South Australian Championships

The South Australian Championships (1889–1989), also known as the South Australian State Championships ^[1] and later known as the South Australian Open was a professional men'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,^[2] however other sources give the start date as 1890 ^[3][4] when the Adelaide-based South Australian Tennis Championships, the first known recorded winner of the event was Herbert Hambridge ^[5] running as part of the men's amateur tour until 1967.^[6] 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^[7] where it remained until 1921. The 1910 edition of the championships staged the Australasian Championships, the champion that year Rodney Heath held the dual title 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,^[8] and in 1979, as the South Australian Open,^[9] 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[]

Location	Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
Adelaide[10][11]	1989	Mark Woodforde[12]	Patrik Kühnen	7–5, 1–6, 7–5
	1988	Mark Woodforde[13]	Wally Masur	6–2, 6–4
	1987	Wally Masur[14]	Bill Scanlon	6–4, 7–6
	1986	Not held
	1985	Eddie Edwards[15]	Peter Doohan	6–2, 6–4
	1984	Peter Doohan[16]	Huub van Boeckel	1–6, 6–1, 6–4
	1983	Mike Bauer[17]	Miloslav Mečíř	3–6, 6–4, 6–1
	1982	Mike Bauer[18]	Chris Johnstone	4–6, 7–6, 6–2
	1981	Mark Edmondson[19]	Brad Drewett	7–5, 6–2
	1980	Not held
	1979	Kim Warwick[20]	Bernard Mitton	7–5, 6–4
	1978	Non-tour event
	1977	Victor Amaya[21]	Brian Teacher	6–1, 6–4
		John James	Bill Durham	6–4, 6–4
		Syd Ball	John Lloyd	6–4, 7–5, 6–3
	1974	Björn Borg[22]	Onny Parun	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
		Jiří Hřebec	Robert Giltinan	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
	1972	Alex Metreveli[23]	Kim Warwick	6–3, 6–3, 7–6
	1971	Non-tour event
		Alex Metreveli	Ken Fletcher	6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
	1969	Non-tour event
		Bill Bowrey	Allan Stone	6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
	Open era
	[24]	John Newcombe	Tony Roche	6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 11–9
		John Newcombe	Fred Stolle	6–3, 6–3, 7–6
		Arthur Ashe	Roy Emerson	7–9, 7–5, 6–0, 6–4
		John Newcombe	Tony Roche	6–4, 9–7, 7–5
		John Newcombe	Dennis Ralston	6–1, 6–3, 15–17, 6–1
		Roy Emerson	John Newcombe	6–4, 6–2, 6–2
		Rod Laver	Mike Sangster	11–9, 3–6, 4–6, 14–12, 6–3
		Roy Emerson	Bob Hewitt	6–3, 6–4, 6–3
		Lew Hoad	Frank Sedgman	Round Robin
		Roy Emerson[25]	Malcolm Anderson	3–6, 12-10, 10–8, 6–2
	[26]	Malcolm Anderson	Mervyn Rose	7–5, 6–8, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
		Ken Rosewall	Lew Hoad	6–1, 7–5, 6–1
		Vic Seixas	Lennart Bergelin	6–3, 7–5, 8–6
		Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad	6–4, 6–2, 6–2
		Mervyn Rose	Vic Seixas	6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 11–9
		Rex Hartwig	Mervyn Rose	11–9, 2–6, 6��2, 9–11, 7–5
		Frank Sedgman	Arthur Larsen	6–3, 6–1, 6–3
		Frank Sedgman	Jaroslav Drobný	6–1, 6–0, 6–2
		Geoff Brown	Colin Long	5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–4
		James Brink	Eddie Moylan	6–4, 6–4, 6–3
	[27]	Gardnar Mulloy	Bill Talbert	6–3, 8–6, 9–7
		John Bromwich	Frank Sedgman	6–1, 6–3, 6–1
	1942-45	No event, due to WW2
		Adrian Quist	John Bromwich	6–2, 6–4, 6–8, 6–4
		Adrian Quist	Harry Hopman	6–3, 7–5, 1–6, 6–1
		Adrian Quist[28]	Leonard Schwartz	7–5, 6–4, 6–4
		John Bromwich	Leonard Schwartz	9–7, 6–4, 6–1
	[29]	Adrian Quist	Leonard Schwartz	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
		John Bromwich	Don Turnbull	6–2, 11–9, 6��1
		John Bromwich	Don Turnbull	6–1, 9–11, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2
		Vivian McGrath	Adrian Quist	6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5
		Harry Hopman	Leonard Schwartz	6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 1–6, 10–8
		Harry Hopman	Adrian Quist	6–2, 6–0, 6–3
		Harry Hopman	Adrian Quist	6–2, 6–3, 6–3
		Don Turnbull		6–4, 7–9, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5
		Jack Crawford		6–1, 6–4, 6–4
		Richard Schlesinger	Garton Hone	6–3, 6–2, 6–2
		Ernest Rowe	Pat O'Hara Wood	5–7, 6–0, 6–3, 6–2
		Ernest Rowe	Lum Pao-Hua	6–2, 6–3, 7–5
	[30]	Pat O'Hara Wood	Richard Schlesinger	2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
		Pat O'Hara Wood	Garton Hone	6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
	Gerald Patterson	Ian D. McInnes	6–3, 6–4, 7–5
	Gerald Patterson	Pat O'Hara Wood	7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 8–6
	Gerald Patterson[31]	Ronald Thomas	18–16, 6–3, 1-1 ret.
	Pat O'Hara Wood	Ronald Thomas	6–3, 4–6, 6–8, 6–1, 6–3
	Roy Taylor	Ashley Campbell	6–1, 6–2, 6–1
1916–18	No event, due to WW1
	Horace Rice[32]	Ronald Thomas	7–5, 9–7, 2–6, 6–0
	Horace Rice	Roy Taylor	6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2
[33]	Roy Taylor	Ronald Thomas	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
	Roy Taylor	Horace Rice	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–1
	Harry Parker[34]	Roy Taylor	5–7, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2
	Rodney Heath	Harry Parker	5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
	Harry Parker		3–6, 10–8, 6–2, 6–0
[35]	Harry Parker		6–3, 6–4, 6–2
	Harry Parker	Roy Taylor	6–3,3–6, 6–1, 6–4
	Norman Brookes[36]	Rodney Heath	6–2 6–4 6–2
	Harry Parker		6–0, 6–3, 7–5
	Harry Parker		8–6, 7–5, 6–1
[37]			4–6, 6–1 6–4, 6–3
			2–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–3
			6–3, 6–3, 6–3
			6–3, 6–2, 6–3
			6–3 3–6 7–5 6–1
[38]			6–3, 6–0, 6–1
			6–2, 7–5, 6–2
			6–3, 7–5, 6–4
			2–6, 6–1, 6–3, 7–5
			w.o
[39]			6–0 6–2 6–2
			14–12
			13–7
			13–10
[40]			11–2

Men's doubles[]

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

See also[]

• Australian Hard Court Championships

References[]

Sources[]

• http://www.atpworldtour.com/results archive
• https://app.thetennisbase.com/South Australian Champions Roll of Honour

External links[]