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The Torquay Open was grass court tennis event founded in 1879. In 1881 it was known as the Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament. that was held at the Winter Garden, Torquay, Devon, England. It continued under that name until after World War II when it was known as the Torquay Open In 1971 the tobacco company Rothmans International took over sponsorship of the event and it was branded as the Rothmans Torquay Tournament until 1974 when their sponsorship ended.

This tournament though no longer part of the international tour is still being staged today as the Torbay Open Tennis Tournament.

History

A Torquay Tennis Tournament was founded as early as 1879. In 1881 the event was known as the Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament and played at the Winter Garden, Torquay, Devon, England. In 1887 it became an open event for the women to play for the first time. The tournament was held annually, with the exception of world war's one and two. Following the second world war the tournament known by then as the Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament at least up to 1960. In 1971 Rothmans International took over sponsorship of the event and it was renamed as the Rothmans Torquay Tournament until 1974, when Rothman's pulled out of sports sponsorship and this tournament ended as part international world wide tour. It is still being staged today as the Torbay Open Tennis Tournament.

Finals

Men's singles

Incomplete roll included:

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament
1880	Ernest W. S. K. Maconchy	C. Hughes	6-0, 6-0
1881	Ernest W. S. K. Maconchy (2)	Thomas Arembery Tombe	6-1, 6-0
1887	Ernest Wool Lewis	Wilfred Milne	7-5, 6-2, 7-5
1888	Ernest Wool Lewis (2)	Herbert Chipp	3-6, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0
1889	Ernest Wool Lewis (3)	Edward James Avory	1-6, 6-5, 6-3
1890	Ernest Wool Lewis (4)	Edward James Avory	6-1, 6-2, 6-3
1905	Harold Michelmore (2)	George Alan Thomas	6-4, 6-2
1907	Harold Michelmore (2)	J.S. Talbot	6-3, 6-4
1908	Harold Michelmore (3)	Les Poidevin	w.o.
1914/1918	Not held (due to world war one)
1923	Philip Robert Broadway	Sydney Ford	6-1, 6-1, 6-4
1930	Jiro Satoh	A.C.D. Campbell	6-0, 6-2
1934	Don Butler	Jack Lysaght	10-12, 6-3, 6-4
1935	Don Butler (2)	John Temple Bouverie Leader	7-5, 6-2
1936	Charles Haree	Frank Wilde	6-3, 6-3
1937	Eric Filby	Cristea Caralulis	6-1, 9-11, 6-1
1938	Eric Filby (2)	Kho Sin-Kie	6-4, 6-4
1939	Eric Filby (3)	Ernest Wittman	6-2, 6-3
1940/1945	Not held (due to world war two)
Torquay Open
1946	Henry Billington	Ignacy Tloczynski	7-5, 6-0
1947	John Barry	Jeff Robson	2-6, 6-3, 6-2
1948	Tim Lewis	David Anderton	6-0, 6-2
1949	Tony Mottram	Paddy Roberts	9-7, 7-5
1950	Gerry Oakley	Paddy Roberts	6-4, 6-4
1951	Paddy Roberts	Ignacy Tloczynski	6-3, 6-1
1952	Jaroslav Drobný	Ian Ayre	6-3, 6-1
1953	Ian Ayre	Colin Hannam	6-4, 6-2
1954	Jaroslav Drobný (2)	Jack Arkinstall	6-0, 6-3
1959	Mike Sangster	Julian L. P. Coni	9-7, 6-4
Open era
Rothmans Torquay Tournmament
1971	Premjit Lall	Ken Weatherley	6-4, 7-5
1974	Graeme Thomson	Martin Cornish	6-4, 6-4

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Notes: In 1924 and 1925 there were two versions of the tournament held in August on grass courts and October on clay courts.

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament
1887	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	Maud Watson	4-6, 6-2, 6-3
1888	Miss Mockler	Alice Foley	6-4, 6-4
1890	Miss Wolfe	Miss Fisher	7-5, 6-4
1899	Winifred Longhurst	K. Hughes	6-2, 6-1
1900	Winifred Longhurst (2)	Miss Smythe	6-2, 6-2
1901	Winifred Longhurst (3)	Miss Collett	6-1, 6-1
1902	Ethel Thomson	Edith Boucher	6-4, 6-1
1903	Edith Boucher	M. Stonham	6-1, 3-6, 7-5
1904	Edith Boucher (2)	Miss Collett	6-0, 6-4
1905	Meriel Lucas	Charlotte Everard	6-3, 6-1
1906	Meriel Lucas (2)	M. Stonham	6-2, 6-4
1907	Edith Boucher (2)	Meriel Lucas	3-6, 6-0, 6-3
1908	Meriel Lucas (3)	Nora Bawden	3-6, 6-4, 6-1
1909	Elsie Lane	Evelyn de Vere Scott	6-0, 6-1
1910	M. Fergus	Edith Longhurst	6-4, 6-3
1911	Beryl Tulloch	Nora Bawden	6-3, 6-3
1912	Nora Bawden	E. Miller	divided prizes
1913	Madeline Fisher O'Neill	Nora Bawden	6-2, 9-11, 7-5
1914/1918	Not held (due to world war one)
1920	Phyllis Satterthwaite	Miss Davies	6-1, 6-1
1921	G.M. Head	Nora Bawden	6-3. 3-6, 6-4
1922	Edith Hannam (3)	Miss Robertson	6-0, 7-5
1923	Helen Bourne	P. Robertson	6-3, 6-4
1924 (Aug)	Mrs Hopper	A G Buckner	6-2, 6-2
1924 (Oct)	Elizabeth Ryan	Ermyntrude Harvey	6-4, 6-1
1925 (Aug)	Mrs R. Bruce May	Mrs Lawrence	6-2, 6-1
1925 (Oct)	Ariadne Rodocanachi	Phyllis French	7-5, 6-4
1926	Davina Gordon	Cristobel Hardie	6-3, 6-2
1927	Davina Gordon (2)	Katherine Lewis	divided prizes
1928	Davina Gordon (3)	Gethyn Harry	6-3, 6-1
1929	Elsa McAlpin Haylock	Andrée Lucas	6-3, 3-6, 6-3
1930	Elsa McAlpin Haylock (2)	Gethyn Harry	6-4, 6-3
1931	Mary McIlquham	Elsa McAlpin Haylock	4-6, 6-1, 6-2
1932	Peggy Scriven	Andrée Lucas	6-1, 6-1
1934	Billie Yorke	Jean Saunders	6-4, 6-3
1935	Jean Saunders	Andrée Lucas	6-2, 6-2
1936	Irmgard Rost	Mary Whitmarsh	6-0, 6-0
1937	Irmgard Rost (2)	Billie Yorke	8-6, 6-3
1938	Andrée Lucas	Rita Jarvis	7-5, 1-6, 6-2
1939	Andrée Lucas (2)	Jean Saunders	6-4, 5-7, 9-7
1940/1945	Not held (due to world war one)
Torquay Open
1946	Joan Curry	Jean Quertier	8-6, 6-1
1947	Joan Curry (2)	P. Merrix	6-2, 6-2
1948	Joan Curry (3)	Peggy Dawson-Scott	6-2, 6-1
1949	Joan Curry (4)	Joy Gannon	6-3, 6-3
1950	Elsie Hamilton Phillips	Lorna Cornell	3-6, 6-3, 6-4
1951	Angela Mortimer	Jenny Middleton	6-2, 6-1
1952	Rita Jarvis Anderson	Hilary Stebbings	6-0, 7-5
1953	Angela Mortimer (2)	Pat Ward	9-7, 8-6
1954	Pat Ward	Betsy Abbas	6-0, 6-3
1956	Sonia Cox	V. Martin	6-4, 6-2
1958	Joan Curry (5)	Sonia Cox	5-7, 6-0, 6-4
1959	Sheila Armstrong	Phyllis Edwards	11-9, 6-1
1960	Elaine Watson Shenton	Sonia Cox Preston	6-4, 6-4
1961	Margaret R. O'Donnell	Carole Rosser	6-2, 11-9
1962	Elaine Watson Shenton (2)	Frances Walton	7-5, 8-10, 6-2
Open era
Rothmans Torquay Tournmament
1971	Susan Alexander	Penny Hardgrave	6-2, 6-1
1974	Sue Barker	Annette Coe	6-1, 6-1

References

1. "Sport: Fixtures". The Illustrated London News. London: Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited. 1973. p. 25.
2. "Lawn Tennis Tournament at Torquay: The Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournament, commenced in the Torquay Winter Garden last week, was resumed yesterday, when some excellent play was witnessed by a large number of fashionable". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams. Exeter, Devon. England. 21 September 1881. p. 3.
3. "Torbay Open Tennis Tournament". English Riviera. English Riviera BID Company Ltd. 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
4. "Faciltities and History". www.torquaytennisclub.co.uk. Torquay Tennis Club. 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
5. Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams
6. "Torquay Lawn Tennis Winners At Open Tournament: Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. Exeter, Devon, England. p. 3.
7. "Torquay Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (was held under the auspices of the Torquay Corporation and the L.T.A.". Torbay Express and South Devon Echo. Torbay, Devon, England. 2 September 1959. p. 7.
8. English Riviera BID Company Ltd.
9. "Tournament – Torquay". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 May 2023.

External links

• Torquay Tennis Club

• Grass court tennis tournaments
• Defunct tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom
• Recurring sporting events established in 1879
• 1879 establishments in England
• 1974 disestablishments in England