The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships is an annual
ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organ ...
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
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
that started in 1910. It is the last remaining ATP World Tour-level tournament in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to be played on
clay courts.
The tournament began in 1910 when the Western Lawn Tennis Association (a section of the United States Lawn Tennis Association now known as the USTA/Midwest) lobbied the USLTA that a National Clay Court Championship would help promote the establishment of more clay courts in the West. Clay courts were more economical to install and maintain than grass courts, and the hope was that the lower costs associated with court construction would allow for a more rapid expansion of the game. The first National Clay Court Championships were held at the Omaha Field Club with a crowd of 5,000 watching the finals. Participation and play on clay grew as a result of the event and others, and in 1914 the event was moved to the
Cincinnati Tennis Club
The Cincinnati Tennis Club was founded in 1880 just five years after tennis was introduced in America, and is today one of the oldest active tennis clubs in the United States.
History
Stewart Shillito, the son of John Shillito, the founder of the ...
. It has since been played in numerous cities, with long stints in
River Forest and
Indianapolis, and is today held in
Houston, Texas. Between 1970 and 1989 it was part of the
Grand Prix Tennis Tour
The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. The Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis (WCT) were the two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, with t ...
as part of the
Grand Prix Super Series
The Grand Prix Super Series of men's tennis tournaments was part of the Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis tours between 1970 and 1989. They were held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. These tournamen ...
of events (1974–1977). During the stint in Indianapolis from 1969 through 1986 the tournament was a combined men's and women's event.
Relocation
The event was held at the Houston
Westside Tennis Club
The Club Westside is a private tennis club located in Houston, Texas. It was the former home (2001–2007) to the ATP Tour U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. Gallery Furniture Stadium, located on the club's premises, was the home of th ...
from 2001–07. In May 2007, the
U.S. Tennis Association announced that the
River Oaks Country Club
River Oaks Country Club is a country club in the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston, Texas. The club has hosted the River Oaks International Tennis Tournament since 1931. It is located at 1600 River Oaks Boulevard, Houston TX 77019.
History
Rive ...
in the
River Oaks
River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael H ...
neighborhood would host the tournament starting in 2008, keeping the event in Houston for several years. Other cities that competed for the event were
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...
, and
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach is a wealthy unincorporated seaside community and suburb of Jacksonville, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jackson ...
. The tournament pays out
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
474,000 with the winner receiving
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
85,900. The River Oaks venue features a stadium with seating for 3,000 with temporary seating for 500 for the second court.
In 2007, after a few years being held on the same red clay used at the
French Open, the event was held on
Har-Tru
A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate depending on the tournament.
...
green clay. In 2008, the event went to a maroon color of Har-Tru clay as the River Oaks Country Club renovated their courts in 2005. After renovating their courts again in late 2008, the surface remained the same.
Past finals
Singles
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
holds the record for most titles (7).
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
and
Frank Parker co-hold the record of most finals (8).
Doubles (open era)
Records
Men's singles
Source: The Tennisbase included
*Most titles:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
, (7)
*Most consecutive titles:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
, (6)
*Most finals:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
, (8)
*Most consecutive finals:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
, (6)
*Most matches played:
Tut Bartzen, (64)
*Most matches won:
Frank Parker, (56)
*Most consecutive match wins:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
, (36)
*Most editions played:
Seymour Greenberg and
Grant Golden, (16)
*Best Match winning %:
Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...
(97.96%)
*Longest final:
Seymour Greenberg v Harris Everett, result: 5–7, 7–5, 7–9, 7–5 (66 games), (1942)
*Shortest final:
Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman (born 30 May 1976) is a Swedish tennis coach and retired professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 2 singles ranking on June 12, 2000. His career highlights include re ...
v
Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas (; born November 25, 1977), often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired tennis player from Argentina. He was born in Buenos Aires and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. Cañas won the Canada Masters i ...
, result: 6–0, 6–3 (15 games), (1999)
*Title with the least games lost:
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors.
Agassi is the second of five men to ac ...
, (23), (2003)
*Oldest champion:
Samuel Hardy, 40y 7m and 18d, (1917)
*Youngest champion:
Frank Parker, 17y 5m and 3d, (1933)
See also
*
Charleston Open
The Credit One Charleston Open, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open and the Family Circle Cup, is a WTA Tour-affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. It is the oldest professional all-women's tournament in ...
–
WTA clay court event held in the United States
*
U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships The U.S. Open Clay Courts, known formally as the U.S. Clay Court Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association. The first edition was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1912, ...
*
River Oaks International Tennis Tournament
The River Oaks International Tennis Tournament, also known as the River Oaks Invitational Tennis Tournament, was a men's tennis tournament held in early spring from 1931 until 2007 at the River Oaks Country Club, Houston, Texas, USA. The tournament ...
References
Sources
* References used for the Pre-Open Era locations and champions: ''United States Lawn Tennis Association Yearbook'' (1942–'44, '48–49, '51, '53. '55–56, '60, '64, '66 & '69), ''Spalding Lawn Tennis Annual'' (1916, '24–'28, '30–'31 & '39), ''Wright & Ditson's Lawn Tennis Annual'' (1911–'14, 1921, 1932–'33, '35 & '37), ''New York Times'' articles (1910–'14, '16, '18–'19 & '21–'22), ''From Club Court to Center Court'' by Phillip S. Smith (2007 Edition, page 67).
External links
*
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament profileVideo of 1958 tournament in River Forest, IL
{{coord, 29.753, N, 95.424, W, region:US-TX_type:landmark_scale:50000, display=title
Tennis tournaments in the United States
Clay court tennis tournaments
Sports in Houston
Recurring sporting events established in 1910