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The Italian Open Championships

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#1 · (Edited)
Italian Open Championships

Held on clay, in Milan until 1934, in Rome in '35, from '50 to '60, from '62 to '79, and from '87 forward, in Turin in '61, in Perugia from '80 to '84, in Taranto in '85

1930 Lili de Alvarez (Sp) d. Lucia Valerio 3-6 8-6 6-0
1931 Lucia Valerio d. Dorothy Burke (US) 2-6 6-2 6-2
1932 Ida Adamoff (Frn) d. Lucia Valerio 6-4 7-5
1933 Elizabeth Ryan (US) d. Ida Adamoff (Frn) 6-1 6-1
1934 Helen Jacobs (US) d. Lucia Valerio 6-3 6-0
1935 Hilde Sperling (Ger) d. Lucia Valerio 6-4 6-1
1936-1949 not held

1950 Annalissa Bossi d. Joan Curry (GB) 6-4 6-4
1951 Doris Hart (US) d. Shirley Fry (US) 6-3 8-6
1952 Susan Partridge (GB) d. Patricia Harrison (GB) 6-3 7-5
1953 Doris Hart (US) d. Maureen Connolly (US) 4-6 9-7 6-3
1954 Maureen Connolly (US) d. Pat Ward (GB) 6-3 6-0
1955 Pat Ward (GB) d. Erika Vollmer (Ger) 6-4 6-3
1956 Althea Gibson (US) d. Suzi Kormoczy (Hun) 6-3 7-5
1957 Shirley Bloomer (GB) d. Dottie Knode 1-6 9-7 6-2
1958 Maria Bueno (Brz) d. Lorraine Coghlan (Aus) 3-6 6-3 6-3
1959 Christine Truman (GB) d. Sandra Reynolds (SA) 6-0 6-1

1960 Suzi Kormoczy (Hun) d. Ann Haydon (GB) 6-4 4-6 6-1
1961 Maria Bueno (Brz) d. Lesley Turner (Aus) 6-4 6-4
1962 Margaret Smith (Aus) d. Maria Bueno (Brz) 8-6 5-7 6-4
1963 Margaret Smith (Aus) d. Lesley Turner (Aus) 6-3 6-4
1964 Margaret Smith (Aus) d. Lesley Turner (Aus) 6-1 6-1
1965 Maria Bueno (Brz) d. Nancy Richey (US) 6-1 1-6 6-3
1966 Ann Haydon Jones (GB) d. Annette van Zyl (SA) 8-6 6-1
1967 Lesley Turner (Aus) d. Maria Bueno (Brz) 6-3 6-3
1968 Lesley Turner (Aus) d. Margaret Smith Court (Aus) 6-2 2-6 6-3
1969 Julie Heldman (US) d. Kerry Melville (Aus) 7-5 6-4

1970 Billie-Jean King (US) d. Julie Heldman (US) 6-1 6-3
1971 Virginia Wade (GB) d. Helga Masthoff (Ger) 6-4 6-4
1972 Linda Tuero (US) d. Olga Morozova (USSR) 6-4 6-3
1973 Evonne Goolagong (Aus) d. Chris Evert (US) 7-6 6-0
1974 Chris Evert (US) d. Martina Navratilova (Cz) 6-3 6-3
1975 Chris Evert (US) d. Martina Navratilova (Cz) 6-1 6-0
1976 Mima Jausovec (Yug) d. Lesley Hunt (Aus) 6-1 6-3
1977 Janet Newberry (US) d. Renata Tomanova (Cz) 6-3 7-6
1978 Regina Marsikova (Cz) d. Virginia Ruzici (Rum) 7-5 7-5
1979 Tracy Austin (US) d. Sylvia Hanika (Ger) 6-4 1-6 6-3

1980 Chris Evert-Lloyd (US) d. Virginia Ruzici (Rum) 5-7 6-2 6-2
1981 Chris Evert-Lloyd (US) d. Virginia Ruzici (Rum) 6-1 6-2
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd (US) d. Hana Mandlikova (Cz) 6-0 6-3
1983 Andrea Temesvari (Hun) d. Bonnie Gadusek (US) 6-1 6-0
1984 Manuela Maleeva (Bul) d. Chris Evert-Lloyd (US) 6-3 6-3
1985 Raffaella Reggi d. Vicky Nelson (US) 6-4 6-4
1986 not held
1987 Steffi Graf (Ger) d. Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) 7-5 4-6 6-0
1988 Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) d. Helen Kelesi (Can) 6-1 6-7 6-1
1989 Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) d. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Sp) 6-2 5-7 6-4
1990 Monica Seles (Yug) d. Martina Navratilova (US) 6-1 6-1

1991 Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) d. Monica Seles (Yug) 6-3 6-2
1992 Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) d. Monica Seles (Yug) 7-5 6-4
1993 Conchita Martinez (Sp) d. Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) 7-5 6-1
1994 Conchita Martinez (Sp) d. Martina Navratilova (US) 7-6 6-4
1995 Conchita Martinez (Sp) d. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Sp) 6-3 6-1
1996 Conchita Martinez (Sp) d. Martina Hingis (Swt) 6-2 6-3
1997 Mary Pierce (Frn) d. Conchita Martinez (Sp) 6-4 6-0
1998 Martina Hingis (Swt) d. Venus Williams (US) 6-3 2-6 6-3
1999 Venus Williams (US) d. Mary Pierce (Frn) 6-4 6-2

2000 Monica Seles (US) d. Amélie Mauresmo (Frn) 6-2 7-6
2001 Jelena Dokic (Aus) d. Amélie Mauresmo (Frn) 7-6 6-1
2002 Serena Williams (US) d. Justine Hénin (Bel) 7-6 6-4
2003 Kim Clijsters (Bel) d. Amélie Mauresmo (Frn) 3-6 7-6 6-0
2004 Amélie Mauresmo (Frn) d. Jennifer Capriati (US) 3-6 6-3 7-6
2005 Amélie Mauresmo (Frn) d. Patty Schnyder (Swt) 2-6 6-3 6-4
2006 Martina Hingis (Swt) d. Dinara Safina (Rus) 6-2 7-5
2007 Jelena Jankovic (Ser) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 7-5 6-1
2008 Jelena Jankovic (Ser) d. Alize Cornet (Frn) 6-2 6-2
2009 Dinara Safina (Rus) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 6-3 6-2

2010 Maria José Martinez-Sanchez (Sp) d. Jelena Jankovic (Ser) 7-6 7-5
2011 Maria Sharapova (Rus) d. Sam Stosur(Aus) 6-2 6-4

Most Titles

05 Chris Evert------------Won 1974-1975 and 1980-82. Chris made the finals a record 7 times.
04 Conchita Martinez-----Won 1993-1996. A record 4 consecutive titles and 5 consecutive finals.
04 Gabriela Sabatini------Won 1988-89 and 1991-92. d #1 player 3 times-Navratilova(87),Seles (91-92)
03 Maria Bueno-----------Won 1958, 1961, and 1965
03 Margaret Smith Court--Won 1962-1964.

* Monica Seles won the title in 1990 and 2000-a record 10 year gap between singles titles.

*This event was one of the few major titles that ever eluded Martina Navratilova. Navratilova was a 4 time finalist-a record number of finals without winning the title. Martina played near the start (1974 and 1975 finals) and the end (1990 and 1994 finals-her last year on tour in singles) of her career, but skipped the Italian from 1976 to 1986, her peak years.

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The Italian Open is the youngest of the great national championships, having begun in 1930. In that inaugural year, Bill Tilden carried off the men’s title and Lilli de Alvarez the women’s crown. That first tournament and the four which followed it were held in Milan but in 1935 the event was moved to the Foro Italico in Rome. The stadium, which had been built in 1925 close to the Colosseo in the neo-classical style in vogue at that time as it evoked the greatness of Ancient Rome, is surrounded by giant marble statues and pine trees and one of the most beautiful tennis arenas in the world.

The citizens of Rome had to wait until 1950 for the next edition of the “Internazionali d’Italia” as the championship was suspended from 1936-49 because of the Abyssinian and Second World Wars. In 1961, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the modern Italian state, the tournament was held in Turin, the capital of Piedmont, whose King had become King of Italy in 1861. Throughout the 50s and 60s, the women’s event enjoyed its heyday, regularly attracting almost all the top players who were playing the European clay court circuit. During this period, it was seen as the most important event outside the Grand Slams. The first open edition was held in 1969, the Italian federation having resisted calls to declare the tournament open the previous year.

As the 1970s progressed, however, the event suffered heavily from the establishment of the Virginia Slims circuit and World Team Tennis. Nevertheless, it continued to attract the all the players who were not committed to WTT and remained the principal warm-up event for Roland Garros. In 1979, following the collapse of WTT, the WTA, in association with Colgate, made a major effort to restore the championships to their former glory. The women held their own separate event at the Foro Italico and the draw included six former champions. However, the 32-player draw meant that after completion of the first round, there were only 15 matches left to play and the crowds stayed away in droves. Because of this setback, the event was moved to Perugia the following year, where it stayed until 1984. The 1985 Taranto tournament, with prize money of only $50,000, was accorded the title of the Italian Open in 1985, but bore little resemblance to the championships of old. In 1986, a $75,000 event, the Ellesse Grand Prix, was staged at Perugia but the Italian federation refused to acknowledge it as the Italian Open. At that time, plans were already laid to bring the women’s championships back to the Foro Italico in Rome in 1987 in conjunction with IMG. Since 1987, the tournament re-established itself as the second most important event in the European clay-court season together with the German Championships. After the demise of Berlin it remains as the second most prestigous clay court event in existence.

In 2012 the women combined with the men in Rome for the first time since 1978.

Major thanks go out to Andy T (who provided the initial winners list and many summaries) and Jimbo, who extended the winners lists. Thanks to Ugarte for many scores from the 1930s.
 
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#27 · (Edited)
1968

As the tournament was not declared “Open”, contracted professionals Billie Jean King, Ann Jones, Frankie Durr and Rosie Casals were barred from entering. The top seed and defending champion Lesley Turner was a surprise winner over second seeded favourite Margaret Court, who was suffered a bout of nerves in her first major clay-court final since her comeback. 4th seed Virginia Wade provided the fireworks when she lost her temper with the umpire and then the match against Faye Toyne-Moore in round of 32.
 
#28 · (Edited)
1969

1969 At the first Italian "Open", Julie Heldman was the shock winner, dispatching holder Turner in the quarters, Ann Jones in the semis, where she came back from 46 34 to win 46 64 61, and then Kerry Melville, conqueror of Billie Jean King 63 60 in their quarter final. Wade again provided the scandal, losing to Peaches Bartkowicz in the last 16 “in a bad-tempered match in which Miss Wade made certain comments that will go down in tennis history.” John Oakley, World of Tennis 1970, p86.
 
#29 · (Edited)
1970


Dates: Week of April 20
Site: Foro Italico, Rome

QF: Billie Jean King [1] d. Helga Masthoff 1-6 6-2 6-4

SF: King [1] d. Wade [4] 3-6 7-5 6-3

FI: Billie Jean King [1] d. Julie Heldman [2] 6-1 6-3

FI: Rosie Casals/Billie Jean King d. Francoise Durr/Virginia Wade 6-2, 3-6, 9-7

Billie Jean King won her first major clay court title aged 26. The semi-final against Wade, which ended 36 75 63, was played on Centre Court and enthralled the crowd. King saved two match points at 4-5 in the second set and at 5-6, the 12th game contained 21 deuces and lasted for 22 minutes. Wade saved 7 set points and held 16 game points. This was probably the longest game ever played between women. Earlier in that set, King saved three match points at 4-5.

King and Wade put on one of the greatest matches ever:

 
#30 · (Edited)
1971


The women’s tournament was staged in collaboration with WCT, who ran the men’s event. There was only a draw of 16 for the women and the field was relatively weak. After years of providing the thrills and spills at the championships, Virginia Wade finally claimed victory, beating Niessen-Masthoff in the final for her most prestigious clay-court victory.

Summary by Andy T
 
#31 · (Edited)
1972


Top-seeded defending champion Virgina Wade was the only big name in the draw but went out to Schildeknechkt-Orth 6-2 6-3 in the last 16. Third-seeded American Linda Tuero beat second-seeded Masthoff 7-5 0-6 6-2 in the semis and unseeded Olga Morozova in the final. This win is the highlight of Tuero's career. Her style could be classified as "human backboard"-rarely missing a shot.

Tuero's off court claim to fame was marrying author William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist


 
#32 · (Edited)
1973

The tournament was held after Roland Garros and, in the absence of French Open winner Margaret Court, the players she had beaten in the last two rounds in Paris, Evonne Goolagong and Chris Evert, occupied the top two seeding positions in their début year in Rome. Evert, having come so close in Paris and having beaten Evonne three times in succession, was the favourite. However, Evonne did not lose a set all tournament and inflicted a 76 60 defeat on Chrissie in 69 minutes. Evert led 3-1 in the first set but Evonne caught fire and lost just 11 points in the second set whitewash. Wade caused havoc again – refusing to shake hands with Marijke Schaar after her 1st rd victory and calling her a cheat. She lost to Kemmer in the 2nd round 64 16 75 after leading 54 in the third set.

A link to rare footage of the 1973 final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVbXJ270HCY


Summary by Andy T
 
#33 · (Edited)
1974

Chris Evert, 19, beat 17-year-old Martina Navratilova 63 63. Chris had dropped two sets en route to the title match. She was pushed to 4-4 in the third set by Maria Neumannova in an early round and beat Morozova 61 16 60 in the semi final. Navratilova reached the final with a 46 76 76 victory over Masthoff in 2 hours 45 minutes. The final set tie-break score was 14-12 and Martina won on her 8th match point, Masthoff having had two of her own. In keeping with tradition, Wade lost her temper and her quarter-final against Pat Walkden-Pretorius because the umpire was talking to a baseline judge on another court between rallies. Her 5-1 first set lead vanished as she lost 57 36.

Chris Evert in Rome

 
#34 · (Edited)
1975

In the absence of King, Court and Goolagong, all playing Team Tennis in the States, Evert swept through the tournament majestically. She lost 13 games in 5 matches and clinched the title with a 1 & 0 humiliation of 2 seed Navratilova in the final in just 44 minutes. She said afterwards,“it must have been the worst that Martina has ever played against me”
 
#35 · (Edited)
1976


With all the top players now committed to World Team Tennis, the European clay court season was left to the second tier. Mima Jausovec, #4 seed, beat Lesley Hunt #3 seed in the final. Top seeded Sue Barker fell 61 61 to Regina Marsikova in the quarters. Former champ Maria Bueno made her return to the Foro Italico but went out in the first round to Kathy Harter 26 64 62.

Summary by Andy T
 
#36 · (Edited)
1977

Janet Newberry, who had ousted Navratilova in the 1r of the US Open on clay the previous September, survived the onslaught of the best East Europeans to lift the title. Seeded 5, she beat Neumannova, conqueror of top seed Jausovec, 26 64 61 and Tomanova 63 76 in the last two rounds.

Summary by Andy T
 
#38 · (Edited)
1979


With World Team Tennis having folded, the Italian Open had its strongest field for many years. Former champion Jausovec went out in the first round to Austin, and Newberry and Marsikova went out in the second round to Evert and Madruga respectively. Once again Ginny made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, going out to Iris Reidel-Kuhn in her opening match.

In her 125th consecutive clay court victory, Evert dropped a set to Ivanna Madruga in the qf.
At 46 62 42, she looked to be on her way to victory #126 against Tracy Austin but the sixteen year-old pulled back to force a tie-break, in which she opened up a 5-1 lead. Evert won the next three points to move within three points of victory but it was Austin who closed out the match after almost three hours of play, winning 64 26 76 (4). In the other half of the draw, unseeded Sylvia Hanika took out #4 Fromholtz 63 16 62 and #8 Goolagong 75 36 75 before surrendering to Austin 64 16 63 in the final.
 
#41 · (Edited)
1982

Evert took the title with a 60 63 drubbing of Mandlikova, who had been taken to three sets in her semi-final by 38 year-old Billie Jean King (36 61 63). Chris became the second woman to win three straight Italian Open titles. '79 finalist Hanika was beaten 60 06 63 by King in the quarter-finals.
 
#42 · (Edited)
1983

Dates: May 2-8
Site: Perugia, Italy
Prize Money: $150,000 (=to a current day Tier II event)
Draw=56

3R: Kathy Horvath (US) d Virginia Ruzici (Rom)[1] 7-6 6-4

QF: Horvath d. Christiane Jolissaint (Swt) 6-4 6-1
QF: Bonnie Gadusek (US)[4] d. Jo Durie (GB)[7] 6-2 6-3
QF: Andrea Temesvari (Hun) [3] d. Helena Sukova (Cz)[8] 6-4 6-1
QF: Kathy Rinaldi (US) [2] d. Laura Arraya (Per) 4-6 6-3 6-2

SF: Gadusek [4] d. Horvath 6-1 3-6 6-1
SF: Temesvari [3] d. Rinaldi [2] 6-0 6-0

FI: Andrea Temesvari [3] d. Bonnie Gadusek [4] 6-1 6-0

DF: Virginia Ruzici (Rom)/Virginia Wade (GB) d. Ivanna Madruga-Osses (Arg)/Catherine Tanvier (Frn) 6-3 2-6 6-1

Andrea Temesvari won her biggest title in devastating form. She beat Helena Sukova 6-1 6-0, Kathy Rinaldi 6-0 6-0 and Bonnie Gadusek 6-1 60 i-n the last three rounds. Andrea's mix of heavy hitting interspersed with net forays beats out her more cautious baseline sisters.

Early rounds saw #1 seed Ruzici fall to Horvath and #5 seed Evonne Goolagong default.


Andrea wearing her trademark headband. 1983 was her best year by far, as she won 3 titles and finished in the world top ten.

 
#43 · (Edited)
1984


In a rain-drenched tournament which necessitated a late finish on the Monday, Chris Evert failed at the last hurdle to win a 6th Italian open title. On that final day, eventual champion Manuela Maleeva defeated in succession Ruzici 76 46 62 in a match that had spanned 4 days and Carling Bassett 62 62 before upsetting Evert 63 63. Evert, who had beaten Lisa Bonder 61 61 in the semi, was affected by the disrupted schedule and never got going in the final.
 
#46 · (Edited)
1987

1987 marked the return of the women to the Foro Italico for the first time since 1979 and all the top-ranked players in the world except Evert were there. The top 4 seeds made the semi finals: Graf (#1) beat Sukova (#3) 63 63 and Sabatini (#4) beat Navratilova (#2) 76 (2) 61. At the end of her match, Navratilova, who had led 5-2 with set point in the first set, collapsed in tears. In the final, Graf extended her h2h lead over Sabatini to 6-0 with a 75 46 60 victory in which she came back from 2-5 and set point down in the opening set. The Italian press cruelly cast Steffi in the role of the beast against Gaby’s beauty and Graf, offended, vowed not to return to the tournament.

A youtube link to the celebrated Sabatini-Navratilova semi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC1J7IsPNlk&feature=related
 
#47 · (Edited)
1988

In her last Italian Open appearance, Evert was forced to default her 3r match against Helen Kelesi, who later beat Reggi in the qf and Sanchez in the sf. Evert made the headlines anyway, as she was received by the Pope at the Vatican. Sabatini emerged triumphant, beating Hanika, Wiesner and Kelesi.

Here are some pics of Gabriela Sabatini at the Italian Open, clearly her best tournament.
This is from around 1988 or 1989



La Bella Gabriella

Thanks to Gabybackahnd for suplying the photo of Sabatini.
 
#48 · (Edited)
1989

The event suffered a major blow when Evert and Navratilova withdrew at the 11th hour, as both abandoned the entire clay court season. Manuela Maleeva was #2 but 4th seeded Sanchez pushed eventual champion Sabatini the hardest in a thrilling three-setter 62 57 64 and provided an inkling as to what would happen at Roland Garros later on.


Links to the final:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxO77dtKJcE
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcxA55j20hw&feature=relmfu
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAjTAszlEgY&feature=relmfu
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsapTP-tjls&feature=relmfu
 
#49 · (Edited)
1990

Navratilova beat Martinez 62 60 (her only win over Conchita) and Sabatini 76 75 in the semi-final in a desperate bid to win a tournament that was missing from her list but was swept aside bt Seles 61 61 in final. Helen Kelesi beat Sanchez #3 64 75 in the third round and made the semis but lost 61 62 to Seles, who conceded just 14 games in 5 matches overall.

Youtube links:

Capriati vs Sabatini (QF) and Seles vs Kelesi in the semis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLakEq1CKYU&feature=relmfu

Seles d Kelesi and Navratilova vs Sabatini in the semis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6nao6yQp-s&feature=relmfu

A dramatic Navratilova-Sabatini semi at night in front of an excited crowd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6nao6yQp-s&feature=relmfu

The final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41sUURAXNWU&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj_YYMAawcU
 
#50 · (Edited)
1991


Gabriela Sabatini probably played some of her best tennis at this event, and her game in the 1991 and 1992 finals is some of the best tennis she exhibited. She lost early in her last appearances in 1994 and 1995, but from 1987 to 1993, out of 7 events, she won four and reached two finals and a semi. Really impressive, considering she beat the number 1 player 3 times (1987 Navratilova and Seles in 1991 and 1992).

In 1991 her game was flawless, and these were her rivals and the scores:

1R: Gabriela Sabatini- (Arg)-bye

2R: Sabatini d Amanda Coetzer, Amanda (SA) 6-2 6-2

3R Sabatini: Nathalie Tauziat (Frn) 6-0 6-1

QF: Sabatini d Jennifer Capriati (UA) 6-0 6-2
QF: Conchita Martinez (Sp) d Martina Navratilova (US) [3] 6-3 6-2

SI: Sabatini d Conchita Martinez (Sp) 6-1 6-0

FI: Gabriela Sabatini (Arg) d Monica Seles (US) 6-3 6-2

Here is a youtube link to the final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO7EmwnPDlc&feature=related
__________________

These two from her win in 1991







Thanks to Gabybackhand for a lot of the summary for Sabatini and the pictures
 
#81 ·
1991

Sabatini defeated Martinez 61 62 and Seles 63 62 to win her third title. Navratilova, the 3rd seed, was thwarted by Martinez 63 64 in the quarters.
I want to mention that Gabriela Sabatini probably played some of her best tennis at this event, and her game in the 1991 and 1992 finals is some of the best tennis I've ever seen. She lost early in her last appearances in 1994 and 1995, but from 1987 to 1993, out of 7 events, she won four and reached two finals and a semi. Really impressive, considering she beat the number 1 player 3 times (1987 Navratilova and Seles in 1991 and 1992).
In 1991 her game was flawless, and these were her rivals and the scores:
R64 BYE
R32 Coetzer, Amanda (RSA) 6-2 6-2
R16 Tauziat, Nathalie (FRA) 6-0 6-1
Q Capriati, Jennifer (USA) 6-0 6-2
S Martinez, Conchita (ESP) 6-1 6-0
F Seles, Monica (USA) 6-3 6-2
 
#51 · (Edited)
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