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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.[1] The tournament was the oldest in the country to still be played at its original site, in the original stadium. The tournament was founded by cotton broker Jack Norton.[2] From the very beginning, the River Oaks International was an invitational amateur tournament, and was not associated with the professional tennis associations. From the start, the field was filled with a few stars and then local candidates filled out the rest of the field. The inaugural edition in April 1931, which made a loss of $1,500, was won by 19-year-old Ellsworth Vines.[3][4] The tournament was not held during the World War II years 1942–1945.[5]

River Oaks International
Defunct tennis tournament
TourGrand Prix (1971)
WCT (1972–1977)
Grand Prix (1978–1981)
WCT (1982–1984)
Founded1931
Abolished2007
Editions73
LocationHouston, Texas, U.S.
VenueRiver Oaks Country Club
SurfaceClay / outdoor

In 1971 the tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit while from 1973 until 1977 it formed part of the World Championship Tennis circuit.[2][6] One of the landmark tournament events was in 1974, the championship match was broadcast before a national audience; thirty-four-year-old Rod Laver, met heir apparent, seventeen-year-old Björn Borg. Laver, who in 1961 became the first foreign player to win the singles title, won in straight sets and became the first man to hold four singles championships at River Oaks.[7]

In 2008, the River Oaks International was merged with one of the oldest, and last remaining clay court tournaments in the United States, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.[8][9]

Finals

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Singles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1931   Ellsworth Vines   Bruce Barnes 6–3, 6–4, 10–8
1932   Wilmer Allison   Jake Hess 8–6, 6–3, 6–2
1933   Frank Parker   George Lott 7–5, 10–12, 6–4, 6–2
1934   Lester Stoefen   Wilmer Allison 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1935   Bryan Grant   Wilmer Allison 6–3, 1–6, 6–4, 6–4
1936   Bryan Grant   Wilmer Allison 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0
1937   Bryan Grant   Wilmer Allison 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–5
1938   Wayne Sabin   Ernest Sutter 6–4, 4–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–2
1939   Frank Guernsey   Frank Kovacs 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, 6–3
1940   Robert Riggs   Bryan Grant 7–5, 6–3, 7–5
1941   Frank Kovacs   Bryan Grant 6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 6–3
1942 No competition (due to WWII)
1943
1944
1945
1946   Gardnar Mulloy   William Talbert 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
1947   Jack Kramer   Gardnar Mulloy 6–1, 6–0, 6–2
1948   Frank Parker   William Talbert 9–7, 6–2, 6–1
1949   Ted Schroeder   William Talbert 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
1950   Robert Falkenburg   Ted Schroeder 6–0, 15–13, 3–6, 6–4
1951   Arthur Larsen   Herbert Flam 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 10–8
1952   Gardnar Mulloy   Arthur Larsen 6–3, 3–6, 3–6, 8–6, 6–4
1953   Gardnar Mulloy   Vic Seixas 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2
1954   Dick Savitt   Ham Richardson 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
1955   Tony Trabert   Vic Seixas 6–0, 6–1, 6–4
1956   Ham Richardson   Vic Seixas 7–5, 6–0, 3–6, 6–4
1957   Herbert Flam   Mervyn Rose 7–5, 6–1, 6–4
1958   Barry MacKay   Luis Ayala 8–10, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
1959   Bernard Bartzen   Dick Savitt 2–6, 7–5, 4–6, 0–2 retired
1960   Barry MacKay   Neale Fraser 7–5, 6–3, 6–4
1961   Rod Laver   Roy Emerson 7–5, 7–5, 1–6, 6–3
1962   Rod Laver   Roy Emerson 6–1, 7–5, 7–5
1963   Manuel Santana   Chuck McKinley 6–4, 13-11, 3–6, 2–6, 6–4
1964   Roy Emerson   Nikola Pilić 6–1, 6–4, 6–2
1965   Ramanathan Krishnan   Cliff Richey 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3
1966   Marty Mulligan   Nikola Pilić 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 0–6, 4–5
1967   John Newcombe   Tony Roche 6–2, 7–5, 6–3
1968   Cliff Richey   Boro Jovanović 6–4, 6–1, 6–0
1969   Željko Franulović   Rafael Osuna 7–5, 6–3, 6–2
1970   Clark Graebner   Cliff Richey 2–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2
1971   Cliff Richey   Clark Graebner 6–1, 6–2, 6–2
1972   Rod Laver   Ken Rosewall 6–2, 6–4
1973   Ken Rosewall   Fred Stolle 6–4, 6–1, 7–5
1974   Rod Laver   Björn Borg 7–6, 6–2
1975   Ken Rosewall   Cliff Drysdale 6–4, 6–7, 6–4
1976   Harold Solomon   Ken Rosewall 6–4, 1–6, 6–1
1977   Adriano Panatta   Vitas Gerulaitis 7–6, 6–7, 6–1
1978   Brian Gottfried   Ilie Năstase 3.6, 6–2, 6–1
1979   José Higueras   Gene Mayer 6–3, 2–6, 7–6
1980   Ivan Lendl   Eddie Dibbs 6–1, 6–3
1981   Guillermo Vilas   Sammy Giammalva Jr. 6–2, 6–3
1982   Ivan Lendl   José Luis Clerc 3–6, 7–6, 6–0, 1–4 retired
1983   Ivan Lendl   Paul McNamee 6–2, 6–0, 6–3
1984   Mark Dickson   Sammy Giammalva Jr. 6–3, 6–2
1985   Paul McNamee   Anders Järryd 7–6, 4–6, 6–4
1986   Jimmy Arias   Mats Wilander 6–2, 2–6, 6–1
1987   Jimmy Arias   Jonas Svensson 6–2, 6–4
1988   Henri Leconte   Michael Chang 4–6, 7–6, 6–3
1989   Magnus Gustafsson   Bruno Orešar 6–2, 6–0
1990   Richey Reneberg   Magnus Gustafsson 6–4, 6–4
1991   Magnus Gustafsson   Magnus Larsson 6–7, 7–6, 6–1
1992   Bryan Shelton   Jeff Tarango 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
1993   Richey Reneberg   Todd Martin 5–7, 6–3, 6–3
1994   Magnus Larsson   Richey Reneberg 6–4, 6–2
1995   Mikael Tillström   Richard Fromberg 6–3, 6–4
1996   Christian Ruud   Jeff Tarango 3–6, 6–3, 7–5
1997   Jason Stoltenberg   Alex O'Brien 6–2, 4–6, 7–5
1998   Mariano Zabaleta   Xavier Malisse 7–6, 6–2
1999   Vince Spadea   Jason Stoltenberg 6–4, 6–2
2000   Magnus Larsson   Roger Federer 3–6, 6–1, 7–5
2001   Andrei Pavel   Christian Ruud 6–3, 6–4
2002   Michel Kratochvil   Wayne Ferreira 6–4, 4–6, 7–6
2003   James Blake   Wayne Ferreira 6–2, 4–6, 6–3
2004   Jiří Novák &
  Hugo Armando		 Title shared
2005   James Blake   Dmitri Tursunov 6–2, 6–3
2006   Victor Hănescu   Juan Mónaco 6–7, 6–4, 7–5
2007   Dmitri Tursunov   Nicolás Massú 2–6, 1–0 retired
2008 see U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "River Oaks: Showcase Of Tennis". Sports Illustrated. April 20, 1959. pp. 22–26.
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. p. 307. ISBN 9780047960420.
  3. ^ Dale Robertson (April 4, 2004). "River Oaks stages 70th edition of quaint event that boasts legend-filled history". www.chron.com. Houston Chronicle.
  4. ^ "River Oaks Tennis Title Won by Vines". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Apr 13, 1931.
  5. ^ Dale Robertson (April 7, 2012). "On tennis: Players love center court at River Oaks". The Houston Chronicle.
  6. ^ "River Oaks Tennis To Have New Look". Schenectady Gazette. Apr 2, 1973.
  7. ^ "Laver Snaps River Oaks Tennis Jinx". The Pittsburgh Press. Apr 17, 1961.
  8. ^ "U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships". www.mensclaycourt.com. ROCC.
  9. ^ "River Oaks tennis tourney finds way to endure". The Houston Chronicle. April 5, 2009.
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