The Kenya Open also known as the Kenya Championships^[1] was a men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1934 as the Kenyan International Championships.^[2] later called the Kenyan Closed Championships It was organised by the Kenyan Lawn Tennis Association (f.1922), Nairobi, Kenya and played on clay courts and ran until 1986 as part of the ILTF Independent Circuit.^[2]

History

In 1922 the Kenyan Lawn Tennis Association (KLTA) was founded.^[3] In 1934 the KLTA became an associate member of the ILTF.^[4] The same year it organised the first Kenyan International Championships an open tournament initially held in August then played annually in the summer. In 1968 the association changed the denomination of that tournament to Kenya Championships and moved the event till late winter usually starting at the end of January and finishing end of February or starting mid February ending early March this was also an open event. From 1974 it was re branded as the Kenya Open until 1982, it later became a closed tournament (for Kenyan players only) from 1983 to the late 1980s.^[2] The tournament was played as part of the ILTF African Circuit a regional sub circuit of the ILTF World Circuit from 1968 to 1972, the it became part ILTF Independent Circuit until 1986 when it was downgraded from the world circuit. The event however was till being held as late as 2022.^[5]

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

Kenyan International Championships
Year	Winners	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF World Circuit  ↓
1948	Jack Piercy	Robert Cooper	6–3, 6–0, 6–2.[2]
1949	R.J.E. Mayers	Jack Piercy	6–2, 2–6, 10–12, 6–1, 6–3.[2]
1950	R.J.E. Mayers	F.D.M. Flowerdew	6–1, 6–4, 6–2.[2]
1961	Yashvin Shretta[6]	?	?
1965	Shyam Minotra[7]	Yashvin Shretta	7-9, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.[2]
1966	Ramanathan Krishnan	Yashvin Shretta	6–2, 6–0, 6–4.[2]
Kenya Invitation
1967	Jim McManus	John Pickens	6–2, 2–6, 7–5, 6–8, 6–2.[2]
↓  Open era  ↓
Kenya Championships
1969	Bernard Mignot	Yashvin Shretta	6–0, 6–2.[2]
1970[8]	Yashvin Shretta (2)	Ahmed Hassanein	7–5, 6–4, 6–4.[2]
1971	Aly El Dawoudi	Yashvin Shretta	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4.[2]
↓  ILTF Independent Circuit  ↓
1973	Richard Russell	David Lloyd	8–6, 6–4, 6–4.[2]
Kenya Open
1974	Pierre Joly	Lee Tomlinson	7–6, 6–3, 6–1.[2]
1976	Norman Holmes	John Feaver	6–0, 6–2, 7–6.[2]
1977	Bob Rheinberger	Uli Heyne[9]	6–2, 6–7, 6–2.[2]
1978	Peter Feigl	Bernard Mignot	6–1, 6–4, 6–2.[2]
1979	David Imonitie	Per Larsson	6–7, 7–6, 11–9.[2]
1980	Wayne Pascoe	Ola Hellgren	6–4, 2–6, 6–1.[2]
Kenyan Closed Championships
1983	Selim Rana[10]	Steven Kasigwa[11]	6–3, 6–2

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

Kenyan International Championships
Year	Winners	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF World Circuit  ↓
1948	Sheila Paterson Dowdeswell	Mrs J.F. Mark	6–0, 6–2
1949	Mrs J.F. Mark	M. Muir	6–2, 6–1
1950	Margot Lumb Gordon	Mrs M.C. Swan	6–2, 6–1
1951	Doris Unwin	Grizel Swynnerton	2–6, 6–2, 6–2
1952	Grizel Swynnerton	Mrs E. Boswell	6–1, 6–0
1953	Julia Wipplinger	Thea S. Hale	7–5, 6–2
1954	Margot Lumb Gordon	Frances Hook Marshall	6–2, 7-5
1955	Frances Hook Marshall	Mrs W. Michell	6–4, 6–4
1956	Frances Hook Marshall (2)	Khanum Haji Singh	4–6, 6–3, 6–3
1957	Grizel M. Swynnerton (2)	J. Sheridan	4–6, 6–2, 6–2
1958	Margot Lumb Gordon (2)	Miss Morgan	6–3, 6–3
1960	Eve Sladden	Loise Surgey	6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1961	Debbie Adams	Grizel M. Swynnerton	6–4, 3–6, 6–3
1962	Doris Unwin	F. Spring	5–7, 6–3, 6–1
1963	Grizel M. Swynnerton	Elizabeth Haggie	5–7, 6–3, 6–1
Kenyan Championships
1968	Virginia Wade	Kerstin Seelbach	4–6, 6–1 6–2
1969	Elizabeth Haggie	Mrs Wendy Hall	4–6, 6–1 6–2
1970	Alice Tym	Daphne Paterson	6–1, 6–3
1971	Nirupama Mankad	Jenny Patterson	6–2, 6–1
1972	Winnie Shaw	Gail Chanfreau	2–6, 6–2, 6–4
↓  ILTF Independent Circuit  ↓
1973	Brenda Kirk	Jenny Patterson	7–5, 6–1
Kenya Open
1974	Annette Coe	Corinne Molesworth	7–5, 6–1
1976	Annette Coe	Uschi Ulrich	6–2, 6–4
1980	Lesley Charles	Debbie Stewart	3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Kenyan Closed Championships
1983	Carol Hughes	S. Trempenau	6–3, 6–2
1984	Susan Wakhungu	Jane Ndunda	7–5, 6–3
1985	Carol Hughes	Jane Ndunda	4–6, 6–4, 6–2
1986	J. Wakhungu	R. Wilson	?

References