Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open
The Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open (known as the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open for sponsorship reasons) was a professional men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was part of the International Series of the ATP Tour and was held annually in Asia.
| Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Abolished | 2007 |
| Editions | 11 |
| Location | Shanghai China |
| Venue | KSLTA Signature Kingfisher Tennis Stadium |
| Category | ATP International Series |
| Surface | Carpet / Indoors (1996–98) Hard / Outdoors (1999–01, 2003–04, 2006–07) Hard / Indoors (2005) |
| Draw | 32S/32Q/16D |
| Prize money | $416,000 |
| Website | kingfisherairlinesopen.com |
History
The tournament was first created in 1996 in Shanghai, China, on indoor carpet courts and as part of the ATP World Series. The second new tournament started by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in Asia in three years, after the Beijing Open, created in 1993, the Shanghai event ran as a men's only tournament during four years, seeing the likes of Michael Chang, Goran Ivanišević, Marcelo Ríos and Magnus Norman reaching the finals. In 2000, the Tier IV Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments of Beijing was moved to Shanghai, allowing the city to hold both the ATP event, now part of the International Series, and the WTA event.
In 2004, as the ATP was increasing its presence in Asia,[1] having brought the Tennis Masters Cup to Shanghai in 2002, working on moving several events to different new locations, the ATP and WTA Shanghai tournaments were both relocated, with the women's, now a Tier II tournament, returning to Beijing, and the men's moving to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[2] After the 2005 edition, the tournament moved once more to a new country, in India,[3] taking place in the city of Mumbai first, in 2006 and 2007, and then moving again to Bangalore for the 2008 edition.[4] The first event to be held in the new location, though, was cancelled due to security fears, and the first Bangalore Open consequently postponed to the next season.[5] In 2009 a new tournament in Asia was created to replace it, the Malaysian Open, located on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[6]
Past finals
Singles
| Location | Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangalore | 2008–09 | Not held | ||
| Mumbai | 2007 |  Richard Gasquet | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Olivier Rochus | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2006 |  Dmitry Tursunov |  Tomáš Berdych | 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 2005 |  Jonas Björkman | Radek Štěpánek | 6–3, 7–6(7–4) |
| Shanghai | 2004 |  Guillermo Cañas |  Lars Burgsmüller | 6–1, 6–0 |
| 2003 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Mark Philippoussis | Jiří Novák | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| 2002 | Not held | |||
| 2001 | Rainer Schüttler | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Michel Kratochvil | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| 2000 | Magnus Norman |  Sjeng Schalken | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 | |
| 1999 | Magnus Norman |  Marcelo Ríos | 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 | |
| 1998 |  Michael Chang |  Goran Ivanišević | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 | |
| 1997 |  Ján Krošlák | Alexander Volkov | 6–2, 7–6(7–2) | |
| 1996 | Andrei Olhovskiy |  Mark Knowles | 7–6(7–5), 6–2 | |
Doubles
| Location | Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangalore | 2008–09 | Not held | ||
| Mumbai | 2007 | Robert Lindstedt Jarkko Nieminen |  Rohan Bopanna Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi | 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) |
| 2006 | Mario Ančić Mahesh Bhupathi | Rohan Bopanna Mustafa Ghouse | 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 10–8 | |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 2005 | Lars Burgsmüller Philipp Kohlschreiber | Ashley Fisher Robert Lindstedt | 5–6(3–7), 6–4, 6–2 [lower-alpha 1] |
| Shanghai | 2004 | Jared Palmer Pavel Vízner | Rick Leach Brian MacPhie | 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(13–11) |
| 2003 | Wayne Arthurs Paul Hanley |  Zeng Shaoxuan Zhu Benqiang | 6–2, 6–4 | |
| 2002 | Not held | |||
| 2001 |  Byron Black Thomas Shimada |  John-Laffnie de Jager Robbie Koenig | 6–2, 3–6, 7–5 | |
| 2000 | Paul Haarhuis Sjeng Schalken | Petr Pála Pavel Vízner | 6–2, 3–6, 6–4 | |
| 1999 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Sébastien Lareau Daniel Nestor | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 7–5, 6–3 | |
| 1998 | Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes | Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde | 6–4, 6–7, 7–6 | |
| 1997 |  Max Mirnyi Kevin Ullyett | Tomas Nydahl Stefano Pescosolido | 7–6, 6–7, 7–5 | |
| 1996 | Mark Knowles Roger Smith | Jim Grabb Michael Tebbutt | 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 | |
Notes
- Tie-breaks were held at 5–5 and not 6–6 in this tournament.
References
- atptennis.com (30 August 2004). "ATP CEO Courts Asian Booming Tennis Market" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2008.
- atptennis.com (27 April 2005). "ATP Announces Historic ATP-Level Event in Vietnam" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2008.
- atptennis.com (10 April 2006). "ATP Announces Second ATP Tournament in India" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2008.
- sportsline.com (20 May 2008). "Bangalore replaces Mumbai on ATP Tour circuit". Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- atptennis.com (25 August 2008). "Bangalore Suspended Due to Security Fears". Archived from the original on 31 August 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
- atpworldtour.com (26 June 2009). "Kuala Lumpur Confirmed As Newest Stop On ATP World Tour". Retrieved 26 June 2009.