The South Florida Open Championships also known as the South Florida Championships or South Florida Open was an international men's and women's clay court tennis tournament founded in 1922. The tournament was first played in Miami, Florida, United States. From 1946 this tournament also carried the joint denomination of West Palm Beach Open. The tournament was played at other locations until 1977 when it was discontinued as part of the ILTF Independent Tour.
History The South Florida Championships was a combined men's and women's clay court tournament first established in February 1922 and played in Miami, Florida, United States. The inaugural singles winners were Fritz Bastian (men's) and Martha Floyd (women's). The tournament was part regional USLTA Southern Circuit. In 1954 a second edition of the men's event was held in Fort Lauderdale called the South Florida Fall Championships that was won by
The tournament was held in Miami, Miami Beach, Palm Beach Punta Gorda, West Palm Beach. The fall championships were played in Fort Lauderdale.
The championships ran annually until 1977 when they discontinued from the ILTF Independent Tour, a series of worldwide tournaments not part of the men's Grand Prix Circuit or women's the WTA Tour. The final winners of the singles events were the Canadian player Harry Fritz (men's), the American player Bunny Smith (women's)
Finals Men's singles (Winter) (incomplete roll) YearLocationChampionsRunners-upScoreSouth Florida Championships1922Miami Fritz Bastian James Calder6-2, 6–3, 6–3.1924Miami G. Carlton Shafer George Bart PfingstAll Time Penn Men's Tennis Letterwinners: Pfingst, G. Bart 1919". University of Pennsylvania Athletics. University of Pennsylvania. 8 July 2004. Retrieved 28 September 20238-6, 6–4, 6–1. 1926West Palm Beach Jerome (Jerry) Lang John T. Graves jr.6-1, 8–6, 6–3. 1927West Palm Beach Bill Tilden II Manuel Alonso Areizaga6-3, 7–9, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2. 1928Miami Beach Frank Hunter John F. Hennessey6-4, 6–4, 6–3. 1929Miami John F. Hennessey Frank Hunter2-6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–3. 1930Miami George Lott John Doeg2-6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–2, 8–6. 1931Punta Gorda J. Gilbert Hall Gustavo Vollmer7-5, 4–6, 6–3, 7–5.1932Punta Gorda Julius Seligson Gustavo Vollmer 4-6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1.1939West Palm Beach Wayne Sabin Gene Mako7-9, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2. 1940West Palm Beach Bobby Riggs Henry Prusoff6-1, 7–5, 6–2. 1941Palm Beach Bobby Riggs (2) Jack Kramer6-3, 6–2, 6–3. 1946West Palm Beach Gardnar Mulloy Pancho Segura 6–4, 6–3. 1948West Palm Beach Bruce Thomas Sidney Schwartz6-4, 6–4. 1950West Palm Beach Tony Vincent Malcolm Fox7-5, 6–3. 1951West Palm Beach Louis Straight Clark Tony Vincent6-4, 6–1, 5–7, 6–3. 1952West Palm Beach Gardnar Mulloy (2) Tony Vincent6-4, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3. 1953West Palm Beach Malcolm Fox Charles Harris 1-6, 6–2, 10–8. 1954West Palm Beach Gardnar Mulloy (3) Lorne Main6-1, 4–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2. 1955West Palm Beach Eddie Moylan Jean-Noël Grinda9-7, 6–2. 1956West Palm Beach Vic Seixas Eddie Moylan 2-6, 6–2, 6–4. 1957West Palm Beach Don Candy Armando Vieira3-6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1. 1958West Palm Beach Jack Frost Kosei Kamo6-3, 6–2. 1959West Palm Beach Jack Frost (2) John W. Frost6-2, 6–2. 1960West Palm Beach Mike Davies Eduardo Zuleta6-2, 6–0. 1961West Palm Beach John C. Skogstad Eduardo Zuleta6-0, 6–0, 2–6, 2–6, 6–3. 1962West Palm Beach Ed Rubinoff Thomaz Koch8-6, 10–12, 9–7, 7–5. 1963West Palm Beach Miguel Olvera Eduardo Zuleta6-1, 6–3, 6–1. 1964West Palm Beach Nicky Kalogeropoulos Eduardo Zuleta7-5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3. 1965West Palm Beach Billy Higgins Lester M Sack6-3, 6–1, 6–0. 1966West Palm Beach Eduardo Zuleta Harry Fauquier6-3, 6–1. 1967West Palm Beach Eduardo Zuleta (2) Keith Carpenter10-8, 6–2. 1968West Palm Beach Eduardo Zuleta (3) Frank Tutvin6-4, 6–3. ↓ Open era ↓South Florida Open Championships1969West Palm Beach Eduardo Zuleta (4) Jamie Pressly8-6, 6–0. South Florida Open1970West Palm Beach Frank Froehling III Pancho Guzmán7-5, 5–7, 6–3. 1971West Palm Beach Frank Froehling III (2) Pat Cramer6-3, 6–2. 1972West Palm Beach Eddie Dibbs Miguel Olvera5-7, 6–4, 7–5. 1973West Palm Beach Eddie Dibbs (2) Norman Holmes6-0, 6–2. 1974West Palm Beach Doug Crawford Rick Fisher6-3, 7–5. 1976West Palm Beach Greg Halder Clive Rothwell6-2, 6–3. 1977West Palm Beach Harry Fritz Larry Loeb6-4, 7–6.
Men's singles (Fall) YearLocationChampionsRunners-upScoreSouth Florida Fall Championships/West Palm Beach Fall Open1954Fort Lauderdale Allen Austin Quay James (Jim) Shakespeare6-2, 6–2.
Women's singles (incomplete roll) YearLocationChampionsRunners-upScoreSouth Florida Championships1922Miami Martha Floyd Clare Cassell6-4, 6-4 1923Miami Anna Townsend Godfrey Clare Cassell 6-1, 6-1 1929Miami Eleanor Brooks Cottman Gisela Comallonga 6-,2 6-4 1939West Palm Beach Pauline Betz Marta Barnett 6-3, 6-2 1940West Palm Beach Mary Hardwick Sarah Palfrey Fabyan 6-1, 6-3 1941Palm Beach Pauline Betz (2) Dorothy Bundy 6-4, 6-1 1946West Palm Beach Shirley Fry Eleanor Cushingham 6-2, 2-6 6-1 1948West Palm Beach Magda Berescu Rurac Laura Lou Jahn 6-4, 6-1 1949West Palm Beach Helen Pedersen Rihbany Virginia Lee Boyer 6-0, 6-1 1950West Palm Beach Jean Clarke Rhoda Hopkins 7-5, 6–8, 6-1 1951West Palm Beach Beverly Baker Shirley Fry 6-4, 6-4 1953West Palm Beach Thelma Coyne Long Jean Clarke 6-4, 6-4 1954West Palm Beach Laura Lou Kunnen Hana Sládková-Koželuhová9-7, 6-1 1955West Palm Beach Mildred ThorntonThe HighlanderPat Stewart 9-7, 6-4 1956West Palm Beach Shirley Fry (2) Nancy Morrison Montgomery 6–1, 6-1 1957West Palm Beach Dottie Head Knode Karol Fageros 7–9, 7–5, 6-3 1958West Palm Beach Janet Hopps Maria Bueno 6–3, 7-5 1959West Palm Beach Barbara Scofield Davidson Marie Martin 6–4, 2–6, 9-7 1960West Palm Beach Ann Barclay Sandy Warshaw 7–5, 6-1 1961West Palm Beach Ann Barclay (2) Nancy Morrison Montgomery 6–1, 6-3 1962West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina Nancy Morrison Montgomery 8–6, 6-2 1963West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina (2) Nancy Morrison Orthwein 6–1, 6-1 1964West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina (3) Carol Ann Prosen 1–6, 6–4, 6-2 1965West Palm Beach Betty Stöve Trudy Groenman 6–4, 6-4 1966West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina (4) Alice Tym 6–4, 6-0 1967West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina (5) Vera Cleto 6–3, 6-0 1968West Palm Beach Kazuko Sawamatsu Vera Cleto 6–1, 6-3↓ Open era ↓South Florida Open Championships 1969West Palm Beach Stephanie DeFina (6) Anna Maria Cavadini 6–1, 6-2South Florida Open 1970West Palm Beach Chris Evert Stephanie DeFina 6–3, 6-2 1971West Palm Beach Christiane Spinoza Bunny Smith 6–1, 6-2 1972West Palm Beach Pam Austin Mary McLean 6–1, 6-1 1973West Palm Beach Bunny Smith Sabine Bernegger 6–4, 7-5
Tournament records Men's singles Included: Most Titles: Eduardo Zuleta (4) Most Finals: Eduardo Zuleta (8) Most Consecutive Titles: Eduardo Zuleta (3) Most Consecutive Finals: Eduardo Zuleta (3)
Women's singles Most Titles: Stephanie DeFina (6) Most Finals: Stephanie DeFina (7) Most Consecutive Titles: Stephanie DeFina (3) Most Consecutive Finals: Stephanie DeFina (3)
References