Founded 1898 Surface Hard / Indoor | Abolished 2014 | |
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Location Memphis, Tennessee
United States Venue 1898 Winter Lawn Tennis Club, Newton Center, MA,
1900–1963 Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, NY,
1941 Oklahoma Coliseum, Oklahoma City, OK
1964–1976 Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, MD,
1977–2014 Racquet Club of Memphis, TN Category 500 series (until 2013)
250 series (in 2014) Instances 2014 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships | ||
The U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships was a professional tennis tournament that was last held at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The event was played on indoor hard courts and usually took place in February. For much of its more than 100-year history it was a combined men's and women's tournament but in 2014 only a men's tournament was organized. The event was previously known under various sponsored names including the Memphis Open, the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, the Kroger St. Jude Championship, and the Volvo Championships. It ended after the 2014 event.
History
The men's tournament began in March 1898 when the inaugural edition was played at the Newton Winter Tennis Club in Newton Center and Leo Ware won the title after defeating Holcombe Ward in the final in straight sets. There was no men's tournament in 1899 but in 1900 a men's doubles event was added and the tournament moved to the Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, New York, where it was played until 1963 with the exception of 1941 (Coliseum in Oklahoma City) and 1942–1945 (no tournament). In 1964 the tournament moved to Salisbury, Maryland, and was organized by Jimmy Connors' manager Bill Riordan. The last move occurred after the 1976 tournament, when Memphis became the host of the event and was the location of the tournament until its end in 2014. The men's tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit between 1976 and 1989 before becoming an ATP Tour event.
The women's tournament started in 1907 when they joined the men at the Seventh Regiment Armory location to form a combined tournament. Elisabeth Moore won the first title. The women's doubles event was added in 1908. The women played periods in New York (1907–1920, 1934–1940, and 1947–1953) and Longwood Courts at Chestnut Hill (1921–1933, 1941–1946, 1954–1966). From 1967 to 1972 the women played in Winchester. In 2002 the women rejoined the men in Memphis and in 2012 Memphis announced that it was renaming (restoring) the tournament to U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.
In 2002, a women's WTA Tour event in Oklahoma City was purchased and moved to Memphis; this event was renamed The Cellular South Cup. As Cellular South ended sponsoring the tournament after 2011, the event was renamed Memphis International.
The 2013 tournament was the last combined men's and women's tournament and was held February 16–24, 2013, at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Marina Erakovic was the last woman to win the title. In 2014 the WTA event moved to Rio de Janeiro. The men's tournament lost its ATP World Tour 500 series certification, which also moved to Rio de Janeiro, but continued an ATP 250 event known as the Memphis Open.