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]	1989	Mark Woodforde[11]	Patrik Kühnen	7–5, 1–6, 7–5
	1988	Mark Woodforde[12]	Wally Masur	6–2, 6–4
	1987	Wally Masur[13]	Bill Scanlon	6–4, 7–6
	1986	Not held
	1985	Eddie Edwards[14]	Peter Doohan	6–2, 6–4
	1984	Peter Doohan[15]	Huub van Boeckel	1–6, 6–1, 6–4
	1983	Mike Bauer[16]	Miloslav Mečíř	3–6, 6–4, 6–1
	1982	Mike Bauer[17]	Chris Johnstone	4–6, 7–6, 6–2
	1981	Mark Edmondson[18]	Brad Drewett	7–5, 6–2
	1980	Not held
	1979	Kim Warwick[19]	Bernard Mitton	7–5, 6–4
	1978	Non-tour event
	1977	Victor Amaya[20]	Brian Teacher	6–1, 6–4
	1976	John James	Bill Durham	6–4, 6–4
	1975	Syd Ball	John Lloyd	6–4, 7–5, 6–3
	1974	Björn Borg[21]	Onny Parun	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
	1973	Jiří Hřebec	Robert Giltinan	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
	1972	Alex Metreveli[22]	Kim Warwick	6–3, 6–3, 7–6
	1971	Non-tour event
	1970	Alex Metreveli	Ken Fletcher	6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
	1969	Non-tour event
	1968	Bill Bowrey	Allan Stone	6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
	Open era
	1967	John Newcombe	Tony Roche	6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 11–9
	1966	John Newcombe	Fred Stolle	6–3, 6–3, 7–6
	1965	Arthur Ashe	Roy Emerson	7–9, 7–5, 6–0, 6–4
	1964	John Newcombe	Tony Roche	6–4, 9–7, 7–5
	1963	John Newcombe	Dennis Ralston	6–1, 6–3, 15–17, 6–1
	1962	Roy Emerson	John Newcombe	6–4, 6–2, 6–2
	1961	Rod Laver	Mike Sangster	11–9, 3–6, 4–6, 14–12, 6–3
	1960	Roy Emerson	Bob Hewitt	6–3, 6–4, 6–3
	1959	Lew Hoad	Frank Sedgman	Round Robin
	1958	Roy Emerson[23]	Malcolm Anderson	3–6, 12–10, 10–8, 6–2
	1957	Malcolm Anderson	Mervyn Rose	7–5, 6–8, 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
	1956	Ken Rosewall	Lew Hoad	6–1, 7–5, 6–1
	1955	Vic Seixas	Lennart Bergelin	6–3, 7–5, 8–6
	1954	Tony Trabert	Lew Hoad	6–4, 6–2, 6–2
	1953	Mervyn Rose	Vic Seixas	6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 11–9
	1952	Rex Hartwig	Mervyn Rose	11–9, 2–6, 6–2, 9–11, 7–5
	1951	Frank Sedgman	Arthur Larsen	6–3, 6–1, 6–3
	1950	Frank Sedgman	Jaroslav Drobný	6–1, 6–0, 6–2
	1949	Geoff Brown	Colin Long	5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–4
	1948	James Brink	Eddie Moylan	6–4, 6–4, 6–3
	1947	Gardnar Mulloy	Bill Talbert	6–3, 8–6, 9–7
	1946	John Bromwich	Frank Sedgman	6–1, 6–3, 6–1
	1942–45	No event, due to WW2
	1941	Adrian Quist	John Bromwich	6–2, 6–4, 6–8, 6–4
	1940	Adrian Quist	Harry Hopman	6–3, 7–5, 1–6, 6–1
	1939	Adrian Quist[24]	Leonard Schwartz	7–5, 6–4, 6–4
	1938	John Bromwich	Leonard Schwartz	9–7, 6–4, 6–1
	1937	Adrian Quist	Leonard Schwartz	6–4, 6–1, 6–1
	1936	John Bromwich	Don Turnbull	6–2, 11–9, 6–1
	1935	John Bromwich	Don Turnbull	6–1, 9–11, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2
	1934	Vivian McGrath	Adrian Quist	6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5
	1933	Harry Hopman	Leonard Schwartz	6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 1–6, 10–8
	1932	Harry Hopman	Adrian Quist	6–2, 6–0, 6–3
	1931	Harry Hopman	Adrian Quist	6–2, 6–3, 6–3
	1930	Don Turnbull	Rupert Shepherd	6–4, 7–9, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5
	1929	Jack Crawford	Rupert Shepherd	6–1, 6–4, 6–4
	1928	Richard Schlesinger	Garton Hone	6–3, 6–2, 6–2
	1927	Ernest Rowe	Pat O'Hara Wood	5–7, 6–0, 6–3, 6–2
	1926	Ernest Rowe	Lum Pao-Hua	6–2, 6–3, 7–5
	1925	Pat O'Hara Wood	Richard Schlesinger	2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
	1924	Pat O'Hara Wood	Garton Hone	6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
1923	Gerald Patterson	Ian D. McInnes	6–3, 6–4, 7–5
1922	Gerald Patterson	Pat O'Hara Wood	7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 8–6
1921	Gerald Patterson[25]	Ronald Thomas	18–16, 6–3, 1-1 ret.
1920	Pat O'Hara Wood	Ronald Thomas	6–3, 4–6, 6–8, 6–1, 6–3
1919	Roy Taylor	Ashley Campbell	6–1, 6–2, 6–1
1916–18	No event, due to WW1
1915	Horace Rice[26]	Ronald Thomas	7–5, 9–7, 2–6, 6–0
1914	Horace Rice	Roy Taylor	6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2
1913	Roy Taylor	Ronald Thomas	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
1912	Roy Taylor	Horace Rice	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–1
1911	Harry Parker[27]	Roy Taylor	5–7, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2
1910	Rodney Heath	Harry Parker	5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
1909	Harry Parker	Robert George Bowen	3–6, 10–8, 6–2, 6–0
1908	Harry Parker	Robert George Bowen	6–3, 6–4, 6–2
1907	Harry Parker	Roy Taylor	6–3,3–6, 6–1, 6–4
1906	Norman Brookes[28]	Rodney Heath	6–2 6–4 6–2
1905	Harry Parker	Robert George Bowen	6–0, 6–3, 7–5
1904	Harry Parker	David Harbison	8–6, 7–5, 6–1
1903	Joseph Croswell Blair	Cecil Vincent Heath	4–6, 6–1 6–4, 6–3
1902	Cecil Vincent Heath	Robert George Bowen	2–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–3
1901	Robert George Bowen	Cecil Vincent Heath	6–3, 6–3, 6–3
1900	Augustus Kearney	Robert George Bowen	6–3, 6–2, 6–3
1899	Robert George Bowen	David Harbison	6–3 3–6 7–5 6–1
1898	Robert George Bowen	Wilfred Lang	6–3, 6–0, 6–1
1897	Robert George Bowen	Wilfred Lang	6–2, 7–5, 6–2
1896	Robert George Bowen	David Harbison	6–3, 7–5, 6–4
1895	David Harbison	Robert George Bowen	2–6, 6–1, 6–3, 7–5
1894	Robert George Bowen	David Harbison	w.o
1893	David Harbison	John Baker	6–0 6–2 6–2
1892	John Baker	Leo Kaines	14–12
1891	John Baker	Herbert Hambidge	13–7
1890	Herbert Hambidge	John Baker	13–10
1889	Herbert Hambidge	William Hambidge	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

External links

• ATP results archive
• South Australian Champions Roll of Honour

External links