Southern California Open

Mercury Insurance Open
Tournament information
Founded 1971
Location Carlsbad, California
United States
Venue La Costa Resort and Spa
Category WTA Tier I
(2004–2007)
WTA Premier tournaments
(2010–2013)
WTA 125K Series
(2015–
Surface Hardcourt / Outdoor
Draw 32S / 16SQ / 16D
Prize money US$125,000

The Southern California Open is a WTA 125K Series affiliated professional women's tennis tournament held at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

History

The event was formed in 1984 by Raquel Giscafré as the Ginny of San Diego.[1][2] Prior to this there had been two previous women's tennis tournaments in San Diego: a Virginia Slims event in 1971 and the Wells Fargo Open, which ran from 1979 to 1982. Giscafre's former doubles partner, Jane Stratton, attained co-ownership of the tournament from 1986 until the event's cessation. The tournament has had various principal sponsors throughout its history, and has been played under the headings of the Great American Bank Classic, the Mazda Classic and the Toshiba Classic. The tournament was known for its strong player fields, location in the hills and atmosphere.

Although the tournament achieved Tier I status only in 2004, it became a draw to the heavyweights in women's tennis since its inception in the 1980s, being a crucial warm-up tournament leading to the US Open. Past champions of the tournament include former world number ones Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, and Maria Sharapova. Six players won the tournament more than once, four of them consecutively. Graf holds the record for most wins (4); Venus Williams holds the record for most consecutive titles (3).

The tournament was suspended after the 2007 edition. On September 7, 2009, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced the return of professional women's tennis to San Diego in 2010, under the sponsorship of Mercury Insurance. The Mercury Insurance Open was renamed the Southern California Open starting in 2013.

In 2014, the event was relocated to Tokyo, Japan.[3]

The tournament became the Carlsbad Classic in 2015, hosted by the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California, from November 23–29.[4] As a WTA 125K Series event, the Carlsbad Classic[5] featured a 32-player singles main draw, an 8-player qualifying draw, and an 8-team doubles draw with $125,000 in prize money. It is the first WTA tournament held during Thanksgiving week.

Sponsor history:

Past finals

Singles

Prior tournaments in San Diego area

Year Champions Runners-up Score
1971 United States Billie Jean King United States Rosemary Casals 3–6, 7–5, 6–1
Year Champions Runners-up Score
1979 United States Tracy Austin United States Martina Navratilova 6–4, 6–2
1980 United States Tracy Austin (2) Australia Wendy Turnbull 6–1, 6–3
1981 United States Tracy Austin (3) United States Pam Shriver 6–2, 5–7, 6–2
1982 United States Tracy Austin (4) United States Kathy Rinaldi 7–6, 6–3

Subsequent and current organized event

Year Champions Runners-up Score
1984 United States Debbie Spence United States Betsy Nagelsen 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–4
1985 United Kingdom Annabel Croft Australia Wendy Turnbull 6–0, 7–6(7–5)
1986 United States Melissa Gurney United States Stephanie Rehe 6–2, 6–4
1987 Italy Raffaella Reggi Australia Anne Minter 6–0, 6–4
1988 United States Stephanie Rehe United States Ann Grossman 6–1, 6–1
1989 West Germany Steffi Graf United States Zina Garrison 6–4, 7–5
1990 West Germany Steffi Graf (2) Switzerland Manuela Maleeva Fragnière 6–3, 6–2
1991 United States Jennifer Capriati Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Monica Seles 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(7–2)
1992 United States Jennifer Capriati (2) Spain Conchita Martínez 6–3, 6–2
1993 Germany Steffi Graf (3) Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
1994 Germany Steffi Graf (4) Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6–2, 6–1
1995 Spain Conchita Martínez United States Lisa Raymond 6–2, 6–0
1996 Japan Kimiko Date Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 3–6, 6–3, 6–0
1997 Switzerland Martina Hingis United States Monica Seles 7–6(7–4), 6–4
1998 United States Lindsay Davenport France Mary Pierce 6–3, 6–1
1999 Switzerland Martina Hingis (2) United States Venus Williams 6–4, 6–0
2000 United States Venus Williams United States Monica Seles 6–0, 6–7(3–7), 6–2
2001 United States Venus Williams (2) United States Monica Seles 6–2, 6–3
2002 United States Venus Williams (3) Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Jelena Dokić 6–2, 6–2
2003 Belgium Justine Henin Belgium Kim Clijsters 3–6, 6–2, 6–3
  Tier I tournament  
2004 United States Lindsay Davenport (2) Russia Anastasia Myskina 6–1, 6–1
2005 France Mary Pierce Japan Ai Sugiyama 6–0, 6–3
2006 Russia Maria Sharapova Belgium Kim Clijsters 7–5, 7–5
2007 Russia Maria Sharapova (2) Switzerland Patty Schnyder 6–2, 3–6, 6–0
2008–2009 Not Held
2010 Russia Svetlana Kuznetsova Poland Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 6–7(7–9), 6–3
2011 Poland Agnieszka Radwańska Russia Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–4
2012 Slovakia Dominika Cibulková France Marion Bartoli 6–1, 7–5
2013 Australia Samantha Stosur Belarus Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 6–3
2014 Not held
  WTA 125K tournament  
2015 Belgium Yanina Wickmayer United States Nicole Gibbs 6–3, 7–6(7–4)

Doubles

Prior

Year Champions Runners-up Score
1971 United States Rosemary Casals
United States Billie Jean King
France Françoise Dürr
Australia Judy Tegart Dalton
6–7, 6–2, 6–3
Year Champions Runners-up Score
1979 United States Rosemary Casals (2)
United States Martina Navratilova
United States Betty Ann Grubb Stuart
United States Ann Kiyomura
3–6, 6–4, 6–2
1980 United States Tracy Austin
United States Ann Kiyomura
United States Rosemary Casals
Australia Wendy Turnbull
3–6, 6–4, 6–3
1981 United States Kathy Jordan
United States Candy Reynolds
United States Rosemary Casals
United States Pam Shriver
6–1, 2–6, 6–4
1982 United States Kathy Jordan (2)
United States Paula Smith
Brazil Patricia Medrado
Brazil Cláudia Monteiro
6–3, 5–7, 7–6

Subsequent & current

Year Champions Runners-up Score
1984 United States Betsy Nagelsen
United States Paula Smith (2)
United States Terry Holladay
Poland Iwona Kuczyńska
6–2, 6–4
1985 United States Candy Reynolds (2)
Australia Wendy Turnbull
South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank
Australia Susan Leo
6–4, 6–0
1986 United States Beth Herr
United States Alycia Moulton
United States Elise Burgin
South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank
5–7, 6–2, 6–4
1987 Czechoslovakia Jana Novotná
France Catherine Suire
United States Elise Burgin
United States Sharon Walsh
6–3, 6–4
1988 United States Patty Fendick
Canada Jill Hetherington
United States Betsy Nagelsen
South Africa Dinky Van Rensburg
7–6(12–10), 6–4
1989 United States Elise Burgin
South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank
United States Gretchen Magers
United States Robin White
4–6, 6–3, 6–3
1990 United States Patty Fendick (2)
United States Zina Garrison
United States Elise Burgin
South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer
6–4, 7–6(7–5)
1991 Canada Jill Hetherington (2)
United States Kathy Rinaldi
United States Gigi Fernández
France Nathalie Tauziat
6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1992 Czechoslovakia Jana Novotná (2)
Commonwealth of Independent States Larisa Neiland
Spain Conchita Martínez
Argentina Mercedes Paz
6–1, 6–4
1993 United States Gigi Fernández
Czech Republic Helena Suková
United States Pam Shriver
Australia Elizabeth Smylie
6–4, 6–3
1994 Czech Republic Jana Novotná (2)
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
United States Ginger Helgeson
Australia Rachel McQuillan
6–3, 6–3
1995 United States Gigi Fernández (2)
Belarus Natasha Zvereva
France Alexia Dechaume-Balleret
France Sandrine Testud
6–2, 6–1
1996 United States Gigi Fernández (3)
Spain Conchita Martínez
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Latvia Larisa Neiland
4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1997 Switzerland Martina Hingis
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (2)
United States Amy Frazier
United States Kimberly Po
6–3, 7–5
1998 United States Lindsay Davenport
Belarus Natasha Zvereva (2)
France Alexandra Fusai
France Nathalie Tauziat
6–2, 6–1
1999 United States Lindsay Davenport (2)
United States Corina Morariu
United States Serena Williams
United States Venus Williams
6–4, 6–1
2000 United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Rennae Stubbs
United States Lindsay Davenport
Russia Anna Kournikova
4–6, 6–3, 7–6(8–6)
2001 Zimbabwe Cara Black
Russia Elena Likhovtseva
Switzerland Martina Hingis
Russia Anna Kournikova
6–4, 1–6, 6–4
2002 Russia Elena Dementieva
Slovakia Janette Husárová
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Japan Ai Sugiyama
6–2, 6–4
2003 Belgium Kim Clijsters
Japan Ai Sugiyama
United States Lindsay Davenport
United States Lisa Raymond
6–4, 7–5
  Tier I tournament  
2004 Zimbabwe Cara Black (2)
Australia Rennae Stubbs (2)
Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez
4–6, 6–1, 6–4
2005 Spain Conchita Martínez (2)
Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Japan Ai Sugiyama
6–7(7–9), 6–1, 7–5
2006 Zimbabwe Cara Black (3)
Australia Rennae Stubbs (3)
Germany Anna-Lena Grönefeld
United States Meghann Shaughnessy
6–2, 6–2
2007 Zimbabwe Cara Black (4)
United States Liezel Huber
Russia Anna Chakvetadze
Belarus Victoria Azarenka
7–5, 6–3
2008–2009 Not Held
2010 Russia Maria Kirilenko
China Zheng Jie
United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Rennae Stubbs
6–4, 6–4
2011 Czech Republic Kvĕta Peschke
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik
United States Raquel Kops-Jones
United States Abigail Spears
6–0, 6–2
2012 United States Raquel Kops-Jones
United States Abigail Spears
United States Vania King
Russia Nadia Petrova
6–2, 6–4
2013 United States Raquel Kops-Jones (2)
United States Abigail Spears (2)
Chinese Taipei Chan Hao-ching
Slovakia Janette Husárová
6–4, 6–1
2014 Not held
2015 Brazil Gabriela Cé
Paraguay Verónica Cepede Royg
Georgia (country) Oksana Kalashnikova
Germany Tatjana Maria
1–6, 6–4, [10–8]

See also

References and footnotes

  1. "Acura has come a long way, baby, but its run is ending". Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  2. Keith Kattan Raising Big Smiling Tennis Kids: A Complete Roadmap for Every Parent and Coach 2006 Page 208 "players-turned-entrepreneurs like Jane Stratton and Raquel Giscafré, who run a prestigious WTA tournament in San Diego "
  3. "Carlsbad WTA tournament moves to Tokyo". tennis.com. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  4. "Carlsbad Classic". Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  5. "Carlsbad Classic Tennis Homepage". Retrieved 29 October 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
United States Miami
Favorite WTA Tier I – II Tournament
1996
Succeeded by
United States Indian Wells
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