The 1961 Australian Championships was a
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
tournament that took place on outdoor
grass court
A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Grass courts are made of grasses in different compositions depending on the tournament.
Although grass c ...
s at the
Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club
Kooyong Stadium, at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, is an Australian tennis venue, located in the Melbourne suburb of Kooyong. The stadium, was built in 1927, and has undergone several renovations.
It has a seating capacity of slightly more t ...
,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia from 20 to 30 January. It was the 49th edition of the Australian Championships (now known as the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
), the 14th held in Melbourne, and the first
Grand Slam tournament of the year. The singles titles were taken by
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. He is the only male player to have completed a caree ...
and
Margaret Smith Margaret Smith or Maggie Smith may refer to:
People
*Margaret Smith Court, known as Margaret Court (born 1942), Australian tennis player
*Margaret A. Smith, superintendent of Volusia County Schools
*Margaret Bayard Smith (1778–1844), American aut ...
.
Finals
Men's singles
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. He is the only male player to have completed a caree ...
defeated
Rod Laver
Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...
1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
Women's singles
Margaret Smith Margaret Smith or Maggie Smith may refer to:
People
*Margaret Smith Court, known as Margaret Court (born 1942), Australian tennis player
*Margaret A. Smith, superintendent of Volusia County Schools
*Margaret Bayard Smith (1778–1844), American aut ...
defeated
Jan Lehane
Janice Patricia "Jan" Lehane O'Neill OAM (née Lehane; born 9 July 1941) is a former Australian female tennis player. She was the first leading female player with a double-handed backhand.
She won the singles title at the New South Wales Champ ...
6–1, 6–4
Men's doubles
Rod Laver
Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...
/
Bob Mark defeated
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson (born 3 November 1936) is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. He is the only male player to have completed a caree ...
/
Marty Mulligan
Martin "Marty" Mulligan (born 18 October 1940) is a former tennis player from Australia. He is best known for reaching the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1962, where he was defeated by fellow Australian Rod Laver.
Personal life
Mulligan w ...
6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 9–11, 6–2
Women's doubles
Mary Carter Reitano
Mary Carter Reitano (''née'' Carter; born 29 November 1934) is a former tennis player from Australia.
As a junior player she won the girls' singles title at the Australian Championships in 1951 and 1952.
Reitano won the singles title at th ...
/
Margaret Smith Margaret Smith or Maggie Smith may refer to:
People
*Margaret Smith Court, known as Margaret Court (born 1942), Australian tennis player
*Margaret A. Smith, superintendent of Volusia County Schools
*Margaret Bayard Smith (1778–1844), American aut ...
defeated
Mary Bevis Hawton
Mary Renetta Hawton (née Bevis; 4 September 1924 – 18 January 1981) was a tennis player from Australia. Her career ranged from the 1940s to the 1950s.
Hawton won the women's doubles title at the Australian Championships five times. In 1958 s ...
/
Jan Lehane
Janice Patricia "Jan" Lehane O'Neill OAM (née Lehane; born 9 July 1941) is a former Australian female tennis player. She was the first leading female player with a double-handed backhand.
She won the singles title at the New South Wales Champ ...
, 6–4, 3–6, 7–5
Mixed doubles
Jan Lehane
Janice Patricia "Jan" Lehane O'Neill OAM (née Lehane; born 9 July 1941) is a former Australian female tennis player. She was the first leading female player with a double-handed backhand.
She won the singles title at the New South Wales Champ ...
/
Bob Hewitt
Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15 major titles and a career Grand Slam in both men' ...
defeated
Mary Carter Reitano
Mary Carter Reitano (''née'' Carter; born 29 November 1934) is a former tennis player from Australia.
As a junior player she won the girls' singles title at the Australian Championships in 1951 and 1952.
Reitano won the singles title at th ...
/
John Pearce, 9–7, 6–2
References
External links
Australian Open official website
{{1961 in tennis
Australian Championships
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
Australian Championships (tennis) by year
January 1961 sports events in Australia