U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships

The U.S. Open Clay Courts, known formally as the U.S. Clay Court Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association. The first edition was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1912, two years after the first men's championships, and was won by May Sutton.[1][2] The final edition was held in 1986 and won by Steffi Graf. The tournament was not held in 1913, 1924–1939 and 1942. The doubles event was first held in 1914.[2]

U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event nameU.S. Open Clay Courts
TourGrand Prix (1971–1972)
WTA Tour (1973–1986)
Founded1912
Abolished1986
Editions55
LocationVarious
United States
SurfaceClay

Nancy Richey and Chris Evert won more singles titles (6) at this tournament than any other woman. Linda Tuero holds the record for runners-up in singles (3).

Locations

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  • 1912: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • 1913: Not held
  • 1914: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Tennis Club)
  • 1915: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Athletic Association)
  • 1916: Cleveland, Ohio (Lakewood Tennis Club)
  • 1917: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Tennis Club)
  • 1918–19: Chicago, Illinois (South Side Tennis Club)
  • 1920: Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Tennis Club)
  • 1921–23: Buffalo, New York (Park Club)
  • 1924–39: Not held
  • 1940–41: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
  • 1942: Not held
  • 1943–44: Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Tennis Club)
  • 1947: Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake Tennis Club)
  • 1948–54: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
  • 1955: Atlanta, Georgia (Bryan M. Grant, Jr. Tennis Center)
  • 1956–65: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
  • 1966–68: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Town Club)
  • 1969–86: Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Racquet Club)

Finals

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Singles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1912   May Sutton   Mary Browne 6–4, 6–2
1913 Not held
1914   Mary Browne   Louise Riddell Williams 6–1, 3–6, 6–2
1915   Molla Bjurstedt   Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman 3–6, 6–1, 6–3
1916   Molla Bjurstedt   Martha Guthrie 8–6, 6–3
1917   Ruth Sanders   W. E. Ellis 6–1, 6–3
1918   Carrie Neely   Adelaide Yager 6–4, 6–2
1919   Corinne Gould   Carrie Neely 6–4, 6–2
1920   Marion Zinderstein   Corinne Gould 6–0, 6–1
1921   Ann Sheafe Cole   Anna Godfrey 6–0, 6–3
1922   Lois Moyes Bickle   Leslie Bancroft 3–6, 6–1, 7–5
1923   Mayme McDonald   Lilian Scharman 7–5, 1–6, 6–4
1924 –
1939
Not held
1940   Alice Marble   Gracyn Wheeler 7–5, 6–0
1941   Pauline Betz   Mary Arnold 6–3, 6–1
1942 Not held
1943   Pauline Betz   Nancy Corbett 6–1, 6–0
1944   Dorothy Bundy   Mary Arnold 7–5, 6–4
1945   Sarah Palfrey Cooke   Pauline Betz 6–3, 7–5
1946   Barbara Krase   Virginia Kovacs 10–8, 6–4
1947   Mary Arnold Prentiss   Dorothy Head 6–1, 6–1
1948   Magda Rurac   Dorothy Head 6–2, 6–0
1949   Magda Rurac   Beverly Baker 2–6, 9–7, 6–3
1950   Doris Hart   Shirley Fry 6–1, 6–3
1951   Dorothy Head   Patricia Canning Todd 4–6, 6–2, 6–2
1952   Anita Kanter   Lucille Davidson 6–4, 6–3
1953   Maureen Connolly   Althea Gibson 6–4, 6–4
1954   Maureen Connolly   Doris Hart 6–3, 6–1
1955   Dorothy Head Knode   Barbara Breit 6–4, 6–3
1956   Shirley Fry   Althea Gibson 7–5, 6–1
1957   Althea Gibson   Darlene Hard 6–2, 6–3
1958   Dorothy Head Knode[3]   Karol Fageros 6–3, 6–8, 6–2
1959   Sally Moore   Sandra Reynolds 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
1960   Dorothy Head Knode   Gwyneth Thomas 6–3, 6–4
1961   Edda Buding   Karen Hantze 6–4, 2–6, 6–4
1962   Donna Floyd   Carole Caldwell 6–3, 6–1
1963   Nancy Richey   Victoria Palmer 6–1, 6–1
1964   Nancy Richey   Carole Caldwell Graebner 6–2, 6–1
1965   Nancy Richey   Julie Heldman 5–7, 6–3, 9–7
1966   Nancy Richey   Stephanie DeFina 6–2, 6–2
1967   Nancy Richey   Rosemary Casals 6–2, 6–3
1968   Nancy Richey   Linda Tuero 6–3, 6–3
1969   Gail Sherriff Chanfreau   Linda Tuero 6–2, 6–2
1970   Linda Tuero   Gail Sherriff Chanfreau 7–5, 6–1
1971   Billie Jean King   Linda Tuero 6–4, 7–5
1972   Chris Evert   Evonne Goolagong 7–6(5–2), 6–1
1973   Chris Evert   Veronica Burton 6–4, 6–3
1974   Chris Evert   Gail Sherriff Chanfreau 6–0, 6–0
1975   Chris Evert   Dianne Fromholtz 6–3, 6–4
1976   Kathy May   Brigitte Cuypers 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
1977   Laura DuPont   Nancy Richey 6–4, 6–3
1978   Dana Gilbert   Viviana González 6–2, 6–3
1979   Chris Evert   Evonne Goolagong Cawley 6–4, 6–3
1980   Chris Evert   Andrea Jaeger 6–4, 6–3
1981   Andrea Jaeger   Virginia Ruzici 6–1, 6–0
1982   Virginia Ruzici   Helena Suková 6–2, 6–0
1983   Andrea Temesvári   Zina Garrison 6–2, 6–2
1984   Manuela Maleeva   Lisa Bonder 6–4, 6–3
1985   Andrea Temesvári   Zina Garrison 7–6, 6–3
1986   Steffi Graf   Gabriela Sabatini 2–6, 7–6, 6–4

Doubles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1944   Pauline Betz
  Doris Hart
1945   Pauline Betz
  Doris Hart
1946   Shirley Fry
  Mary Arnold Prentiss
  Virginia Kovacs
  Barbara Scofield
6–4, 6–1
1947   Gussie Moran
  Mary Arnold Prentiss
  Shirley Fry
  Barbara Krase
6–4, 6–4
1948 Not held
1949 Not held
1950   Shirley Fry
  Doris Hart
  Beverly Baker
  Magda Rurac
2–6, 6–4, 6–4
1951   Magda Rurac
  Patricia Canning Todd
  Dorothy Head
  Anita Kanter
1952   Lucille Davidson
  Doris Popple
  Anita Kanter
  Joan Merciadas
7–5, 6–4
1953   Anita Kanter
  Thelma Coyne Long
  Maureen Connolly
  Julia Sampson
6–3, 6–0
1954   Maureen Connolly
  Doris Hart
  Althea Gibson
  Ethel Norton
6–3, 6–2
1955   Dorothy Head Knode
  Janet Hopps
  Pat Shaffer
  Barbara Breit
6–2, 3–6, 6–3
1956   Shirley Fry
  Dorothy Head Knode
  Martha Hernández
  Yola Ramírez
6–2, 6–2
1957   Althea Gibson
  Darlene Hard
  Karol Fageros
  Jeanne Arth
6–3, 6–0
1958   Karol Fageros
  Dorothy Head Knode
1959   Sandra Reynolds
  Renée Schuurman
  Jeanne Arth
  Janet Hopps
1960   Darlene Hard
  Billie Jean Moffitt
  Justina Bricka
  Carol Hanks
6–3, 6–4
1961   Justina Bricka
  Carol Hanks
1962   Darlene Hard
  Susan Behlmar
1963   Maria Bueno
  Darlene Hard
1964   Carole Graebner
  Nancy Richey
1965   Carole Graebner
  Nancy Richey
1966   Karen Krantzcke
  Kerry Melville
  Esmé Emmanuel
  Maryna Godwin
1–6, 6–4, 6–4
1967   Karen Krantzcke
  Kerry Melville
1968   Nancy Richey
  Valerie Ziegenfuss
1969   Lesley Turner Bowrey
  Gail Sherriff Chanfreau
  Emilie Burrer
  Linda Tuero
6–0, 10–8
1970   Rosemary Casals
  Gail Sherriff Chanfreau
  Helen Gourlay
  Patricia Walkden
6–2, 6–2
1971   Judy Tegart Dalton
  Billie Jean King
  Julie Heldman
  Linda Tuero
6–1, 6–2
1972   Evonne Goolagong
  Lesley Hunt
  Margaret Smith Court
  Pam Teeguarden
6–2, 6–1
1973   Patti Hogan
  Sharon Walsh
  Fiorella Bonicelli
  María-Isabel Fernández
6–4, 6–4
1974   Gail Sherriff Chanfreau
  Julie Heldman
  Chris Evert
  Jeanne Evert
6–3, 6–1
1975   Fiorella Bonicelli
  María-Isabel Fernández
  Gail Sherriff Chanfreau
  Julie Heldman
3–6, 7–5, 6–3
1976   Linky Boshoff
  Ilana Kloss
  Laura DuPont
  Wendy Turnbull
6–2, 6–3
1977   Linky Boshoff
  Ilana Kloss
  Mary Carillo
  Wendy Overton
5–7, 7–5, 6–3
1978   Helena Anliot
  Helle Sparre-Viragh
  Barbara Hallquist
  Sheila McInerney
6–3, 6–1
1979   Kathy Jordan
  Anne Smith
  Penny Johnson
  Paula Smith
6–1, 6–0
1980   Anne Smith
  Paula Smith
  Virginia Ruzici
  Renáta Tomanová
6–4, 3–6, 6–4
1981   JoAnne Russell
  Virginia Ruzici
  Sue Barker
  Paula Smith
6–2, 6–2
1982   Ivanna Madruga
  Catherine Tanvier
  JoAnne Russell
  Virginia Ruzici
7–5, 7–6
1983   Kathleen Horvath
  Virginia Ruzici
  Gigi Fernández
  Beth Herr
4–6, 7–6, 6–2
1984   Beverly Mould
  Paula Smith
  Elise Burgin
  JoAnne Russell
6–2, 7–5
1985   Katerina Maleeva
  Manuela Maleeva
  Penny Barg
  Paula Smith
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
1986   Steffi Graf
  Gabriela Sabatini
  Gigi Fernández
  Robin White
6–2, 6–0

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Norris Williams New Tennis Champ". The Pittsburgh Press. Jul 2, 1912.
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 337, 338. ISBN 9780047960420.
  3. ^ "Knode, Tut Give Foes Lessons". The Miami News. Jul 20, 1958.
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