The Diamond Games (due to sponsorship known for the last time as BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games and before that Proximus Diamond Games, GDF-Suez Diamond Games and Thomas Cook Diamond Games) was a professional women's tennis tournament organised in Antwerp, Belgium. The tournament took place in the Sportpaleis, at the beginning of February.

Diamond Games
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded2002
Abolished2015
LocationAntwerp
Belgium
VenueSportpaleis Merksem
CategoryTier II (2002–2009)
WTA Premier (2015)
SurfaceHard (indoors)
Draw28S / 16D
Prize money$731,000
WebsiteSport.be

In 2009, with the restructuring of the WTA Tour and the retirement of both Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, the tournament lost its status of being a WTA Tour tournament and evolved into an annual exhibition tennis event before returning to the WTA calendar in 2015.[1] Later that year, however, the WTA announced that in 2016, the Diamond Games would be replaced on the WTA calendar with a new tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.[2]

The Diamond Games offered a trophy to any player who won the singles three times in five years. In 2007, Amélie Mauresmo won a golden racquet decorated with diamonds.[3] A new trophy was unveiled in 2008, which featured a golden racquet and a ball, and was decorated with 2008 diamonds.[4]

Past finals

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Singles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
↓  Tier II tournament  ↓
2002   Venus Williams   Justine Henin 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
2003   Venus Williams (2)   Kim Clijsters 6–2, 6–4
2004   Kim Clijsters   Silvia Farina Elia 6–3, 6–0
2005   Amélie Mauresmo   Venus Williams 4–6, 7–5, 6–4
2006   Amélie Mauresmo (2)   Kim Clijsters 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
2007   Amélie Mauresmo (3)   Kim Clijsters 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
2008   Justine Henin   Karin Knapp 6–3, 6–3
2009–14 Only exhibition tournaments held
↓  Premier tournament  ↓
2015   Andrea Petkovic   Carla Suárez Navarro Walkover

Doubles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
↓  Tier II tournament  ↓
2002   Magdalena Maleeva
  Patty Schnyder
  Nathalie Dechy
  Meilen Tu
6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3
2003   Kim Clijsters
  Ai Sugiyama
  Nathalie Dechy
  Émilie Loit
6–2, 6–0
2004   Cara Black
  Els Callens
  Myriam Casanova
  Eleni Daniilidou
6–2, 6–1
2005   Cara Black (2)
  Els Callens (2)
  Anabel Medina
  Dinara Safina
3–6, 6–4, 6–4
2006   Dinara Safina
  Katarina Srebotnik
  Stéphanie Foretz
  Michaëlla Krajicek
6–1, 6–1
2007   Cara Black (3)
  Liezel Huber
  Elena Likhovtseva
  Elena Vesnina
7–5, 4–6, 6–1
2008   Cara Black (4)
  Liezel Huber (2)
  Květa Peschke
  Ai Sugiyama
6–1, 6–3
2009–14 Only exhibition tournaments held
↓  Premier tournament  ↓
2015   Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Arantxa Parra Santonja
  An-Sophie Mestach
  Alison Van Uytvanck
6–4, 3–6, [10–5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "WTA Event In Antwerp Will Be Replaced With New Tournament In St. Petersburg". Vavel. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  2. ^ "WTA Heads to St. Petersburg in 2016". Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  3. ^ "Amelie's diamond day". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  4. ^ "The custom tennis racquet money can't buy". GiveMeSport. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
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