U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships

The U.S. Open Clay Courts, known formally as the U.S. Clay Court Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association. The first edition was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1912, two years after the first men's championships, and was won by May Sutton.^[1][2] The final edition was held in 1986 and won by Steffi Graf. The tournament was not held in 1913, 1924–1939 and 1942. The doubles event was first held in 1914.^[2]

U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event name	U.S. Open Clay Courts
Tour	Grand Prix (1971–1972) WTA Tour (1973–1986)
Founded	1912
Abolished	1986
Editions	55
Location	Various United States
Surface	Clay

Nancy Richey and Chris Evert won more singles titles (6) at this tournament than any other woman. Linda Tuero holds the record for runners-up in singles (3).

Locations

• 1912: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• 1913: Not held
• 1914: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Tennis Club)
• 1915: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Athletic Association)
• 1916: Cleveland, Ohio (Lakewood Tennis Club)
• 1917: Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Tennis Club)
• 1918–19: Chicago, Illinois (South Side Tennis Club)
• 1920: Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Tennis Club)
• 1921–23: Buffalo, New York (Park Club)
• 1924–39: Not held
• 1940–41: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
• 1942: Not held
• 1943–44: Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Tennis Club)
• 1947: Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake Tennis Club)
• 1948–54: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
• 1955: Atlanta, Georgia (Bryan M. Grant, Jr. Tennis Center)
• 1956–65: River Forest, Illinois (River Forest Tennis Club)
• 1966–68: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Town Club)
• 1969–86: Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Racquet Club)

Finals

Singles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1912	May Sutton	Mary Browne	6–4, 6–2
1913	Not held
1914	Mary Browne	Louise Riddell Williams	6–1, 3–6, 6–2
1915	Molla Bjurstedt	Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman	3–6, 6–1, 6–3
1916	Molla Bjurstedt	Martha Guthrie	8–6, 6–3
1917	Ruth Sanders	W. E. Ellis	6–1, 6–3
1918	Carrie Neely	Adelaide Yager	6–4, 6–2
1919	Corinne Gould	Carrie Neely	6–4, 6–2
1920	Marion Zinderstein	Corinne Gould	6–0, 6–1
1921	Ann Sheafe Cole	Anna Godfrey	6–0, 6–3
1922	Lois Moyes Bickle	Leslie Bancroft	3–6, 6–1, 7–5
1923	Mayme McDonald	Lilian Scharman	7–5, 1–6, 6–4
1924 – 1939	Not held
1940	Alice Marble	Gracyn Wheeler	7–5, 6–0
1941	Pauline Betz	Mary Arnold	6–3, 6–1
1942	Not held
1943	Pauline Betz	Nancy Corbett	6–1, 6–0
1944	Dorothy Bundy	Mary Arnold	7–5, 6–4
1945	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	Pauline Betz	6–3, 7–5
1946	Barbara Krase	Virginia Kovacs	10–8, 6–4
1947	Mary Arnold Prentiss	Dorothy Head	6–1, 6–1
1948	Magda Rurac	Dorothy Head	6–2, 6–0
1949	Magda Rurac	Beverly Baker	2–6, 9–7, 6–3
1950	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry	6–1, 6–3
1951	Dorothy Head	Patricia Canning Todd	4–6, 6–2, 6–2
1952	Anita Kanter	Lucille Davidson	6–4, 6–3
1953	Maureen Connolly	Althea Gibson	6–4, 6–4
1954	Maureen Connolly	Doris Hart	6–3, 6–1
1955	Dorothy Head Knode	Barbara Breit	6–4, 6–3
1956	Shirley Fry	Althea Gibson	7–5, 6–1
1957	Althea Gibson	Darlene Hard	6–2, 6–3
1958	Dorothy Head Knode[3]	Karol Fageros	6–3, 6–8, 6–2
1959	Sally Moore	Sandra Reynolds	6–2, 2–6, 6–3
1960	Dorothy Head Knode	Gwyneth Thomas	6–3, 6–4
1961	Edda Buding	Karen Hantze	6–4, 2–6, 6–4
1962	Donna Floyd	Carole Caldwell	6–3, 6–1
1963	Nancy Richey	Victoria Palmer	6–1, 6–1
1964	Nancy Richey	Carole Caldwell Graebner	6–2, 6–1
1965	Nancy Richey	Julie Heldman	5–7, 6–3, 9–7
1966	Nancy Richey	Stephanie DeFina	6–2, 6–2
1967	Nancy Richey	Rosemary Casals	6–2, 6–3
1968	Nancy Richey	Linda Tuero	6–3, 6–3
1969	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	Linda Tuero	6–2, 6–2
1970	Linda Tuero	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	7–5, 6–1
1971	Billie Jean King	Linda Tuero	6–4, 7–5
1972	Chris Evert	Evonne Goolagong	7–6(5–2), 6–1
1973	Chris Evert	Veronica Burton	6–4, 6–3
1974	Chris Evert	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	6–0, 6–0
1975	Chris Evert	Dianne Fromholtz	6–3, 6–4
1976	Kathy May	Brigitte Cuypers	6–4, 4–6, 6–2
1977	Laura DuPont	Nancy Richey	6–4, 6–3
1978	Dana Gilbert	Viviana González	6–2, 6–3
1979	Chris Evert	Evonne Goolagong Cawley	6–4, 6–3
1980	Chris Evert	Andrea Jaeger	6–4, 6–3
1981	Andrea Jaeger	Virginia Ruzici	6–1, 6–0
1982	Virginia Ruzici	Helena Suková	6–2, 6–0
1983	Andrea Temesvári	Zina Garrison	6–2, 6–2
1984	Manuela Maleeva	Lisa Bonder	6–4, 6–3
1985	Andrea Temesvári	Zina Garrison	7–6, 6–3
1986	Steffi Graf	Gabriela Sabatini	2–6, 7–6, 6–4

Doubles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1944	Pauline Betz Doris Hart
1945	Pauline Betz Doris Hart
1946	Shirley Fry Mary Arnold Prentiss	Virginia Kovacs Barbara Scofield	6–4, 6–1
1947	Gussie Moran Mary Arnold Prentiss	Shirley Fry Barbara Krase	6–4, 6–4
1948	Not held
1949	Not held
1950	Shirley Fry Doris Hart	Beverly Baker Magda Rurac	2–6, 6–4, 6–4
1951	Magda Rurac Patricia Canning Todd	Dorothy Head Anita Kanter
1952	Lucille Davidson Doris Popple	Anita Kanter Joan Merciadas	7–5, 6–4
1953	Anita Kanter Thelma Coyne Long	Maureen Connolly Julia Sampson	6–3, 6–0
1954	Maureen Connolly Doris Hart	Althea Gibson Ethel Norton	6–3, 6–2
1955	Dorothy Head Knode Janet Hopps	Pat Shaffer Barbara Breit	6–2, 3–6, 6–3
1956	Shirley Fry Dorothy Head Knode	Martha Hernández Yola Ramírez	6–2, 6–2
1957	Althea Gibson Darlene Hard	Karol Fageros Jeanne Arth	6–3, 6–0
1958	Karol Fageros Dorothy Head Knode
1959	Sandra Reynolds Renée Schuurman	Jeanne Arth Janet Hopps
1960	Darlene Hard Billie Jean Moffitt	Justina Bricka Carol Hanks	6–3, 6–4
1961	Justina Bricka Carol Hanks
1962	Darlene Hard Susan Behlmar
1963	Maria Bueno Darlene Hard
1964	Carole Graebner Nancy Richey
1965	Carole Graebner Nancy Richey
1966	Karen Krantzcke Kerry Melville	Esmé Emmanuel Maryna Godwin	1–6, 6–4, 6–4
1967	Karen Krantzcke Kerry Melville
1968	Nancy Richey Valerie Ziegenfuss
1969	Lesley Turner Bowrey Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	Emilie Burrer Linda Tuero	6–0, 10–8
1970	Rosemary Casals Gail Sherriff Chanfreau	Helen Gourlay Patricia Walkden	6–2, 6–2
1971	Judy Tegart Dalton Billie Jean King	Julie Heldman Linda Tuero	6–1, 6–2
1972	Evonne Goolagong Lesley Hunt	Margaret Smith Court Pam Teeguarden	6–2, 6–1
1973	Patti Hogan Sharon Walsh	Fiorella Bonicelli María-Isabel Fernández	6–4, 6–4
1974	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau Julie Heldman	Chris Evert Jeanne Evert	6–3, 6–1
1975	Fiorella Bonicelli María-Isabel Fernández	Gail Sherriff Chanfreau Julie Heldman	3–6, 7–5, 6–3
1976	Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss	Laura DuPont Wendy Turnbull	6–2, 6–3
1977	Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss	Mary Carillo Wendy Overton	5–7, 7–5, 6–3
1978	Helena Anliot Helle Sparre-Viragh	Barbara Hallquist Sheila McInerney	6–3, 6–1
1979	Kathy Jordan Anne Smith	Penny Johnson Paula Smith	6–1, 6–0
1980	Anne Smith Paula Smith	Virginia Ruzici Renáta Tomanová	6–4, 3–6, 6–4
1981	JoAnne Russell Virginia Ruzici	Sue Barker Paula Smith	6–2, 6–2
1982	Ivanna Madruga Catherine Tanvier	JoAnne Russell Virginia Ruzici	7–5, 7–6
1983	Kathleen Horvath Virginia Ruzici	Gigi Fernández Beth Herr	4–6, 7–6, 6–2
1984	Beverly Mould Paula Smith	Elise Burgin JoAnne Russell	6–2, 7–5
1985	Katerina Maleeva Manuela Maleeva	Penny Barg Paula Smith	3–6, 6–3, 6–4
1986	Steffi Graf Gabriela Sabatini	Gigi Fernández Robin White	6–2, 6–0

See also

• U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
• U.S. Women's Indoor Championships