Diamond Games

Diamond Games
Tournament information
Founded 2002–2009, 2015
Location Antwerp
Belgium
Venue Sportpaleis Merksem
Category Tier II (2002–2009)
WTA Premier (2015)
Surface Hard (indoors)
Draw 28S/32Q/16D
Prize money $731,000
Website Sport.be

The Diamond Games (sponsored in 2015 as BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games and formerly known as Proximus Diamond Games, GDF-Suez Diamond Games and Thomas Cook Diamond Games) was a professional women's tennis tournament organised in Antwerp, Belgium. The tournament took place in the Sportpaleis, at the beginning of February.

In 2009, with the restructuring of the WTA tour and the retirement of both Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, the tournament lost its status of being a WTA tour tournament and evolved into an annual exhibition tennis event before returning to the WTA calendar in 2015.[1] Later this year, however, WTA announced that in 2016, The Diamond Games would be replaced on the WTA Calendar with a new tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.[2]

The Diamond Games offers a trophy to any player who wins the singles three times in five years. In 2007 Amélie Mauresmo won a golden racquet decorated with diamonds.[3] A new trophy was unveiled in 2008, which featured a golden racquet and a ball, and was decorated with 2008 diamonds.[4]

Past finals

Singles

Year Champion Runner-up Score
↓  Tier II tournament  ↓
2002 United States Venus Williams Belgium Justine Henin 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
2003 United States Venus Williams (2) Belgium Kim Clijsters 6–2, 6–4
2004 Belgium Kim Clijsters Italy Silvia Farina Elia 6–3, 6–0
2005 France Amélie Mauresmo United States Venus Williams 4–6, 7–5, 6–4
2006 France Amélie Mauresmo (2) Belgium Kim Clijsters 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
2007 France Amélie Mauresmo (3) Belgium Kim Clijsters 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
2008 Belgium Justine Henin Italy Karin Knapp 6–3, 6–3
2009–14 Only exhibition tournaments held
↓  Premier tournament  ↓
2015 Germany Andrea Petkovic Spain Carla Suárez Navarro Walkover

Doubles

Year Champions Runners-up Score
↓  Tier II tournament  ↓
2002 Bulgaria Magdalena Maleeva
Switzerland Patty Schnyder 		France Nathalie Dechy
United States Meilen Tu 		6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–3
2003 Belgium Kim Clijsters
Japan Ai Sugiyama 		France Nathalie Dechy
France Émilie Loit 		6–2, 6–0
2004 Zimbabwe Cara Black
Belgium Els Callens 		Switzerland Myriam Casanova
Greece Eleni Daniilidou 		6–2, 6–1
2005 Zimbabwe Cara Black (2)
Belgium Els Callens (2)		 Spain Anabel Medina
Russia Dinara Safina 		3–6, 6–4, 6–4
2006 Russia Dinara Safina
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik 		France Stéphanie Foretz
Netherlands Michaëlla Krajicek 		6–1, 6–1
2007 Zimbabwe Cara Black (2)
South Africa Liezel Huber 		Russia Elena Likhovtseva
Russia Elena Vesnina 		7–5, 4–6, 6–1
2008 Zimbabwe Cara Black (4)
United States Liezel Huber (2)		 Czech Republic Květa Peschke
Japan Ai Sugiyama 		6–1, 6–3
2009–14 Only exhibition tournaments held
↓  Premier tournament  ↓
2015 Spain Anabel Medina Garrigues
Spain Arantxa Parra Santonja 		Belgium An-Sophie Mestach
Belgium Alison Van Uytvanck 		6–4, 3–6, [10–5]

References

  1. ↑ "WTA Event In Antwerp Will Be Replaced With New Tournament In St. Petersburg". Vavel. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  2. ↑ "WTA Heads to St. Petersburg in 2016". Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Amelie's diamond day". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  4. ↑ "The custom tennis racquet money can't buy". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
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