The Torquay Open[1] was grass court tennis event founded in 1879. In 1881 it was known as the Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament.[2] that was held at the Winter Garden, Torquay, Devon, England. It continued under that name until after World War II when it was known as the Torquay Open In 1971 the tobacco company Rothmans International took over sponsorship of the event and it was branded as the Rothmans Torquay Tournament until 1974 when their sponsorship ended.

Torquay Open
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1879
Abolished1974
LocationTorquay, Devon, England
VenueTorquay Lawn Tennis Club
SurfaceGrass

This tournament though no longer part of the international tour is still being staged today as the Torbay Open Tennis Tournament.[3]

History

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A Torquay Tennis Tournament was founded as early as 1879.[4] In 1881 the event was known as the Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament and played at the Winter Garden, Torquay, Devon, England.[5] In 1887 it became an open event for the women to play for the first time. The tournament was held annually, with the exception of world war's one and two. Following the second world war the tournament known by then as the Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament at least up to 1960.[6][7] In 1971 Rothmans International took over sponsorship of the event and it was renamed as the Rothmans Torquay Tournament until 1974, when Rothman's pulled out of sports sponsorship and this tournament ended as part international world wide tour. It is still being staged today as the Torbay Open Tennis Tournament.[8]

Finals

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Men's singles

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Incomplete roll included:[9]

Year Champions Runners-up Score
Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament
1880   Ernest W. S. K. Maconchy   C. Hughes 6-0, 6-0
1881   Ernest W. S. K. Maconchy (2)   Thomas Arembery Tombe 6-1, 6-0
1887   Ernest Wool Lewis   Wilfred Milne 7-5, 6-2, 7-5
1888   Ernest Wool Lewis (2)   Herbert Chipp 3-6, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0
1889   Ernest Wool Lewis (3)   Edward James Avory 1-6, 6-5, 6-3
1890   Ernest Wool Lewis (4)   Edward James Avory 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
1905   Harold Michelmore (2)   George Alan Thomas 6-4, 6-2
1907   Harold Michelmore (2)   J.S. Talbot 6-3, 6-4
1908   Harold Michelmore (3)   Les Poidevin w.o.
1914/1918 Not held (due to world war one)
1923   Philip Robert Broadway   Sydney Ford 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
1930   Jiro Satoh   A.C.D. Campbell 6-0, 6-2
1934   Don Butler   Jack Lysaght 10-12, 6-3, 6-4
1935   Don Butler (2)   John Temple Bouverie Leader 7-5, 6-2
1936   Charles Haree   Frank Wilde 6-3, 6-3
1937   Eric Filby   Cristea Caralulis 6-1, 9-11, 6-1
1938   Eric Filby (2)   Kho Sin-Kie 6-4, 6-4
1939   Eric Filby (3)   Ernest Wittman 6-2, 6-3
1940/1945 Not held (due to world war two)
Torquay Open
1946   Henry Billington   Ignacy Tloczynski 7-5, 6-0
1947   John Barry   Jeff Robson 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
1948   Tim Lewis   David Anderton 6-0, 6-2
1949   Tony Mottram   Paddy Roberts 9-7, 7-5
1950   Gerry Oakley   Paddy Roberts 6-4, 6-4
1951   Paddy Roberts   Ignacy Tloczynski 6-3, 6-1
1952   Jaroslav Drobný   Ian Ayre 6-3, 6-1
1953   Ian Ayre   Colin Hannam 6-4, 6-2
1954   Jaroslav Drobný (2)   Jack Arkinstall 6-0, 6-3
1959   Mike Sangster   Julian L. P. Coni 9-7, 6-4
Open era
Rothmans Torquay Tournmament
1971   Premjit Lall   Ken Weatherley 6-4, 7-5
1974   Graeme Thomson   Martin Cornish 6-4, 6-4

Women's singles

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(Incomplete roll)

Notes: In 1924 and 1925 there were two versions of the tournament held in August on grass courts and October on clay courts.
Year Champions Runners-up Score
Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament
1887   Blanche Bingley Hillyard   Maud Watson 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
1888   Miss Mockler   Alice Foley 6-4, 6-4
1890   Miss Wolfe   Miss Fisher 7-5, 6-4
1899   Winifred Longhurst   K. Hughes 6-2, 6-1
1900   Winifred Longhurst (2)   Miss Smythe 6-2, 6-2
1901   Winifred Longhurst (3)   Miss Collett 6-1, 6-1
1902   Ethel Thomson   Edith Boucher 6-4, 6-1
1903   Edith Boucher   M. Stonham 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
1904   Edith Boucher (2)   Miss Collett 6-0, 6-4
1905   Meriel Lucas   Charlotte Everard 6-3, 6-1
1906   Meriel Lucas (2)   M. Stonham 6-2, 6-4
1907   Edith Boucher (2)   Meriel Lucas 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
1908   Meriel Lucas (3)   Nora Bawden 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
1909   Elsie Lane   Evelyn de Vere Scott 6-0, 6-1
1910   M. Fergus   Edith Longhurst 6-4, 6-3
1911   Beryl Tulloch   Nora Bawden 6-3, 6-3
1912   Nora Bawden   E. Miller divided prizes
1913   Madeline Fisher O'Neill   Nora Bawden 6-2, 9-11, 7-5
1914/1918 Not held (due to world war one)
1920   Phyllis Satterthwaite   Miss Davies 6-1, 6-1
1921   G.M. Head   Nora Bawden 6-3. 3-6, 6-4
1922   Edith Hannam (3)   Miss Robertson 6-0, 7-5
1923   Helen Bourne   P. Robertson 6-3, 6-4
1924 (Aug)   Mrs Hopper   A G Buckner 6-2, 6-2
1924 (Oct)   Elizabeth Ryan   Ermyntrude Harvey 6-4, 6-1
1925 (Aug)   Mrs R. Bruce May   Mrs Lawrence 6-2, 6-1
1925 (Oct)   Ariadne Rodocanachi   Phyllis French 7-5, 6-4
1926   Davina Gordon   Cristobel Hardie 6-3, 6-2
1927   Davina Gordon (2)   Katherine Lewis divided prizes
1928   Davina Gordon (3)   Gethyn Harry 6-3, 6-1
1929   Elsa McAlpin Haylock   Andrée Lucas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
1930   Elsa McAlpin Haylock (2)   Gethyn Harry 6-4, 6-3
1931   Mary McIlquham   Elsa McAlpin Haylock 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
1932   Peggy Scriven   Andrée Lucas 6-1, 6-1
1934   Billie Yorke   Jean Saunders 6-4, 6-3
1935   Jean Saunders   Andrée Lucas 6-2, 6-2
1936   Irmgard Rost   Mary Whitmarsh 6-0, 6-0
1937   Irmgard Rost (2)   Billie Yorke 8-6, 6-3
1938   Andrée Lucas   Rita Jarvis 7-5, 1-6, 6-2
1939   Andrée Lucas (2)   Jean Saunders 6-4, 5-7, 9-7
1940/1945 Not held (due to world war one)
Torquay Open
1946   Joan Curry   Jean Quertier 8-6, 6-1
1947   Joan Curry (2)   P. Merrix 6-2, 6-2
1948   Joan Curry (3)   Peggy Dawson-Scott 6-2, 6-1
1949   Joan Curry (4)   Joy Gannon 6-3, 6-3
1950   Elsie Hamilton Phillips   Lorna Cornell 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
1951   Angela Mortimer   Jenny Middleton 6-2, 6-1
1952   Rita Jarvis Anderson   Hilary Stebbings 6-0, 7-5
1953   Angela Mortimer (2)   Pat Ward 9-7, 8-6
1954   Pat Ward   Betsy Abbas 6-0, 6-3
1956   Sonia Cox   V. Martin 6-4, 6-2
1958  Joan Curry (5)   Sonia Cox 5-7, 6-0, 6-4
1959   Sheila Armstrong   Phyllis Edwards 11-9, 6-1
1960   Elaine Watson Shenton   Sonia Cox Preston 6-4, 6-4
1961   Margaret R. O'Donnell   Carole Rosser 6-2, 11-9
1962   Elaine Watson Shenton (2)   Frances Walton 7-5, 8-10, 6-2
Open era
Rothmans Torquay Tournmament
1971   Susan Alexander   Penny Hardgrave 6-2, 6-1
1974   Sue Barker   Annette Coe 6-1, 6-1

References

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  1. ^ "Sport: Fixtures". The Illustrated London News. London: Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited. 1973. p. 25.
  2. ^ "Lawn Tennis Tournament at Torquay: The Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournament, commenced in the Torquay Winter Garden last week, was resumed yesterday, when some excellent play was witnessed by a large number of fashionable". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams. Exeter, Devon. England. 21 September 1881. p. 3.
  3. ^ "Torbay Open Tennis Tournament". English Riviera. English Riviera BID Company Ltd. 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Faciltities and History". www.torquaytennisclub.co.uk. Torquay Tennis Club. 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams
  6. ^ "Torquay Lawn Tennis Winners At Open Tournament: Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. Exeter, Devon, England. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (was held under the auspices of the Torquay Corporation and the L.T.A.". Torbay Express and South Devon Echo. Torbay, Devon, England. 2 September 1959. p. 7.
  8. ^ English Riviera BID Company Ltd.
  9. ^ "Tournament – Torquay". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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