Manitoba Championships
Tennis tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Manitoba Championships, also known as the Province of Manitoba Championships[1] was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Manitoba and Northwest Territories Championships.[2] It was first played at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[3] The championships were part of the ILTF Circuit.
ILTF Circuit (1913-1947)
| Manitoba Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Tour | CLTA Circuit (1890-1912) ILTF Circuit (1913-1947) |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Abolished | 1947 |
| Location | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Venue | Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club |
| Surface | Grass (1885-1905) Clay (1906-1947) |
The tournament was also informally known as the Manitoba Open Championships.[4]
History
In 1882 the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club was founded.[5] In 1885 the club moved its location to the Manitoba College, where three new grass courts were built.[6] The club then staged the first Manitoba Championships with the winner of the men's singles title going to British-born player A. H. Dickens (a nephew of Sir Charles Dickens).[7]
The tournament was not held between 1915 and 1918 due to World War I.[8] In August 1920 the event was held jointly with the Canadian International Championships[9] with the victors assuming both titles: 'Champion of Canada and Champion of Manitoba'. The event was cancelled in 1942 and did not resume until 1946.[10] The championships were discontinued in 1947 and thereafter due to an combination of issues with maintenance and lack of funds due to falling membership levels.[11] The venue did not host another senior tour level event until 1998 when it hosted the Manitoba Ladies Challenger Tournament.[12]
The event was revived in the modern era as the Manitoba Clay Court Championships, and is now held at the Taylor Lawn Tennis Club, Winnipeg.[13]