The Memphis Open was a professional tennis tournament that ran from 1975 to 2017. From 1977 onwards, the event was held at the Racquet Club of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis Open was the only ATP event in the United States which was played on indoor hard courts; it usually took place in February. For part of its history it was a combined men's and women's tournament, but for its final four years it was solely a men's tournament.

Memphis Open
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1975
Abolished2017
Editions43
LocationMemphis, Tennessee, United States
VenueRacquet Club of Memphis
Category250 series
SurfaceHard / indoor
Websitememphisopen.com

The event was previously known under various sponsored names including the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, the Kroger St. Jude Championship, the Volvo Championships, the Cellular South Cup, and the Federal Express International and was for a period time part of the now defunct U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.

The last singles champion of the Memphis Open was Ryan Harrison and the last doubles champions are Brian Baker and Nikola Mektić. The 2017 Memphis Open titles were the first career titles for all three men. As of 2018, the tournament has moved to New York as the new New York Open.

History

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Center Court at the 2016 Memphis Open

In 1974, Memphis cotton merchant William B. "Billy" Dunavant Jr. purchased the Memphis Athletic Club and began a $7 M expansion to transform the facility into what is now the Racquet Club of Memphis. What is now known as the Memphis Open was first played in 1975 on indoor carpet as part of the WCT. In 1977, the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships moved to Memphis from Salisbury, Maryland and increased the event's prize money to $220,000.[1] The Memphis Open had the distinction (until 2014) of being the only private indoor racquet club in the world to host a men's and women's professional tennis event.[2] The tournament was played on indoor carpet into the 1980s, but the club eventually changed its surface to hard courts.

In November 2001, the Racquet Club of Memphis purchased the rights to the WTA event in Oklahoma City and moved it to Memphis, where the tournament hosted both men's and women's events for 12 years. In 2008, the event was elevated to ATP 500 Series status. In 2014, the men's and women's events moved to Rio de Janeiro.[3] Memphis then purchased the ATP 250 event in San Jose to keep professional tennis in the city.[4] In late 2014, Tennis Rendezvous LLC, owned by the USTA and Golden Set Holdings LLC, purchased the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships and renamed it the Memphis Open. In 2015, the Memphis Open was sold again, purchased by New York-based financial management company GF Capital.

Over the years, the Memphis Open has counted nine ATP year-end No. 1 players among its winners: Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, and Andy Roddick. In 2016, Kei Nishikori won the event for a fourth consecutive time, tying Connors' record for the most overall Memphis titles.

In April 2017 the ATP announced that the tournament will relocate to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, New York in 2018 after the event failed to find a title sponsor in Memphis.[5]

Finals

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Singles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1975   Harold Solomon   Jiří Hřebec 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
1976   Vijay Amritraj   Stan Smith 6–2, 0–6, 6–0
1977   Björn Borg   Brian Gottfried 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
1978   Jimmy Connors   Tim Gullikson 7–6, 6–3
1979   Jimmy Connors   Arthur Ashe 6–4, 5–7, 6–3
1980   John McEnroe   Jimmy Connors 7–6, 7–6(8–6)
1981   Gene Mayer   Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 6–4
1982   Johan Kriek   John McEnroe 6–3, 3–6, 6–4
1983   Jimmy Connors   Gene Mayer 7–5, 6–0
1984   Jimmy Connors   Henri Leconte 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
1985   Stefan Edberg   Yannick Noah 6–1, 6–0
1986   Brad Gilbert   Stefan Edberg 7–5, 7–6
1987   Stefan Edberg   Jimmy Connors 6–3, 2–1 (retired)
1988   Andre Agassi   Mikael Pernfors 6–4, 6–4, 7–5
1989   Brad Gilbert   Johan Kriek 6–2, 6–2 (retired)
1990   Michael Stich   Wally Masur 6–7, 6–4, 7–6
1991   Ivan Lendl   Michael Stich 7–5, 6–3
1992   MaliVai Washington   Wayne Ferreira 6–3, 6–2
1993   Jim Courier   Todd Martin 5–7, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–4)
1994   Todd Martin   Brad Gilbert 6–4, 7–5
1995   Todd Martin   Paul Haarhuis 7–6(7–2), 6–4
1996   Pete Sampras   Todd Martin 6–4, 7–6(7–2)
1997   Michael Chang   Todd Woodbridge 6–3, 6–4
1998   Mark Philippoussis   Michael Chang 6–3, 6–2
1999   Tommy Haas   Jim Courier 6–4, 6–1
2000   Magnus Larsson   Byron Black 6–2, 1–6, 6–3
2001   Mark Philippoussis   Davide Sanguinetti 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–3
2002   Andy Roddick   James Blake 6–4, 3–6, 7–5
2003   Taylor Dent   Andy Roddick 6–1, 6–4
2004   Joachim Johansson   Nicolas Kiefer 7–6(7–5), 6–3
2005   Kenneth Carlsen   Max Mirnyi 7–5, 7–5
2006   Tommy Haas   Robin Söderling 6–3, 6–2
2007   Tommy Haas   Andy Roddick 6–3, 6–2
2008   Steve Darcis   Robin Söderling 6–3, 7–6(7–5)
2009   Andy Roddick   Radek Štěpánek 7–5, 7–5
2010   Sam Querrey   John Isner 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–3
2011   Andy Roddick   Milos Raonic 7–6(9–7), 6–7(11–13), 7–5
2012   Jürgen Melzer   Milos Raonic 7–5, 7–6(7–4)
2013   Kei Nishikori   Feliciano López 6–2, 6–3
2014   Kei Nishikori   Ivo Karlović 6–4, 7–6(7–0)
2015   Kei Nishikori   Kevin Anderson 6–4, 6–4
2016   Kei Nishikori   Taylor Fritz 6–4, 6–4
2017   Ryan Harrison   Nikoloz Basilashvili 6–1, 6–4
2018 see New York Open

Doubles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1975   Dick Stockton
  Erik van Dillen
  Mark Cox
  Cliff Drysdale
1–6, 7–5, 6–4
1976   Vijay Amritraj
  Anand Amritraj
  Marty Riessen
  Roscoe Tanner
6–3, 6–4
1977   Sherwood Stewart
  Fred McNair
  Robert Lutz
  Stan Smith
4–6, 7–6, 7–6
1978   Brian Gottfried
  Raúl Ramírez
  Phil Dent
  John Newcombe
3–6, 7–6, 6–2
1979   Tom Okker
  Wojciech Fibak
  Frew McMillan
  Dick Stockton
6–4, 6–4
1980   John McEnroe
  Brian Gottfried
  Rod Frawley
  Tomáš Šmíd
6–3, 6–7, 7–6
1981   Gene Mayer
  Sandy Mayer
  Mike Cahill
  Tom Gullikson
7–6, 6–7, 7–6
1982   Kevin Curren
  Steve Denton
  John McEnroe
  Peter Fleming
7–6, 4–6, 6–2
1983   Peter McNamara
  Paul McNamee
  Tim Gullikson
  Tom Gullikson
6–3, 5–7, 6–4
1984   Fritz Buehning
  Peter Fleming
  Heinz Günthardt
  Tomáš Šmíd
6–3, 6–0
1985   Pavel Složil
  Tomáš Šmíd
  Kevin Curren
  Steve Denton
1–6, 6–3, 6–4
1986   Ken Flach
  Robert Seguso
  Guy Forget
  Anders Järryd
6–4, 4–6, 7–6
1987   Anders Järryd
  Jonas Svensson
  Sergio Casal
  Emilio Sánchez
6–4, 6–2
1988   Kevin Curren
  David Pate
  Peter Lundgren
  Mikael Pernfors
6–2, 6–2
1989   Paul Annacone
  Christo van Rensburg
  Scott Davis
  Tim Wilkison
7–6, 6–7, 6–1
1990   Darren Cahill
  Mark Kratzmann
  Udo Riglewski
  Michael Stich
7–5, 6–2
1991   Michael Stich
  Udo Riglewski
  John Fitzgerald
  Laurie Warder
7–5, 6–3
1992   Todd Woodbridge
  Mark Woodforde
  Kevin Curren
  Gary Muller
7–6, 6–1
1993   Todd Woodbridge
  Mark Woodforde
  Jacco Eltingh
  Paul Haarhuis
7–5, 4–6, 7–6
1994   Byron Black
  Jonathan Stark
  Jim Grabb
  Jared Palmer
7–6, 6–4
1995   Jared Palmer
  Richey Reneberg
  Tommy Ho
  Brett Steven
4–6, 7–6, 6–1
1996   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
  Todd Woodbridge
  Mark Woodforde
6–4, 7–5
1997   Ellis Ferreira
  Patrick Galbraith
  Rick Leach
  Jonathan Stark
6–3, 3–6, 6–1
1998   Todd Woodbridge
  Mark Woodforde
  Ellis Ferreira
  David Roditi
6–3, 6–4
1999   Todd Woodbridge
  Mark Woodforde
  Sébastien Lareau
  Alex O'Brien
6–3, 6–4
2000   Justin Gimelstob
  Sébastien Lareau
  Jim Grabb
  Richey Reneberg
6–2, 6–4
2001   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
  Alex O'Brien
  Jonathan Stark
6–3, 7–6
2002   Brian MacPhie
  Nenad Zimonjić
  Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–3, 3–6, [10–4]
2003   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
  Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–2, 7–6
2004   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
  Jeff Coetzee
  Chris Haggard
6–3, 6–4
2005   Simon Aspelin
  Todd Perry
  Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–4
2006   Ivo Karlović
  Chris Haggard
  James Blake
  Mardy Fish
0–6, 7–5, [10–5]
2007   Eric Butorac
  Jamie Murray
  Julian Knowle
  Jürgen Melzer
7–5, 6–3
2008   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Mark Knowles
  Sanchai Ratiwatana
  Sonchat Ratiwatana
7–6(7–5), 6–2
2009   Mardy Fish
  Mark Knowles
  Travis Parrott
  Filip Polášek
7–6(9–7), 6–1
2010   John Isner
  Sam Querrey
  Ross Hutchins
  Jordan Kerr
6–4, 6–4
2011   Max Mirnyi
  Daniel Nestor
  Eric Butorac
  Jean-Julien Rojer
6–2, 6–7(6–8), [10–3]
2012   Max Mirnyi
  Daniel Nestor
  Ivan Dodig
  Marcelo Melo
4–6, 7–5, [10–7]
2013   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
  James Blake
  Jack Sock
6–1, 6-2
2014   Eric Butorac
  Raven Klaasen
  Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6-4
2015   Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Santiago González
  Artem Sitak
  Donald Young
5–7, 7–6(7–1), [10–8]
2016   Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Santiago González
  Steve Johnson
  Sam Querrey
6–4, 6–4
2017   Brian Baker
  Nikola Mektić
  Ryan Harrison
  Steve Johnson
6–3, 6–4

Records

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Record Player(s) Count Years
Winner of most
Men's Singles titles
  Jimmy Connors
  Kei Nishikori
4 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Winner of most consecutive
Men's Singles titles
  Kei Nishikori 4 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Most Men's Singles finals   Jimmy Connors 6 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987
Winner of most Men's Doubles
titles (individual & team)
  Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde 4 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999
Winner of most consecutive Men's Doubles titles
(individual & team)
  Todd Woodbridge &   Mark Woodforde
  Mariusz Fyrstenberg &   Santiago Gonzalez
2 1992, 1993 & 1998, 1999
2015, 2016
Most Men's Doubles finals
(individual & team)
  Bob Bryan &   Mike Bryan
7 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "General Information | Memphis Tennis Tournament". Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  2. ^ "Memphis | Overview | ATP World Tour | Tennis". Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  3. ^ "Big Changes For Tennis in Memphis". Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
  4. ^ Tennis - ATP World Tour - ATP Approves Event In Rio de Janeiro From 2014
  5. ^ "Memphis To Relocate To Long Island For 2018". www.atpworldtour.com. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). April 10, 2017.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
None
ATP World Series Tournament of the Year
1990
Succeeded by