South Island Open Championships

The South Island Open Championships was a regional men's and women's grass court then later hard court tennis tournament founded in 1934 as the South Island Championships.[1] The tournament was first played at the Nelson Lawn Tennis Club (f.1925),[2] Nelson, Nelson Province, North Island, New Zealand. The tournament was played at other locations until 1978 when it was discontinued as part of the ILTF Independent Tour.[1]

South Island Open Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourILTF World Circuit
ILTF Independent Tour
Founded1934 (1934)
Abolished1978 (1978)
LocationChristchurch
Nelson
Timaru
Wānaka
VenueVarious
SurfaceGrass (1934-75)
Hard (1976-78)

History

This tournament has it origins in the Nelson Provincial Lawn Tennis Association Championships founded in 1899 that ran till 1910.[3][4] In 1934 the Southern Lawn Tennis Association of New Zealand was established (today its known as Tennis Southern) it established the South Island Championships.[1]

The tournament was first played at the Nelson Lawn Tennis Club (f.1925),[5] Nelson, Nelson Province, New Zealand. The event was part of ILTF Australasia Circuit (1934–72) a sub circuit of the ILTF World Circuit, then later the ILTF Oceania Circuit a regional circuit of the ILTF Independent Tour from 1975 until 1978 when it was downgraded from the worldwide independent tour it became a local regional event of Tennis New Zealand and is still held today.[1]

The tournament was held in Nelson, but also other locations including, Christchurch, Timaru and Wānaka.

The North Island equivalent to this tournament was the North Island Open Championships also founded in 1932 by the Northern Lawn Tennis Association of New Zealand.[6]

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

South Island Championships
Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
1934[1]NelsonNew Zealand Cam MalfroyNew Zealand Buster Andrews6–4, 6–4, 6–2
1937[1]NelsonNew Zealand Alan StedmanNew Zealand Buster Andrews6–3, 6–4
1950[1]NelsonNew Zealand John BarryNew Zealand Ron McKenzie6–3, 6–4, 6–3
1957[1]NelsonNew Zealand Jeff RobsonNew Zealand Lew Gerrard6–4, 6–1
1967[1]NelsonNew Zealand Onny ParunNew Zealand Richard Hawkes10–8, 6–3, 7–5
1968[1]TimuruNew Zealand Brian FairlieRhodesia Hank Irvine6–3, 6–4, 6–1
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969[1]NelsonNew Zealand Ryan McCutcheon[7]New Zealand Richard Harris10–8, 6–4.
1970[1]NelsonNew Zealand Onny Parun (2)United States Bill Tym9–7, 5–7, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
1971[1]TimuruSweden Lars ÖlanderNew Zealand Richard Hawkes0–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–2
South Island Open Championships
1972[1]NelsonNew Zealand Dave SimmondsUnited States Bill Brown3-6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 7–5
1973[1]TimuruAustralia Kim WarwickAustralia Syd Ball6–4, 6–3, 6–2
1978[1]WānakaAustralia Glen BusbyNew Zealand Ken Wurtz6–3, 6–1

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

South Island Championships
Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
1958NelsonNew Zealand Ruia MorrisonNew Zealand Dawn Taylor6–4, 6–8, 6–1
1960NelsonNew Zealand Sonia CoxNew Zealand Heather Robson8–6, 6–1
1962NelsonNew Zealand Ruia Morrison (2)New Zealand Ethne Mitchell6–2, 6–1
1967NelsonNew Zealand Ethne MitchellNew Zealand Cecelie Fleming6–2, 6–4
1968TimuruUnited Kingdom Winnie ShawUnited Kingdom Rita Bentley6–3, 3–6, 6–2
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969NelsonNew Zealand Jennifer Goodall Nelson[8]New Zealand Lynn Harris6–4, 6–4.
1970NelsonUnited States Alice TymNew Zealand Beverley Vercoe4–6, 6–2, 6–1
1971TimuruUnited States Kathleen HarterNew Zealand Sue Blakely6–2, 6–4
South Island Open Championships
1976WānakaAustralia Karen KrantzckeSweden Helena Anliot6–1, 3–6, 6–4

References
  1. "Tournaments:South Island Open Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. "Nelson Lawn Tennis Club". Nelson Lawn Tennis Club. Tennis Kiwi. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. "Tournaments:Nelson Provincial Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. of New Zealand, National Library (6 February 1905). "Nelson Lawn Tennis Association Annual Tournament". The Colonist. Papers Past. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. Tennis Kiwi
  6. "Tournaments:North Island Open Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. "South Island Tennis Titles - Nelson Photo News - No 99 : February 8, 1969". photonews.org.nz. Nelson, New Zealand: Friends of the Nelson Library. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  8. Friends of the Nelson Library
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