The Toyota Championships were the finales in an annual series of professional women's tennis tournaments for women from 1977 through 1982. They were a continuation of the earlier Colgate Series Championships (1977-80) They were the fall season finales of the Colgate Series, then later Toyota Series circuits. They operated in much the same way as the men's WCT Circuit which also had WCT seasonal finals held in the fall or winter. The championships were discontinued when Virginia Slims became the year-round sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association Tour in 1983.[1][2] The best singles and doubles players of the circuit, based on ranking points earned, qualified for the championships.
| Colgate Series Championships Toyota Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Event name | Colgate Series (1977–81) Toyota Championships (1981–82) |
| Tour | WTA Tour (1977–82) |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Abolished | 1982 |
| Location | Palm Springs, CA, U.S. Landover MD, U.S. East Rutherford, NJ, U.S. |
| Surface | Hard, Carpet |
The main full season finales were, called the Virginia Slims Championships in 1972-78, then the Avon Championships in the 1979-82 period, then the Virginia Slims Championships again from 1983 to 1989. In 1990 a single unified women's circuit began, with a rebranded year end championship event called the WTA Tour Championships (today known as the WTA Finals)
Finals
editSingles
edit| Series Year | Series-Ending Tournament | Location | Surface | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Colgate Series Championships | Palm Springs, California, U.S. | Hard |  Chris Evert |
Billie Jean King |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 1978 | Colgate Series Championships | Palm Springs, California, U.S. | Hard | Chris Evert |
Martina Navratilova |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 1979 | Colgate Series Championships | Landover, Maryland, U.S. | Carpet | Martina Navratilova |
Tracy Austin |
6–2, 6–1 |
| 1980 | Colgate Series Championships | Landover, Maryland, U.S. | Carpet | Tracy Austin |
Andrea Jaeger |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 1981 | Toyota Series Championships | East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | Carpet | Tracy Austin |
Martina Navratilova |
2–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1982 | Toyota Series Championships | East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | Carpet | Martina Navratilova |
Chris Evert |
4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
Doubles
edit| Series Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 |  Françoise Dürr  Virginia Wade |
 Helen Gourlay Cawley Joanne Russell |
6–1, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1978 | Billie Jean King Martina Navratilova |
Wendy Turnbull Kerry Reid |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1979 | Billie Jean King Martina Navratilova |
Chris Evert Rosemary Casals |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1980 | Rosemary Casals Wendy Turnbull |
Candy Reynolds Paula Smith |
6–3, 4–6, 7–6 |
| 1981 | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver |
Rosemary Casals Wendy Turnbull |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1982 | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver |
Candy Reynolds Paula Smith |
6–4, 7–5 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ John Dolan (2011). Women's Tennis 1968–84: the Ultimate Guide. Remous. pp. 500–505.
- ^ Barry Lorge (December 30, 1979). "Colgate Tennis Draws Spotlight With Cross-Country Move". The Washington Post.
External links
edit
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