Amelia Island Championships

Amelia Island Championships
Tournament information
Founded1980
Abolished2010
Editions31
LocationAmelia Island and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
United States
VenueAmelia Island Plantation and Sawgrass Country Club
CategoryInternational
SurfaceGreen Clay / outdoors
Draw32M / 32Q / 16D
Prize money$220,000

The Amelia Island Championships was a women's tennis tournament held in Amelia Island Plantation and later Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States. The Women's Tennis Association event was an International series tournament played on outdoor green clay courts from 1980 to 2010.

History

Formerly the Bausch & Lomb Championships, the tournament lost its title sponsor when Bausch & Lomb did not renew its contract following the 2008 event at Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island, Florida. Tournament organizers Octagon hired Axia Public Relations, a public relations firm, to find a new title sponsor. In August 2008, Axia and Octagon announced Fortune 1000 global staffing firm MPS Group (NYSE:MPS) of Jacksonville, Florida as the official tournament title sponsor. Octagon moved the annual event to Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach as part of the tournament changes to attract more attendees and enjoy upgraded facilities.

On May 21, 2010, The WTA announced that the event would not be held in 2011. The WTA wanted to reduce the number of spring clay court events and the tournament offered the smallest prize money. The WTA offered replacement dates in February and July, but no facility was available in February, and temperatures in July can be unbearable.[1]

One of the most unusual matches in the tournament's history occurred in the first round of the 2002 event. Anne Kremer defeated Jennifer Hopkins 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, with both players serving a combined 29 double faults. An investigation discovered that the court markings had been incorrectly measured, resulting in a smaller service box than normal.[2]

Sponsors

  • 1980–1983: Murjani WTA Championships
  • 1984: Lipton WTA Champions
  • 1984: NutraSweet WTA Championships
  • 1985–1986: Sunkist WITA Championships
  • 1987–2008 : Bausch & Lomb Championships
  • 2009–2010 : The MPS Group Championships

Past finals

Singles

Location Year Champions Runners-up Score
Amelia Island 1980 Czechoslovakia Martina Navratilova Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková 5–7, 6–3, 6–2
1981 United States Chris Evert Czechoslovakia Martina Navratilova 6–0, 6–0
1982 United States Chris Evert (2) United States Andrea Jaeger 6–3, 6–1
1983 United States Chris Evert (3) Canada Carling Bassett 6–3, 2–6, 7–5
1984 United States Martina Navratilova (2) United States Chris Evert 6–2, 6–0
1985 United States Zina Garrison United States Chris Evert 6–4, 6–3
1986 West Germany Steffi Graf West Germany Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(7–3)
1987 West Germany Steffi Graf (2) Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková 6–3, 6–4
1988 United States Martina Navratilova (3) Argentina Gabriela Sabatini 6–0, 6–2
1989 Argentina Gabriela Sabatini West Germany Steffi Graf 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
1990 West Germany Steffi Graf (3) Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6–1, 6–0
1991 Argentina Gabriela Sabatini (2) Germany Steffi Graf 7–5, 7–6
1992 Argentina Gabriela Sabatini (3) Germany Steffi Graf 6–2, 1–6, 6–3
1993 Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Argentina Gabriela Sabatini 6–2, 5–7, 6–2
1994 Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (2) Argentina Gabriela Sabatini 6–1, 6–4
1995 Spain Conchita Martínez Argentina Gabriela Sabatini 6–1, 6–4
1996 Romania Irina Spîrlea France Mary Pierce 6–7, 6–4, 6–3
1997 United States Lindsay Davenport France Mary Pierce 6–2, 6–3
1998 France Mary Pierce Spain Conchita Martínez 6–7(8–10), 6–0, 6–2
1999 United States Monica Seles Romania Ruxandra Dragomir 6–2, 6–3
2000 United States Monica Seles (2) Spain Conchita Martínez 6–3, 6–2
2001 France Amélie Mauresmo South Africa Amanda Coetzer 6–4, 7–5
2002 United States Venus Williams Belgium Justine Henin 2–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–5)
2003 Russia Elena Dementieva United States Lindsay Davenport 4–6, 7–5, 6–3
2004 United States Lindsay Davenport (2) France Amélie Mauresmo 6–4, 6–4
2005 United States Lindsay Davenport (3) Italy Silvia Farina Elia 7–5, 7–5
2006 Russia Nadia Petrova Italy Francesca Schiavone 6–4, 6–4
2007 France Tatiana Golovin Russia Nadia Petrova 6–2, 6–1
2008 Russia Maria Sharapova Slovakia Dominika Cibulková 7–6(9–7), 6–3
Ponte Vedra Beach 2009 Denmark Caroline Wozniacki Canada Aleksandra Wozniak 6–1, 6–2
2010 Denmark Caroline Wozniacki (2) Belarus Olga Govortsova 6–2, 7–5

Doubles

Location Year Champions Runners-up Score
Amelia Island 1980 United States Rosemary Casals
South Africa Ilana Kloss
United States Kathy Jordan
United States Pam Shriver
7–6, 7–6
1981 United States Kathy Jordan
United States Anne Smith
United States Joanne Russell
United States Pam Shriver
6–3, 5–7, 7–6
1982 United States Leslie Allen
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mima Jaušovec
United States Barbara Potter
United States Sharon Walsh
6–1, 7–5
1983 United States Candy Reynolds
South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank
Romania Virginia Ruzici
Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková
6–4, 6–2
1984 United States Kathy Jordan (2)
United States Anne Smith (2)
United Kingdom Anne Hobbs
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mima Jaušovec
6–4, 4–6, 6–4
1985 South Africa Rosalyn Fairbank (2)
Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková
Canada Carling Bassett
United States Chris Evert
6–1, 2–6, 6–2
1986 West Germany Claudia Kohde-Kilsch
Czechoslovakia Helena Suková
Argentina Gabriela Sabatini
France Catherine Tanvier
6–2, 5–7, 7–6
1987 West Germany Steffi Graf
Argentina Gabriela Sabatini
Czechoslovakia Hana Mandlíková
Australia Wendy Turnbull
3–6, 6–3, 7–5
1988 United States Zina Garrison Jackson
West Germany Eva Pfaff
United States Katrina Adams
United States Penny Barg-Mager
4–6, 6–2, 7–6
1989 Soviet Union Larisa Savchenko
Soviet Union Natasha Zvereva
United States Martina Navratilova
United States Pam Shriver
7–6, 2–6, 6–1
1990 Argentina Mercedes Paz
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Czechoslovakia Regina Rajchrtová
Hungary Andrea Temesvári
7–6, 6–4
1991 Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (2)
Czechoslovakia Helena Suková (2)
Argentina Mercedes Paz
Soviet Union Natasha Zvereva
4–6, 6–2, 6–2
1992 Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (3)
Belarus Natasha Zvereva (2)
United States Zina Garrison-Jackson
Czechoslovakia Jana Novotná
6–1, 6–0
1993 Switzerland Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière
Georgia (country) Leila Meskhi
South Africa Amanda Coetzer
Argentina Inés Gorrochategui
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
1994 Latvia Larisa Neiland
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (4)
South Africa Amanda Coetzer
Argentina Inés Gorrochategui
6–2, 6–7, 6–4
1995 South Africa Amanda Coetzer
Argentina Inés Gorrochategui
United States Nicole Arendt
Netherlands Manon Bollegraf
6–2, 3–6, 6–2
1996 United States Chanda Rubin
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (5)
United States Meredith McGrath
Latvia Larisa Neiland
6–1, 6–1
1997 United States Lindsay Davenport
Czech Republic Jana Novotná
United States Nicole Arendt
Netherlands Manon Bollegraf
6–3, 6–0
1998 United States Sandra Cacic
France Mary Pierce
Austria Barbara Schett
Switzerland Patty Schnyder
7–6, 4–6, 7–6
1999 Spain Conchita Martínez
Argentina Patricia Tarabini
United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Rennae Stubbs
7–5, 0–6, 6–4
2000 Rain prevented play
2001 Spain Conchita Martínez (2)
Argentina Patricia Tarabini (2)
United States Martina Navratilova
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
6–4, 6–2
2002 Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (6)
Argentina María Emilia Salerni
Sweden Åsa Svensson
6–4, 6–2
2003 United States Lindsay Davenport (2)
United States Lisa Raymond
Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez
7–5, 6–2
2004 Russia Nadia Petrova
United States Meghann Shaughnessy
Switzerland Myriam Casanova
Australia Alicia Molik
3–6, 6–2, 7–5
2005 Australia Bryanne Stewart
Australia Samantha Stosur
Czech Republic Květa Peschke
Switzerland Patty Schnyder
6–4, 6–2
2006 Japan Shinobu Asagoe
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik
South Africa Liezel Huber
India Sania Mirza
6–2, 6–4
2007 Italy Mara Santangelo
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik (2)
Spain Anabel Medina Garrigues
Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
6–3, 7–6(7–4)
2008 United States Bethanie Mattek
Czech Republic Vladimíra Uhlířová
Belarus Victoria Azarenka
Russia Elena Vesnina
6–3, 6–1
Ponte Vedra Beach 2009 Chinese Taipei Chuang Chia-jung
India Sania Mirza
Czech Republic Květa Peschke
United States Lisa Raymond
6–3, 4–6, [10–7]
2010 United States Bethanie Mattek-Sands (2)
China Yan Zi
Chinese Taipei Chuang Chia-jung
China Peng Shuai
4–6, 6–4, [10–8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fussman, Chet: "End of an era: First Coast loses women's tennis event after 31 years" Florida Times-Union, May 22, 2010
  2. ^ "Kremer Win Over Hopkins Stands". Midland Daily News. Retrieved 29 June 2020.

30°11′37″N 81°22′18″W / 30.19361°N 81.37167°W / 30.19361; -81.37167