U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

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U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships

ATP Tour
Location	Houston, Texas United States
Venue	River Oaks Country Club
Category	International Series
Surface	Clay / Outdoors
Draw	32S/32Q/16D
Prize Money	$416,000
Website	Men's Clay Court

The U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships is an annual ATP Tour tennis tournament which started in 1910. It is the last remaining ATP Tour-level tournament in the United States to be played on clay courts.

The tournament began in 1910 when the Western Lawn Tennis Association (a section of the United States Lawn Tennis Association now known as the USTA/Midwest) lobbied the USLTA that a National Clay Court Championship would help promote the establishment of more clay courts in the West. Clay courts were more economical to install and maintain than grass courts, and the hope was that the lower costs associated with court construction would allow for a more rapid expansion of the game. The first National Clay Court Championships were held at the Omaha Field Club with a crowd of 5,000 watching the finals. Participation and play on clay grew as a result of the event and others, and in 1914 the event was moved to the Cincinnati Tennis Club. It has since been played in numerous cities and is today held in Houston, Texas.

1 Newest Home
2 Men's singles finals
- 2.1 Pre-Open Era Locations, Champions, Finalists and Score
3 References
4 Additional References
5 External links

[edit] Newest Home

The event was held at the Westside Tennis Club from 2001-2007. On May 8, 2007 the U.S. Tennis Association announced that the River Oaks Country Club in the River Oaks neighborhood would host the tournament staring in 2008, which will keep the event in Houston for several years. Other cities that competed for the event were Atlanta, Georgia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament pays out US$415,000 with the winner receiving US$65,850. The River Oaks venue features a stadium with seating for 3,000. Temporary seating for 500 will be installed for the second court.^[1]

In 2007, after a few years being held on the same red clay used at the French Open, the event was held on Har-Tru green clay. In 2008, the event returned to red clay as the River Oaks red-clay courts were installed in 2005.

[edit] Men's singles finals

Houston, Texas - River Oaks Country Club
Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
2008	Marcel Granollers Pujol	James Blake	6-4, 1-6, 7-5
Houston, Texas - Westside Tennis Club
2007	Ivo Karlović	Mariano Zabaleta	6-4, 6-1
2006	Mardy Fish	Jürgen Melzer	3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2005	Andy Roddick	Sébastien Grosjean	6-2, 6-2
2004	Tommy Haas	Andy Roddick	6-3, 6-4
2003	Andre Agassi	Andy Roddick	3-6, 6-3, 6-4
2002	Andy Roddick	Pete Sampras	7-6⁹, 6-3
2001	Andy Roddick	Hyung-Taik Lee	7-5, 6-3
Orlando, Florida
2000	Fernando González	Nicolás Massú	6-2, 6-3
1999	Magnus Norman	Guillermo Cañas	6-0, 6-3
1998	Jim Courier	Michael Chang	7-5, 3-6, 7-5
1997	Michael Chang	Grant Stafford	4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Pinehurst, North Carolina
1996	Fernando Meligeni	Mats Wilander	6-4, 6-2
1995	Thomas Enqvist	Javier Frana	6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Birmingham, Alabama
1994	Jason Stoltenberg	Gabriel Markus	6-3, 6-4
Charlotte, North Carolina
1993	Horacio de la Peña	Jaime Yzaga	3-6, 6-3, 6-4
1992	MaliVai Washington	Claudio Mezzadri	6-3, 6-3
1991	Jaime Yzaga	Jimmy Arias	6-3, 7-5
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
1990	David Wheaton	Mark Kaplan	6-4, 6-4
Charleston, South Carolina
1989	Jay Berger	Lawson Duncan	6-4, 6-3
1988	Andre Agassi	Jimmy Arias	6-2, 6-2
Indianapolis, Indiana
1987	Mats Wilander	Kent Carlsson	7-5, 6-3
1986	Andrés Gómez	Thierry Tulasne	6-4, 7-6
1985	Ivan Lendl	Andrés Gómez	6-1, 6-3
1984	Andrés Gómez	Balázs Taróczy	6-0, 7-6
1983	Jimmy Arias	Andrés Gómez	6-4, 2-6, 6-4
1982	José Higueras	Jimmy Arias	7-5, 5-7, 6-3
1981	José Luis Clerc	Ivan Lendl	4-6, 6-4, 6-2
1980	José Luis Clerc	Mel Purcell	7-5, 6-3
1979	Jimmy Connors	Guillermo Vilas	6-1, 2-6, 6-4
1978	Jimmy Connors	José Higueras	7-5, 6-1
1977	Manuel Orantes	Jimmy Connors	6-1, 6-3
1976	Jimmy Connors	Wojtek Fibak	6-2, 6-4
1975	Manuel Orantes	Arthur Ashe	6-2, 6-2
1974	Jimmy Connors	Björn Borg	5-7, 6-3, 6-4
1973	Manuel Orantes	Georges Goven	6-4, 6-1, 6-4
1972	Bob Hewitt	Jimmy Connors	7-6, 6-1, 6-2
1971	Željko Franulović	Cliff Richey	6-3, 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
1970	Cliff Richey	Stan Smith	6-2, 10-8, 3-6, 6-1
1969	Željko Franulović	Arthur Ashe

[edit] Pre-Open Era Locations, Champions, Finalists and Score

Year	City	State	Winner	Finalist	Score
1968	Milwaukee	WI	Clark Graebner	Stan Smith
1967	Milwaukee	WI	Arthur Ashe	Marty Riessen
1966	Milwaukee	WI	Cliff Richey	Frank Froehling, II
1965	River Forest	IL	Dennis Ralston	Cliff Richey
1964	River Forest	IL	Dennis Ralston	Chuck McKinley
1963	River Forest	IL	Chuck McKinley	Dennis Ralston
1962	Chicago	IL	Chuck McKinley	Fred Stolle
1961	River Forest	IL	Bernard Bartzen	Donald Dell
1960	River Forest	IL	Barry MacKay	Bernard Bartzen
1959	River Forest	IL	Bernard Bartzen	Whitney Reed
1958	River Forest	IL	Bernard Bartzen	Sam Giammalva
1957	River Forest	IL	Vic Seixas	Herbert Flam
1956	River Forest	IL	Herbert Flam	Edward Moylan
1955	Atlanta	GA	Tony Trabert	Bernard Bartzen
1954	River Forest	IL	Bernard Bartzen	Tony Trabert
1953	River Forest	IL	Vic Seixas	Ham Richardson
1952	River Forest	IL	Art Larsen	Dick Savitt
1951	River Forest	IL	Tony Trabert	Art Larsen
1950	River Forest	IL	Herbert Flam	Ted Schroeder
1949	River Forest	IL	Pancho Gonzalez	Frank Parker
1948	River Forest	IL	Pancho Gonzalez	Nick Carter
1947	Salt Lake City	UT	Frank Parker	Ted Schroeder
1946	River Forest	IL	Frank Parker	Bill Talbert
1945	Chicago	IL	Bill Talbert
1944	Detroit	MI	Pancho Segura
1943	Detroit	MI	Seymour Greenberg	Bill Talbert
1942	St. Louis	MO	Seymour Greenberg	Harris Everett
1941	River Forest	IL	Frank Parker	Bobby Riggs
1940	Chicago	IL	Don McNeill
1939	Chicago	IL	Frank Parker
1938	River Forest	IL	Bobby Riggs	Gardnar Mulloy
1937	Chicago	IL	Bobby Riggs
1936	River Forest	IL	Bobby Riggs	Frank Parker
1935	Chicago	IL	Bryan "Bitsy" Grant
1934	Chicago	IL	Bryan "Bitsy" Grant	Don Budge
1933	Chicago	IL	Frank Parker
1932	Memphis	TN	George Lott	Bryan "Bitsy" Grant
1931	St. Louis	MO	Ellsworth Vines	Keith Gledhill
1930	Kansas City	MO	Bryan "Bitsy" Grant	Wilbur F. "Junior" Coen	6-2, 6-4, 6-2
1929	Indianapolis	IN	Emmett Pare	J. Gilbert Hall
1928	Not Held
1927	Detroit	MI	Bill Tilden	John Hennessey
1926	Detroit	MI	Bill Tilden	Brian I.C. Norton	Default
1925	St. Louis	MO	Bill Tilden	George Lott
1924	St. Louis	MO	Bill Tilden	Harvey Snodgrass
1923	Indianapolis	IL	Bill Tilden	Manuel Alonso	6-2, 6-8, 6-1, 7-5
1922	Indianapolis	IL	Bill Tilden
1921	Chicago	IL	Walter T. Hayes
1920	Chicago	IL	Roland Roberts
1919	Chicago	IL	Bill Johnston
1918	Chicago	IL	Bill Tilden
1917	Cincinnati	OH	Sam Hardy	Charles Garland	3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
1916	Cleveland	OH	Willis E. Davis
1915	Pittsburgh	PA	R. Norris Williams	Clarence Griffin	Default
1914	Cincinnati	OH	Clarence Griffin	Elia Fottrell	3-6, 6-8, 8-6, 6-0, 6-2
1913	Omaha	NE	John R. Strachan
1912	Omaha	NE	R. Norris Williams
1911	Omaha	NE	Walter T. Hayes
1910	Omaha	NE	Melville Long

[edit] References

^ Robertson, Dale (May 7, 2007). River Oaks keeps Clay Courts in town. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.

[edit] Additional References

References used for the Pre-Open Era locations and champions: United States Lawn Tennis Association Yearbook (1942-'44, '48-49, '51, '53. '55-56, '60, '64, '66 & '69), Spalding Lawn Tennis Annual (1916, '24-'28, '30-'31 & '39), Wright & Ditson's Lawn Tennis Annual (1932-'33, '35 & '37), New York Times articles (1910-'14, '16, '18-'19 & '21-'22), From Club Court to Center Court by Phillip S. Smith (2007 Edition, page 67).