| Mercury Insurance Open | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Location | Carlsbad, California United States |
| Venue | La Costa Resort and Spa |
| Category | WTA Tier I (2004-2007) WTA Premier tournaments (2010-2013) WTA 125K series (2015) |
| Surface | Hardcourt / Outdoor |
| Draw | 32S / 16SQ / 16D |
| Prize money | $125,000 |
The Southern California Open was a WTA 125K series affiliated professional women's tennis tournament held at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
History
The event was formed in 1984 by Raquel Giscafré as the Ginny of San Diego.[1][2] Prior to this there had been two previous women's tennis tournaments in San Diego: a Virginia Slims event in 1971 and the Wells Fargo Open, which ran from 1979 to 1982. Giscafre's former doubles partner, Jane Stratton, attained co-ownership of the tournament from 1986 until the event's cessation. The tournament has had various principal sponsors throughout its history, and has been played under the headings of the Great American Bank Classic, the Mazda Classic and the Toshiba Classic. The tournament was known for its strong player fields, location in the hills and atmosphere.
Although the tournament achieved Tier-I status only in 2004, it became a draw to the heavyweights in women's tennis since its inception in the 1980s, being a crucial warm-up tournament leading to the US Open. Past champions of the tournament include former world number ones Steffi Graf, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, and Maria Sharapova. Six players won the tournament more than once, four of them consecutively. Graf holds the record for most wins (4); Venus Williams holds the record for most consecutive titles (3).
The tournament's purse doubled to $200,000 in 1989, when the sponsor changed to San Diego-based Great American Bank from Virginia Slims, a cigarette brand owned by Philip Morris.[3] The tournament moved from the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club to the La Costa Resort and Spa in 1991, when the sponsor was changed to Mazda from Great American, which was in financial decline.[4] On September 7, 2009, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced the return of professional women's tennis to San Diego in 2010, under the sponsorship of Mercury Insurance. The Mercury Insurance Open was renamed the Southern California Open starting in 2013.
In 2014, the event was relocated to Tokyo, Japan.[5]
The tournament became the Carlsbad Classic in 2015, hosted by the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California, from November 23-29.[6] As a WTA 125K Series event, the Carlsbad Classic[7] featured a 32-player singles main draw, an 8-player qualifying draw, and an 8-team doubles draw with $125,000 in prize money. It was the first WTA tournament held during Thanksgiving week.
Sponsor history:
- Virginia Slims of San Diego: 1971, 1985-1988
- Wells Fargo Open: 1979-1982
- Ginny of San Diego: 1984
- Great American Bank Classic: 1989-1990
- Mazda Classic: 1991-1993
- Toshiba Classic; 1994-1998
- TIG Classic: 1999
- Acura Classic: 2000-2007
- Mercury Insurance Open: 2010-2012
- Southern California Open: 2013
- GoMacro: 2015
Past finals
Singles
Prior tournaments in San Diego area
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 |  Billie Jean King |
Rosemary Casals |
3-6, 7-5, 6-1 |
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Tracy Austin |
Martina Navratilova |
6-4, 6-2 |
| 1980 | Tracy Austin (2) |
 Wendy Turnbull |
6-1, 6-3 |
| 1981 | Tracy Austin (3) |
Pam Shriver |
6-2, 5-7, 6-2 |
| 1982 | Tracy Austin (4) |
Kathy Rinaldi |
7-6, 6-3 |
Subsequent and current organized event
Doubles
Prior
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Rosemary Casals Billie Jean King |
 Françoise Dürr Judy Tegart Dalton |
6-7, 6-2, 6-3 |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Rosemary Casals (2) Martina Navratilova |
Betty Ann Grubb Stuart Ann Kiyomura |
3-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| 1980 | Tracy Austin Ann Kiyomura |
Rosemary Casals Wendy Turnbull |
3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| 1981 | Kathy Jordan Candy Reynolds |
Rosemary Casals Pam Shriver |
6-1, 2-6, 6-4 |
| 1982 | Kathy Jordan (2) Paula Smith |
 Patricia Medrado Cláudia Monteiro |
6-3, 5-7, 7-6 |
Subsequent & current
See also
External links
References and footnotes
- ^ "Acura has come a long way, baby, but its run is ending". Retrieved .
- ^ Keith Kattan Raising Big Smiling Tennis Kids: A Complete Roadmap for Every Parent and Coach 2006 Page 208 "players-turned-entrepreneurs like Jane Stratton and Raquel Giscafré, who run a prestigious WTA tournament in San Diego "
- ^ Freeman, John (December 20, 1988). "New name, purse for Slims Tourney banking on new sponsor". Evening Tribune. p. D-3.
- ^ Freeman, John (November 3, 1990). "Tennis event will move to La Costa site". Evening Tribune. p. C-5.
- ^ "Carlsbad WTA tournament moves to Tokyo". tennis.com. Retrieved 2013.
- ^ "Carlsbad Classic". Retrieved 2015.
- ^ "Carlsbad Classic Tennis Homepage". Retrieved 2015.
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