Kooyong Classic
Kooyong Classic | |
---|---|
Tournament information | |
Founded | 1988 |
Editions | 34 (2024) |
Location | Melbourne Australia |
Venue | Kooyong Stadium |
Category | Exhibition |
Surface | Plexicushion |
Draw | 8S |
Website | kooyongclassic.com.au |
The Kooyong Classic is a professional tennis
Competition format
The Kooyong Classic draw includes eight invited
The tournament takes place over four days, with the four first round matches taking place on the first day, the two first round matches of the play-off draw, and one semifinal of the main draw taking place on the second day, the final and the consolation match of the play-off draw, and the second semifinal of the main draw taking place on the third day, and the final and the consolation match of the main draw taking place on the fourth and last day.[1]
Unlike in official tournaments, players retiring during or withdrawing before a match are not automatically eliminated from the tournament, and can still participate to the play-offs or the consolation match –as in the
The Kooyong Classic taking place the week before the first Grand Slam of the regular season, the Australian Open, exhibition matches are frequently organised by the event, outside of the competition, to allow top players lacking practice to play matches before the Open.[5]
History
The first Kooyong exhibition tournament took place in 1988, the year the Australian Open moved from the courts of the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, which had become too small to host the event, to the newly built National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park (which would become known as Melbourne Park in 1996). Initiated by Colin Stubs, still the director of the tournament in 2009,[6] the first Kooyong Invitational was created to continue the tradition of having a world-class tennis tournament at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Set in December 1988, to allow participants to prepare for the 1989 Australian Open, and played on the club's traditional grass courts, the sixteen-men event comprised fifteen Australian players and Goran Ivanišević from Croatia, and eventually saw the victory of 1988 Australian Open runner-up Pat Cash over countryman Wally Masur in the final.[7]
As it started a sponsoring partnership with
The next year, the Colonial Classic was held in mid-January one, just before the
The arrival of new tune-up events for the Australian Open, like the
As a result of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was not held in from 2021 through 2022, before returning from 2023.
Past finals
In men's singles, Michael Chang (1995–97), Andre Agassi (2000–01, 2003) and Andy Roddick (2006–08) co-hold the record for most titles with three victories each. Chang (1995–97) and Roddick (2006–08) share the record for most consecutive titles with three.
Men's singles
Women's singles
Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | |||
2019–2022 | Not Held | ||
2018 | Belinda Bencic | Andrea Petkovic | 3–6, 6–4, [10–4] |
2017 | Yanina Wickmayer | Sorana Cîrstea | 6–4 |
1994–2016 | Not Held | ||
1993 | Rachel McQuillan | Nicole Provis | 6–2, 3–6, 7–5 |
↑ Exhibition tournament ↑ |
See also
References
- ^ a b c "2009 AAMI Classic results". stevegtennis.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ Brown, Terry; Ryan, Kelly (11 January 2008). "Kooyong crowds practise their sunstroke". Herald Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "2008 AAMI Classic results". stevegtennis.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "2006 AAMI Classic results". stevegtennis.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Sampras Wins Exhibition Match". CBS News. Associated Press. 13 January 2000. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ a b Niall, Jake (14 January 2005). "Kooyong in January: no sponsor, lots of stars". theage.com.au. Melbourne. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Sport Shorts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 19 December 1988. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Morning briefing – Tennis". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Borwick defeats Fromberg in final". Miami Herald. 21 December 1992. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ a b "Tennis". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ Spiegel, Jay (13 January 2001). "Starting Lines". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ a b c Stutchbury, Greg (16 January 2009). "Kooyong considers changes amid Gulf competition". Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Results Plus". The New York Times. Associated Press. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- ^ "Kooyong keeps door open for Hewitt". AAP. Retrieved 20 March 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "AAMI Classic – Event history". aamiclassic.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Walsh, Courtney (3 October 2008). "Andy Roddick to bypass Kooyong as he finds Classic too taxing". The Australian. Retrieved 20 March 2009.