The LA Women's Tennis Championships was a Premier-level women's tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Carson, California , a suburb of Los Angeles . The tournament was played on outdoor hard courts and a part of the US Open Series .
The tournament was founded in 1971 as the Billie Jean King Invitational as part of the inaugural Virginia Slims Circuit in Long Beach, California in 1971 by Jerry Diamond, one of the tour's organizers. In 1973, it moved to Los Angeles. The event was off the tour calendar for three years (1974–1976) when the season-ending championships were played in Los Angeles. The tournament was an indoor event until 1983, when it switched to outdoor hard courts in Manhattan Beach where it stayed for 20 years. IMG bought the event from Diamond in 1996.[ 1] The event was moved to its final location in Carson in 2003. It was acquired by its new landlord, AEG , in 2004.[ 2]
In 2009 AEG and USTA sold the tournament to Octagon , who moved the event to Carlsbad, California . It was renamed the Mercury Insurance Open .[ 3]
Past finals Martina Navratilova a "Tennis Champion" Martina Navratilova was the most successful player winning 8 singles titles.
Singles Year Location Champion Runner-up Score Name 1971 Long Beach Billie Jean King Rosemary Casals 6–1, 6–2 Billie Jean King Invitational 1972 Rosemary Casals Françoise Dürr 6–2, 6–7(4–5) , 6–3 Independent Press-Telegram's Women's Tennis Championships 1973 Los Angeles Margaret Court Nancy Gunter 7–5, 6–7(1–5) , 7–5 British Motor Cars Tournament 1974–76 Not held 1977 Chris Evert Martina Navratilova 6–2, 2–6, 6–1 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles 1978 Martina Navratilova Rosemary Casals 6–3, 6–2 1979 Chris Evert (2) Martina Navratilova 6–3, 6–4 Avon Championships of Los Angeles 1980 Martina Navratilova (2) Tracy Austin 6–2, 6–0 1981 Martina Navratilova (3) Andrea Jaeger 6–4, 6–0 1982 Mima Jaušovec Sylvia Hanika 6–2, 7–6(7–4) 1983 Manhattan Beach Martina Navratilova (4) Chris Evert 6–1, 6–3 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles (II) 1984 Chris Evert (3) Wendy Turnbull 6–2, 6–3 1985 Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Pam Shriver 6–2, 6–4 1986 Martina Navratilova (5) Chris Evert 7–6(7–5) , 6–3 1987 Steffi Graf Chris Evert 6–3, 6–4 1988 Chris Evert (4) Gabriela Sabatini 2–6, 6–1, 6–1 1989 Martina Navratilova (6) Gabriela Sabatini 6–0, 6–2 1990 Monica Seleš Martina Navratilova 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(8–6) 1991 Monica Seleš (2) Kimiko Date 6–3, 6–1 1992 Martina Navratilova (7) Monica Seleš 6–4, 6–2 1993 Martina Navratilova (8) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7–5, 7–6(7–4) 1994 Amy Frazier Ann Grossman 6–1, 6–3 1995 Conchita Martínez Chanda Rubin 4–6, 6–1, 6–3 Acura Classic 1996 Lindsay Davenport Anke Huber 6–2, 6–3 1997 Monica Seles (3) Lindsay Davenport 5–7, 7–5, 6–4 1998 Lindsay Davenport (2) Martina Hingis 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 1999 Serena Williams Julie Halard-Decugis 6–1, 6–4 2000 Serena Williams (2) Lindsay Davenport 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–1) estyle.com Classic 2001 Lindsay Davenport (3) Monica Seleš 6–3, 7–5 2002 Chanda Rubin Lindsay Davenport 5–7, 7–6(7–5) , 6–3 JPMorgan Chase Open 2003 Carson Kim Clijsters Lindsay Davenport 6–1, 3–6, 6–1 2004 Lindsay Davenport (4) Serena Williams 6–1, 6–3 2005 Kim Clijsters (2) Daniela Hantuchová 6–4, 6–1 2006 Elena Dementieva Jelena Janković 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 2007 Ana Ivanovic Nadia Petrova 7–5, 6–4 East West Bank Classic 2008 Dinara Safina Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 6–2 2009 Flavia Pennetta Samantha Stosur 6–4, 6–3 LA Women's Tennis Championships 2010 Succeeded by San Diego Open
Doubles Year Location Champion Runner-up Score Name 1971 Long Beach Rosemary Casals Billie Jean King Françoise Dürr Ann Haydon-Jones 7–5, 6–3 Billie Jean King Invitational 1972 Rosemary Casals (2) Virginia Wade Helen Gourlay Karen Krantzcke 6–4, 5–7, 7–5 Independent Press-Telegram's Women's Tennis Championships 1973 Los Angeles Rosemary Casals (3) Julie Heldman Margaret Court Lesley Hunt walkover British Motor Cars Tournament 1974–76 Not held 1977 Rosemary Casals (4) Chris Evert Martina Navratilova Betty Stöve 6–2, 6–4 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles 1978 Betty Stöve Virginia Wade (2) Greer Stevens Pam Teeguarden 6–3, 6–2 1979 Rosemary Casals (5) Chris Evert (2) Martina Navratilova Anne Smith 6–4, 1–6, 6–3 Avon Championships of Los Angeles 1980 Rosemary Casals (6) Martina Navratilova Kathy Jordan Anne Smith 7–6, 6–2 1981 Sue Barker Ann Kiyomura Marita Redondo Peanut Louie 6–1, 4–6, 6–1 1982 Kathy Jordan Anne Smith Barbara Potter Sharon Walsh 6–3, 7–5 1983 Manhattan Beach Martina Navratilova (2) Pam Shriver Betsy Nagelsen Virginia Ruzici 6–1, 6–0 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles (II) 1984 Chris Evert Lloyd (3) Wendy Turnbull Bettina Bunge Eva Pfaff 6–2, 6–4 1985 Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková Hana Mandlíková Wendy Turnbull 6–4, 6–2 1986 Martina Navratilova (3) Pam Shriver (2) Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková 6–4, 6–3 1987 Martina Navratilova (4) Pam Shriver (3) Zina Garrison Lori McNeil 6–3, 6–4 1988 Patty Fendick Jill Hetherington Gigi Fernández Robin White 7–6(7–2) , 5–7, 6–4 1989 Martina Navratilova (5) Wendy Turnbull (2) Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Mary Joe Fernández 5-2 retired 1990 Gigi Fernández Jana Novotná Mercedes Paz Gabriela Sabatini 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 1991 Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva Gretchen Rush Magers Robin White 6–1, 2–6, 6–2 1992 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Helena Suková (2) Zina Garrison Pam Shriver 6–4, 6–2 1993 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (2) Helena Suková (3) Gigi Fernández Natalia Zvereva 7–6(7–3) , 6–3 1994 Julie Halard Nathalie Tauziat Jana Novotná Lisa Raymond 6–1, 0–6, 6–1 1995 Gigi Fernández (2) Natasha Zvereva (2) Gabriela Sabatini Larisa Savchenko Neiland 7–5, 6–7(2–7) , 7–5 Acura Classic 1996 Lindsay Davenport Natasha Zvereva (3) Amy Frazier Kimberly Po 6–1, 6–4 1997 Yayuk Basuki Caroline Vis Larisa Savchenko Neiland Helena Suková 7–6(9–7) , 6–3 1998 Martina Hingis Natasha Zvereva (4) Tamarine Tanasugarn Elena Tatarkova 6–4, 6–2 1999 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (3) Larisa Savchenko Neiland Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs 6–2, 6–7(5–7) , 6–0 2000 Els Callens Dominique Monami Van Roost Kimberly Po Anne-Gaëlle Sidot 6–2, 7–5 estyle.com Classic 2001 Kimberly Po-Messerli Nathalie Tauziat (2) Nicole Arendt Caroline Vis 6–3, 7–5 2002 Kim Clijsters Jelena Dokić Daniela Hantuchová Ai Sugiyama 6–2, 6–3 JPMorgan Chase Open 2003 Carson Mary Pierce Rennae Stubbs Elena Bovina Els Callens 6–3, 6–3 2004 Nadia Petrova Meghann Shaughnessy Conchita Martínez Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–7(2–7) , 6–4, 6–3 2005 Elena Dementieva Flavia Pennetta Angela Haynes Bethanie Mattek 6–2, 6–4 2006 Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez Daniela Hantuchová Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–4 2007 Květa Hrdličková Peschke Rennae Stubbs (2) Alicia Molik Mara Santangelo 6–0, 6–1 East West Bank Classic 2008 Yung-jan Chan Chia-Jung Chuang Eva Hrdinová Vladimíra Uhlířová 2–6, 7–5, (10-4) 2009 Chia-Jung Chuang (2) Yan Zi Maria Kirilenko Agnieszka Radwańska 6–0, 4–6, 10–7 LA Women's Tennis Championships 2010 Succeeded by San Diego Open
See also
References
Tournaments by year Premier Mandatory Premier 5 tournaments Premier tournaments