The Gulf State Championships^[1] was a men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1892 as the Gulf Coast Championships.^[2] It was first played at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States in 1892.^[3] In 1968 the final edition was played at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after which when it was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit.^[3]

History

In 1892 the first Gulf Coast Championships (also known as the Tampa Bay Championships) were held in at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States and was played on outdoor hard cement courts.^[3] The first winner of the men's singles title was Albert Empie Wright,^[3] he defeated a former top 4 ranked English tennis player,^[4] Charles Walder Grinstead in the final, who was touring America at this time.^[5] The first gulf tournament ran until 1894 when it was discontinued. In 1901 the tournament was revived under the new name the Gulf State Championships held at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, New Orleans, Louisiana.^[6] The tournament continued to be held there until 1914.^[7] In 1968 the tournament was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit and became a USLTA regional event.^[3]

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
Gulf Coast Championships
1892	Tampa	Albert Empie Wright	Charles Walder Grinstead	6–2, 8–6, 6–1.[3]
1893[8]	Tampa	Bob Wrenn	Albert Empie Wright	6-2, 6–2, 6–2.[3]
1894	Tampa	Gregory Seeley Bryan	Bob Wrenn	w.o.[3]
Gulf State Championships
1901[9]	New Orleans	R.G. Hunt	?	?
1911	New Orleans	Wallace F. Johnson	Nat Thornton	6–3, 7–5, 6–2.[3]
1912	New Orleans	Wallace F. Johnson (2)	Frank Richard Woodbury	6–2, 6–0, 6-–2.[3]
1933	Shreveport	Arthur Hodges Hendrix	Hudson Russell Hamm Jr.	6–2, 6–0 6–2.[3]
1951	New Orleans	Jack Tuero	Ham Richardson	2–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1.[3]
1957	Baton Rouge	Tommy Robinson	Ron Fisher	4–6, 11–9, 7–5.[3]
1958	Baton Rouge	Larry Caton	Don Caton	7–5, 6–1, 1–6, 9–11, 6–4.[3]
1959	Baton Rouge	Ron Fisher	James G. Schmidt Sr	6–2, 6–8, 6–4.[3]
1960	Baton Rouge	Andy Lloyd	Tom Falkenburg	6–3, 6–3.[3]
1961	Baton Rouge	Jerry Walters	Clint Nettleton	5–7, 6–3, 6–2.[3]
1962	Baton Rouge	Jerry Walters (2)	Clint Nettleton	6–4, 4–6, 6–0.[3]
1963	Baton Rouge	Tom Karp	Upton Giles III	6–1, 6–3.[3]
1966	Baton Rouge	Steve Faulk	Robert Ecuyer	6–3, 6–4.[3]

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
Gulf Coast Championships
1893	Tampa	Miss Valentine Hobart	Miss Constance Talmage	6–4, 6–3, 6–3.
1894	Tampa	Miss Valentine Hobart	Miss Elizabeth Stroud	6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Gulf State Championships
1903	New Orleans	Mrs. R. C. Montgomery	May Logan	6–4, 6–4
1906	New Orleans	May Logan	?.	?
1914	New Orleans	Ethelyn Legendre	May Logan	3–6, 6–2 6–2
1916	New Orleans	Mrs Irving Murphy	Ethelyn Legendre	6–1, 6–2
1933	Shreveport	Charlotte MacQuiston	LaVerne Stages	4–6, 6–1, 6–2
1934[10]	Shreveport	Charlotte MacQuiston (2)	?	?
1957	Baton Rouge	Carolyn Rogers	Sue Zigerbein	6–0, 6–2
1958	Baton Rouge	Carolyn Rogers (2)	Sylvia Bradley	6–3, 6–2
1961[11]	Baton Rouge	Carolyn Rogers (3)	Kitty Moody	6–4, 6–1
1963	Baton Rouge	Patsy Lowdon	Putsy Trice	4–6, 8–6, 6–3

References