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U.S. National Indoor Championships

The U.S. National Indoor Championships was a tennis tournament that was last held at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Also known as the U.S. International Indoor Championships. The event was played on indoor hard courts and usually took place in February. For much of its more than 100-year history it was a combined men's and women's tournament but in 2014, its final year, only a men's tournament was held. The event was previously known under various sponsored names including the Memphis Open, the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, the Kroger St. Jude Championship, and the Volvo Championships. It was called throughout most of its history the National Indoor Championships.

History

The tournament began in March 1898 when the inaugural edition was played at the Newton Winter Tennis Club in Newton Center. The men's singles was the only event played and was won by Leo Ware who defeated Holcombe Ward in the final in straight sets.[1] There was no tournament held in 1899.

In 1900 a men's doubles event was added and the tournament moved to the Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, New York, where it was played on a wood court until 1963 with the exception of 1941 (Coliseum in Oklahoma City) and from 1942 until 1945 when no tournament was held due to World War II.

When the Seventh Regiment Armory was closed for renovations a new venue for the tournament had to be selected by the USLTA.[2] In 1964 the tournament moved to Salisbury, Maryland, and was organized by Jimmy Connors' manager Bill Riordan.[3]

The last move occurred after the 1976 tournament, when Memphis became the host of the event and was the location of the tournament until its end in 2014.[4][5] The men's tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit between 1976 and 1989 before becoming an ATP Tour event.

The 2013 tournament was the last combined men's and women's tournament and was held February 16–24, 2013, at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Marina Erakovic was the last woman to win the title.[6] In 2014 the WTA event moved to Rio de Janeiro. The men's tournament lost its ATP World Tour 500 series certification, which also moved to Rio de Janeiro, but continued as an ATP 250 event known as the Memphis Open, taking over the ATP 250 sanction from the SAP Open in San Jose.[7][8]

Men's finals

Gustave F. Touchard at the 1908 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships played in the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York

Singles

Doubles

Women's finals

Singles

Doubles

See also

References

  1. ^ "Miscellaneous Sport". Boston Evening Transcript. March 21, 1898.
  2. ^ Mary Corddry (February 16, 1964). "Bill Riordan, Salisbury's 'Mr. Tennis'". The Baltimore Sun. pp. 12, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 338, 339. ISBN 9780047960420.
  4. ^ Bill Shannon, ed. (1981). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (3rd, Revised and updated ed.). New York [u.a.]: Harper & Row. pp. 272–277. ISBN 9780060148966.
  5. ^ Frank Murtaugh (February 8, 2016). "40 Years of Tennis at The Racquet Club". Memphis.
  6. ^ "Big Changes For Tennis in Memphis". Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  7. ^ Tennis - ATP World Tour - ATP Approves Event In Rio de Janeiro From 2014
  8. ^ Matt Cronin (April 23, 2012). "San Jose ATP tourney to close; Rio gets event". Tennis.com.
  9. ^ "New York Evening Post article" (PDF). Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Jean Borotra takes indoor tennis title". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 5, 1925. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

35°06′58″N 89°53′24″W / 35.116°N 89.890°W / 35.116; -89.890