The Boulogne International Championship or Championnat international de Boulogne or simply called the Boulogne International was a combined men's and women's open clay court tennis tournament established in 1887 and was first played at the Tennis Club Boulogne-sur-Mer,

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The tournament became part of ILTC Circuit and was staged until 1938.

History

In 1885 the Tennis Club Boulogne-sur-Mer was founded by Lady Kate Wood, wife of General Sir Henry Hastings Affleck Wood. In 1887, the lawn tennis club inaugurated a major international tournament. Winners of the tournament was at first dominated by players from the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

with the most successful men's players being Wilberforce Vaughan Eaves, Roy Allen and Francis Gordon Lowe. The first non British men's player to win was the German player Robert Kleinschroth in 1908. He was the brother of

Heinrich Kleinschroth Heinrich Kleinschroth (; 15 March 1890 – 10 January 1979) was an amateur German tennis player who found success in the early 20th century, mainly in doubles competitions. Tennis career At the age of 20 he became the Catalan champion by winning ...

who also played tennis. The first French men's player to win the Boulogne International Championship was Georges Octave Manset in 1913. The ladies tournament was similarly dominated by British players in its early years by

Aurea Farrington Edgington Aurea Edgington (21 February 1878 – 27 April 1967) (née Aurea Farrington) was a British tennis player originally from Ottery St Mary, Devon, England. She was active from 1900 to 1930. She was a semi finalist in the women's singles at the 1909 ...

, Lottie Paterson, Henrietta Govey and Jane Corder. Following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the first French woman to win the title was Suzanne Lenglen in 1920. From the beginning of the 1920s until the tournament was discontinued due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it was monopolized by winning players from

. Following the second world war the tournament was resumed but never regained its initial prestige in attracting notable international players. The tournament, however, is still being held today.Tennis Club Boulogne-sur-Mer

References

{{Reflist, 2 Clay court tennis tournaments Defunct tennis tournaments in France