South of France Championships

The South of France Championships ^[1] its original name also known as the Championships of the South of France and the Championship of Southern France was a tennis event held from 1895 through 1971 it was originally played at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club, Nice, France.

History

Lawn Tennis was introduced to French Riviera by English, who decided to holiday on the Cote d'Azur after Queen Victoria vacationed there during the late 1800s. The riviera season ^[2] was usually December through to March and a number of events would be staged in Nice the South of France Championships was considered the best of these early continental tournaments ^[3] other events founded around this time included the Nice Championships, the Nice Lawn Tennis Club Championships and later the Nice International. Nice Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1890 at Place Mozart. In 1895 the South of France Championships tournament began, the dates the event was held fluctuated between February, March and April annually the club and championships changed location to Parc Imperial Avenue Suzanne Lenglen in 1923 it was one the earliest events open to international players the tournament survived for a period of 76 years until 1971.

Champions

Notes: Challenge Round: The Final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921) in some tournaments not all. * Indicates challenger

Men's singles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1895 [4]	A. F. Thomas	Victor Voss	?
1896 [5]	Joseph Hamilton De Robiglio	?	?
1897 [6]	Reginald Doherty	Victor Voss	6–2 6–4 3–6 6–1
1898	Laurence Doherty	James Robert Hay-Gordon	6–1 6–2 6–1
1899	Reginald Doherty	Victor Voss	6–0 6–0 6–0
1900	Laurence Doherty	Reginald Doherty	walkover
1901	Laurence Doherty	Wilberforce Eaves	6–2 6–3 6–2
1902 [7]	Laurence Doherty	Reginald Doherty	walkover
1903 [8][9]	Laurence Doherty	Sydney Howard Smith	5–7 3–6 6–3 6–4 6–3
1904 [10]	Laurence Doherty	Major Ritchie	6–2 6–3 6–3
1905 [11]	Laurence Doherty	Edward Roy Allen	6–3 7–5 7–5
1906 [12]	Laurence Doherty	Anthony Wilding	6–3 8-6 6–2
1907 [13]	Anthony Wilding [14]	Major Ritchie	6–0 6–0 6–3
1908 [15]	Anthony Wilding	Major Ritchie	6–0 6–1 6–2
1909	Fred Alexander	Major Ritchie	6–2 6–1 6–2
1910 [16]	Max Decugis	Major Ritchie	6–2 6–4 3–6 13-11
1911 [17]	Anthony Wilding	Max Decugis	9-7 6–0 6–3
1912	Max Decugis	Maurice Germot	10-8 4–6 6–2 retired
1913	Max Decugis	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe	7-9 6–2 6–3 1–6 6–3
1914 [18]	Anthony Wilding	Gordon Lowe	6–4 6–4 1–6 6–2
1915	No competition (due to World War I)
1916
1917
1918
1919	Max Decugis	Nicolae Mișu	6–3 6–2 6–1
1920 [19]	Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston	Alain Gerbault	7–5 6–2 2–6 3–6 6–1
1921 [20]	Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston	Mino Balbi De Robbeco	6–1 6–1 6–0
1922	Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston	Henri Cochet	6–3 6–3 2–6 7–5
1923	Gordon Lowe	Randolph Lycett	9-7 3–6 6–3 6–2
1924	René Lacoste	Jean Washer	6–1 6–0 3–6 7-9 6–3
1925 [21]	René Lacoste	Gordon Lowe	6–1 6–4 6–3
1926	Uberto De Morpurgo	Henri Cochet	1–6 6–2 6–3 6–3
1927	Herman von Artens [22]	Brame Hillyard	2–6 5–7 6–1 6–3 10-8
1928	Charles Aeschlimann	George Lyttleton-Rogers	7–5 9-7 6–1
1929 [23]	Emmanuel Du Plaix	Herman von Artens	3–6 6–1 6–3 6–0
1930 [24]	Bill Tilden	George Lyttleton-Rogers	4–6 8-6 6–1 4–6 6–0
1931 [25]	George Lyttleton-Rogers	Christian Boussus	4–6 0–6 6–4 6–4 6–0
1932	Jacques Brugnon	George Lyttleton-Rogers	6–2 3–6 2–6 6–3 6–2
1933	George Lyttleton-Rogers	Max Ellmer [26]	6–3 4–6 6–4 4–6 8-6
1934	George Lyttleton-Rogers	Herman von Artens	2–6 6–3 2–6 6–3 6–2
1935	Wilmer Hines [27]	Max Ellmer	6–2 3–6 6–1 6–4
1936	Jean Lesueur [28]	William W. Robertson	6–4 6–4 3–6 6–3
1937	Kho Sin-Kie	Jean Lesueur	13-11 6–3 4–6 6–3
1938	Kho Sin-Kie	Max Ellmer	6–1 2–6 6–0 8-6
1939	Constantin Tanasescu	Kho Sin-Kie	2–6 6–2 6–3 6–1
1940	No competition (due to World War II)
1941
1942
1943
1944	Pierre Pellizza	Henri Pellizza	6–2 5–7 6–3
1945	?	?	?
1946	Pierre Pellizza	Yvon Petra	12-10 5–7 6–0 6–1
1947	József Asbóth	Torsten Johansson	6–2 6–4 6–3
1948	József Asbóth	Jaroslav Drobný	8-6 6–1 6–3
1949	Milan (Misko) Branovic	Dragutin Mitić	6–4 6-8 4-2 retired
1950	Budge Patty	Tony Trabert	6–2 6–4
1951	Sven Davidson	Straight Clark	6–4 3–6 1–6 7–5 6–2
1952	Owen Williams	Igor Scherbatoff	6–1 6–2
1953	Armando Vieira	József Asbóth	6–1 6–1
1954	Anthony "Tony" Vincent	Paul Rémy	6–3 6–3 6–1
1955	Władysław Skonecki	Jaroslav Drobný	walkover
1956	Paul Rémy	Pierre Darmon	6–2 6–1 6–0
1957	Jacques Brichant	Bobby Wilson	9-11 6–3 6–2 7-9 6–4
1958	?	?	?
1959	István Gulyás	Torben Ulrich	0–6 4–6 9-7 6–4 3-3 retired
1960	Warren Woodcock	Barry Phillips-Moore	6–3 6–2 6–1
1961	Pierre Darmon	Warren Woodcock	6–2 6–4 2–6 6–1
1962	Pierre Darmon	Wilhelm Bungert	6–1 6–1 0–6 6–2
1963	Pierre Darmon	István Gulyás	8-10 6–3 6–2 7–5
1964	Sergio Tacchini	Jean-Noël Grinda	6–4 4-0 retired
1965	István Gulyás	Milan Holeček	6–1 6–1 7–5
1966	István Gulyás	Daniel Contet	6–1 6–0 13-11
1967	Jean-Pierre Courcol	Eduardo Zuleta	6–2 2–6 2–6 6–3 6–4
1968	Alex Metreveli	Barry Phillips-Moore	9-7 5–7 6–2 6–4
1969	Georges Goven	Eduardo Gorostiaga	?
1970	Jean-François Caujolle	Jean-Loup Rouyer	5–7 6–1 6–3

Women's singles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1899	Miss Brooksmith	Florence Waters	6–2 7–5
1900	Clara von der Schulenburg	Mrs Barrington	6–3 6–4
1901	Blanche Hillyard	Lillian Payne	7–5 6–3
1902	Clara von der Schulenburg	Gertrude Wilmoth	6–0 8-6
1903	Miss Lowther	Lily Addison	6–1 6–1
1904	Clara von der Schulenburg	C. Robertson	6–3 6–2
1905	Connie Wilson	Gertrude Wilmoth	6–4 6–1
1906	Miss Lowther	Lorna Gyton	8-6 6–2
1907	Miss Eastlake-Smith	Lily Addison	2–6 6–4 8-6
1908 [29]	Dorothea Lambert Chambers	Lorna Gyton	11-9 6–4
1909	Clara von der Schulenburg	Lorna Gyton	6–4 6–2
1910	R. V. Salusbury	Pearl Stewart	4–6 7–5 6–0
1911	Frl. Krohn	A. Wilmoth	6–3 6–2
1912	Jessie Tripp	Margaret Tripp	default
1913	Dagmar von Krohn	Blanche Colston	6–3 6–1
1914 [30]	Dorothea Lambert Chambers	M Stuart	6–2 6–0
1915	No competition (due to World War I)
1916
1917
1918
1919	Suzanne Lenglen	Doris Wolfson	6–0 6–0
1920	Geraldine Beamish	Suzanne Lenglen	default
1921	Suzanne Lenglen	M. Septier	6–1 6–1
1922	Elizabeth Ryan	Geraldine Beamish	3–6 6–3 6–1
1923	Suzanne Lenglen	Elizabeth Ryan	6–1 6–0
1924 [31]	Suzanne Lenglen	Phyllis Covell	6–2 6–1
1925 [32]	Suzanne Lenglen	Ermyntrude Harvey	walkover
1926 [33]	Helen Wills	Isabella Mumford	6–0 6–1
1927	Lilí Álvarez	Phyllis Satterthwaite	6–3 6–3
1928	Paula von Reznicek	Cilly Aussem	6–3 6–2
1929	Paula von Reznicek	Phyllis Covell	6-8 6–2 6–4
1930	Cilly Aussem	Carolyn Hirsch	6–0 6–2
1931	Phyllis Satterthwaite	Paulette Marjollet	6–1 6–3
1932	Elizabeth Ryan	Phyllis Satterthwaite	6–3 1–6 6–2
1933	Sheila Hewitt	Cilly Aussem	6–4 6–3
1934	Muriel Thomas	Mary Hardwick	6–1 6–0
1935	Simonne Mathieu	Edith Belliard	10-12 7–5 6–3
1936	Simonne Mathieu	Phyllis Satterthwaite	6–1 6–0
1937	Simonne Mathieu	Anita Lizana	6–3 2–6 7–5
1938	Gracyn Wheeler	Gem Hoahing	6–4 6–2
1939	Simonne Mathieu	Gracyn Wheeler	6–0 6–2
1940	No competition (due to World War II)
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946	Event not held
1947	Alice Weiwers	?	?
1948	Annelies Ullstein Bossi	?	?
1949	Myriam De Borman	?	?
1950	Gussie Moran	Josette Amouretti	6–0 6–0
1951	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry	4–6 6–3 6–3
1952	Marta Peterdy	?	?
1953	Joan Curry	Shirley Bloomer	6–4 6–1
1954	Joan Curry	Christiane Mercelis	7–5 6-8 12-10
1955	Anne-Marie Seghers	Joan Curry	6–1 6–4
1956	Christiane Mercelis	Ingrid Metzner	6–0 7–5
1957	Christiane Mercelis	Jacqueline Kermina	4–6 6–1 6–1
1958	Abandoned (due to rain)
1959	Yola Ramírez	Paule Courteix	6–2 6–4
1960	Edda Buding	Renate Ostermann	4–6 6–3 8-6
1961	Margaret Smith	Flo de la Courtie	9-7 6–4
1962	Zsuzsa Körmöczy	Rita Bentley	6–4 6–4
1963	Jan Lehane	Janine Lieffrig	7–5 6–2
1964	Almut Sturm	Christiane Mercelis	0–6 6–2 6–4
1965	Helga Schultze	Jill Blackman	7–5 6–2
1966	Sonja Pachta	Jill Blackman	6–4 6–4
1967	Winnie Shaw	Joan Gibson Cottrill	6–4 6–2
1968	Gail Sherriff	Robin Blakelock Lloyd	9-7 6–4
1969	Peaches Bartkowicz	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	6–3 6–4
1970	Helga Niessen	Julie Heldman	6–1 6–1
1971	Jill Cooper	Marijke Jansen Schaar	6–1 6–1

Notes

References

• Ayre's Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, A. Wallis Myers. UK.
• Dunlop Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, G.P. Hughes, 1939 to 1958, Published by Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd, UK.
• Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annuals and Compendia, Lowe, Sir F. Gordon, Eyre & Spottiswoode.

External links

• Nice Lawn Tennis Club
• https://app.thetennisbase.com/The South of France Championships-Roll of Honor
• http://www.tennisarchives.com/South of France Championships-Roll of Honor