The Wolverhampton Open^[1] was a combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1897 as the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Tournament. The first tournament was staged at Parkdale, Wolverhampton from 1897 to 1900 before it was discontinued in 1900. In 1903 a second tournament was revived and played in Newbridge, in Wolverhampton, where it ran until 1974.^[2]

History

The Wolverhampton Open was established as the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Tournament in 1897,^[3][4] under auspices of the Albert Lawn Tennis Club, Parkdale, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Midlands - before it was discontinued in 1900. In 1903 a second Wolverhampton tournament was revived by Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Club, in Newbridge.^[5] In 1931 the tournament was renamed as the Wolverhampton Open Lawn Tennis Tournament.^[6] By the 1950s it was branded as the Wolverhampton Open and ran until 1974.^[7] In 1970 the event was marketed under the brand name the Bio-Strath Wolverhampton Open as part of the Bio-Strath Circuit, it remained part of that tour through till 1971.^[8]

Notable winners of the men's singles title included; Sydney Howard Smith, Cam Malfroy, George Lyttleton-Rogers, Claude Lister, Tony Pickard, Bill Hoogs Jr., Frew McMillan, and Andrew Pattison.^[9] Winners of the women's singles title included; Phoebe Holcroft Watson, Dorothy Holman, Rita Bentley, Angela Mortimer, Ann Haydon Jones, Faye Toyne, Mary Habicht, Kerry Melville and Valerie Ziegenfuss.

Venues

The Albert Lawn Tennis Club was founded at Parkdale, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire around 1894.^[10] It staged the first Wolverhampton tennis tournament until 1900. In 1903 a second Wolverhampton tournament was revived by the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Club (f. 1885),^[11] in Newbridge, Wolverhampton.

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Winners	Runners-up	Score
↓  LTA Circuit  ↓
Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Tournament
1897	Sydney Howard Smith	Charles Henry Ridding	6–0, ret.[2]
1898	Sydney Howard Smith (2)	Wilberforce Eaves	6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2.[2]
1900	Wilberforce Eaves	John Mycroft Boucher	7–5, 7–5, 6–3.[2]
Wolverhampton Tennis Tournament
1905	Edward Roy Allen	Alfred Beamish	4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 8–6, 6–4.[2]
1910	Edward Joseph Sampson[12]	Xenophon Kasdaglis	6–2, 8–6.[2]
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
1915/1919	Not held (due to World War I)
1924[13]	Hassan Ali Fyzee	Edward (Teddy) Higgs	3-2 sets.[14]
1929	Donald Greig	George Meredith	6–2, 7–5.[2]
Wolverhampton Open Lawn Tennis Tournament
1930	George Meredith	Thomas Slater	6–4, 3–6, 6–3.[2]
1934	Cam Malfroy	Ryuki Miki	6–2, 6–1.[2]
1935	George Lyttleton Rogers	Umberto De Morpurgo	6–3, 8–6.[2]
1939	Jack Moore	Claude Lister	2–6, 6–1, 7–5.[2]
1940/1946	Not held (due to World War II)
1947	Claude Lister	Jack Moore	4–6, 7–5, 9–7.[2]
1948	Claude Lister (2)	John B. Griffith	8–6, 9–7.[2]
1949	Claude Lister (3)	John B. Griffith	6–4, 6–3.[2]
Wolverhampton Open
1950	W.P.W. Anderson	George Godsell	6–3, 2–6, 6–2.[2]
1951	N.E. Hooper	J.B. Payne	6–1, 6–1.[2]
1952	Rex H. Hack	John C. Upton	6–4, 6–3.[2]
1953	J.C. Upton	K.G. Jones	6–4, 6–1.[2]
1954	Claude Lister (4)	K.G. Jones	6–2, 8–6.[2]
1955	M.A. Harris	L.M. Kilby	6–2, 7–5.[2]
1956	M.L. Booth	L.M. Kilby	6–4, 6–2.[2]
1957	K.G. Jones	P.G. Wainwright	4–6, 6–1, 6–2.[2]
1959	Robin Sanders	John Maloney	4–6, 6–4, 6–1.[2]
1960	Tony Pickard	David Samaai	6–2, 5–7, 6–3.[2]
1961	Will Coghlan	Roger Taylor	6–4, 6–1.[2]
1962	Frew McMillan	John B. Hillebrand	6–4, 6–4.[2]
1963	Frew McMillan (2)	Roy W. Dixon [15]	6–4, 4–6, 7–5
1964	Billy Knight	Frew McMillan	6–3, 4–6, 6–4.[2]
1965	Billy Knight (2)	Patricio Cornejo	9–7, 6–3.[2]
1966	Bill Hoogs Jr.	Onny Parun	6–4, 8–6.[2]
1967	Jaroslav Drobný	Billy Knight	6–8, 6–4, 6–3.[2]
1968	Keith Carpenter	Graydon Garner	6–4, 7–5.[2]
↓  Open era  ↓
Bio-Strath Wolverhampton Open
1970	Frew McMillan (3)	Hank Irvine	6–4, 4–6, 6–4.[2]
1971	Andrew Pattison	Peter Doerner	6–3, 6–2.[2]
Wolverhampton Open
1974	Alvin Gardiner	Roger Webb	6–2, 6–2.[2]

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Winners	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
Wolverhampton Tennis Tournament
1920	Marie Hazel	Mrs South	6–1, 6–2
1921	Marie Hazel (2)	Mrs Bellord	6–3, 6–0
1922	Marie Hazel (3)	Miss Wynne	6–1, 6–0
1923	Marie Hazel (4)	Phoebe Holcroft	6–4, 7–5
1924[16]	Jessie Russell Colegate	Marie Hazel	6–0, 6–2
1925	Irene Maltby	Kathleen Lidderdale Bridge	6–4, 4–6, 6–3
1926	M. Wynne	Irene Maltby	6–2, 6–4
1927	Marie Hazel (5)	Irene Maltby	6–1, 6–8, 8–6
1928	Dorothy Round	Marie Hazel	8–6, 4–6, 6–3
1930	Dorothy Round (2)	Marie Hazel	6–1, 6–2
Wolverhampton Open Lawn Tennis Tournament
1931	Phoebe Holcroft Watson	Jackie McAlpine	6–3, 6–2
1932	Dorothy Round (3)	Mrs H. Page	6–1, 6–2
1933	Mie Johnstone	Mrs H. Page	6–3, 6–4
1934	Dorothy Round (4)	Grace Vaughton	6–1, 6–2
1935	Christabel Wheatcroft	Gladys Southwell	6–3, 6–3
1936	Christabel Wheatcroft (2)	Barbara Freisenbruch	6–0, 6–2
1937	Mrs H. Page	Isobel Cooke	7–5, 6–1
1939	Elsie Hamilton	Mary Norman	6–4, 6–3
1940/1946	Not held (due to World War II)
1947	Sally Stoney Lister	Elsie Hamilton Phillips	6–1, 6–4
1948	Sally Stoney Lister (2)	Isabel Follows	6–2, 6–2
1949[17]	Elsie Hamilton Phillips	Patricia Cowney	8–6, 6–3
Wolverhampton Open
1950	Patricia Cowney	Gillian Gittings Worrall	6–3, 6–3
1951	Elsie Hamilton Phillips (2)	Molly Wadlow Stone	6–2, 6–2
1952	Elsie Hamilton Phillips (3)	Molly Wadlow Stone	6–3, 6–3
1953	Y. Toyne	L. Bishop	6–4, 0–6, 6–4
1954	Sally Stoney Lister (3)	Jane Godfrey	7–5, 6–3
1955	Molly Wadlow Stone	Jane Godfrey	12–10, 3–6, 7–5
1956	Valerie Pitt	Molly Wadlow Stone	6–4, 6–1
1957	Mrs R. Worrall	Mrs L. Newman	3–6, 6–0, 6–1
1958	Rita Bentley	Hazel Austin Cheadle	8–6, 6–2
1959	Angela Mortimer	Ann Haydon	6–1, 6–4
1960	Angela Mortimer (2)	Rita Bentley	8–6, 9–7
1961	Ann Haydon	Lynn Hutchings	6–0, 6-1
1962	Hazel Cheadle	Eleanor O'Neill	6–1, 1–6, 6–3
1963	Ann Haydon Jones (2)	Renée Schuurman	9–7, 1–6, 6–4
1964[18]	Faye Toyne	Alison Stroud	6–1, 6–3
1965	Mary Habicht	Jean Haskew	4–6, 6–4, 6–1
1966	Susan Tutt	Jean Haskew	6–1, 6–1
1968	Valerie Ziegenfuss	Janice Townsend	divided title
↓  Open era  ↓
Bio-Strath Wolverhampton Open
1970	Kerry Melville	Sue Alexander	6–2, 6–2
1971	Janice Townsend Wainwright	Maria Guzman	6–3, 6–2
Wolverhampton Open
1974	Jenny Dimond	Jenny Helliar	2–6, 6–1, 6–1

Event Names

• Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis Tournament (1897-1900)
• Wolverhampton Tennis Tournament (1903-30)
• Wolverhampton Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (1931-49)
• Wolverhampton Open (1950-69)
• Bio-Strath Wolverhampton Open (1970-71)
• Wolverhampton Open (1972-74)

References