[2]
1972 West Palm Beach   Eddie Dibbs   Miguel Olvera 5-7, 6–4, 7–5.[2]
1973 West Palm Beach   Eddie Dibbs (2)   Norman Holmes 6-0, 6–2.[2]
1974 West Palm Beach   Doug Crawford   Rick Fisher 6-3, 7–5.[2]
1976 West Palm Beach   Greg Halder   Clive Rothwell[8] 6-2, 6–3.[2]
1977 West Palm Beach   Harry Fritz   Larry Loeb[9] 6-4, 7–6.[2]

Men's singles (Fall)

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Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
South Florida Fall Championships/West Palm Beach Fall Open
1954 Fort Lauderdale   Allen Austin Quay   James (Jim) Shakespeare[10] 6-2, 6–2.[2]

Women's singles

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(incomplete roll)

Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
South Florida Championships
1922 Miami   Martha Floyd   Clare Cassell 6-4, 6-4
1923 Miami   Anna Townsend Godfrey   Clare Cassell 6-1, 6-1
1929 Miami   Eleanor Brooks Cottman   Gisela Comallonga 6-,2 6-4
1939 West Palm Beach   Pauline Betz   Marta Barnett[11] 6-3, 6-2
1940 West Palm Beach   Mary Hardwick   Sarah Palfrey Fabyan 6-1, 6-3
1941 Palm Beach   Pauline Betz (2)   Dorothy Bundy 6-4, 6-1
1946 West Palm Beach   Shirley Fry   Eleanor Cushingham[12] 6-2, 2-6 6-1
1948 West Palm Beach   Magda Berescu Rurac   Laura Lou Jahn[13] 6-4, 6-1
1949 West Palm Beach   Helen Pedersen Rihbany   Virginia Lee Boyer 6-0, 6-1
1950 West Palm Beach   Jean Clarke   Rhoda Hopkins[14] 7-5, 6–8, 6-1
1951 West Palm Beach   Beverly Baker   Shirley Fry 6-4, 6-4
1953 West Palm Beach   Thelma Coyne Long   Jean Clarke 6-4, 6-4
1954 West Palm Beach   Laura Lou Kunnen   Hana Sládková-Koželuhová 9-7, 6-1
1955 West Palm Beach   Mildred Thornton[15]  Pat Stewart 9-7, 6-4
1956 West Palm Beach   Shirley Fry (2)   Nancy Morrison Montgomery 6–1, 6-1
1957 West Palm Beach   Dottie Head Knode   Karol Fageros 7–9, 7–5, 6-3
1958 West Palm Beach   Janet Hopps   Maria Bueno 6–3, 7-5
1959 West Palm Beach   Barbara Scofield Davidson   Marie Martin 6–4, 2–6, 9-7
1960 West Palm Beach   Ann Barclay   Sandy Warshaw[16] 7–5, 6-1
1961 West Palm Beach   Ann Barclay (2)   Nancy Morrison Montgomery 6–1, 6-3
1962 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina   Nancy Morrison Montgomery 8–6, 6-2
1963 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina (2)   Nancy Morrison Orthwein 6–1, 6-1
1964 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina (3)   Carol Ann Prosen 1–6, 6–4, 6-2
1965 West Palm Beach   Betty Stöve   Trudy Groenman 6–4, 6-4
1966 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina (4)   Alice Tym 6–4, 6-0
1967 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina (5)   Vera Cleto 6–3, 6-0
1968 West Palm Beach   Kazuko Sawamatsu   Vera Cleto 6–1, 6-3
↓  Open era  ↓
South Florida Open Championships
1969 West Palm Beach   Stephanie DeFina (6)   Anna Maria Cavadini[17] 6–1, 6-2
South Florida Open
1970 West Palm Beach   Chris Evert   Stephanie DeFina 6–3, 6-2
1971 West Palm Beach   Christiane Spinoza   Bunny Smith 6–1, 6-2
1972 West Palm Beach   Pam Austin   Mary McLean[18] 6–1, 6-1
1973 West Palm Beach   Bunny Smith[19]   Sabine Bernegger[20] 6–4, 7-5

Tournament records

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Men's singles

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Included:[2]

Women's singles

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References

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  1. ^ "Chris Evert Rolls At Palm Beach". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale: The Wikipedia Library: Newspapers.Com. 12 Jan 1970. p. 54. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay "Tournaments:South Florida Open". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Obituary for Mildred "Millie" Thornton Johnson". The Highlander. Highlands, NC: Community Newspapers, Inc. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  4. ^ All Time Penn Men's Tennis Letterwinners: Pfingst, G. Bart 1919". University of Pennsylvania Athletics. University of Pennsylvania. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2023
  5. ^ "John C. Skogstad, Georgia, 1998". Southern Tennis Foundation. USTA South. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Player Profile: Lester M Sack USA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Player Profile: Jamie Pressly USA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Player Profile: Clive Rothwell FRA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Player Profile: Larry Loeb USA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ^ "James Shakespeare: Overview". ATP Tour. London, England: ATP. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Marta Barnett of Miami - Rye, New York". Florida Memory. State Library and Archives of Florida. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  12. ^ Buck, Joan Juliet (17 August 2015). "Palm Springs Eternal". W Magazine. Desert Publications Inc. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  13. ^ Morgan, Nancy (10 Sep 2005). "Laura Lou Kunnen, 68, '50s tennis icon". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa, Florida. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  14. ^ Crevier, Nancy (23 June 2006). "Dr Howard Root and Rhoda Joan Hopkins". The Newtown Bee. Newtown, CT: Bee Publishing Company. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. ^ The Highlander
  16. ^ Johnston, Joey (16 June 2020). "UT History Series: Judy Alvarez Represents UT at Wimbledon". Tampa Spartans. University of Tampa: 16 June 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Player Profile: Ana Cavadini ARG". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Player Profile: Mary McLean USA". www.eurosport.com. Euro Sport. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Player Profile: Bunny Smith USA". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Player Profile: Sabine Bernegger AUT". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 28 September 2023.