Natal Sugar Open Championships Explained

Natal Sugar Open Tennis Championships
Type:	defunct
Tour:	ILTF Sugar Circuit
Founded:	1962
Ended:	1981
Location:	Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Surface:	Hard (outdoor)

The Natal Sugar Open Championships^[1] was a men's and women's international tennis tournament founded in 1962 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa as the Natal Sugar Championships. Its sponsorship name was the Hulett Natal Sugar Open Championships^[2] the tournament ended in 1981.

History

The Natal Championships were founded in 1884 and first staged Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.^[3] In 1962 the Natal Sugar Championships were founded as part of the Sugar Circuit (f. 1962)^{[4] [5]} of tennis tournaments from the 1960s to 1980s.^[6] In 1962 and 1972 only men's tournament was also valid as the Natal Championships.

In 1980 the tournament was ended due to the withdraw of sponsorship by South African Sugar Association.^{[7] [8]} The event was staged at Umhlali during the final four years of the women's event. In later years the tournament had switched to hard courts. The event was usually run between the middle two weeks of July each year.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Natal Sugar Championships
1962		Gaetan Koenig	6-4, 6-3, 6-1
1963		Abe Segal	Title shared due to rain.
Open era
Natal Sugar Open Championships
1970^[9]	Keith Diepraam	Graham Stilwell	6-4, 6-4, 6-4
1971		Jan Leschly	6-4, 6-3, 6-1
1972^[10]	Jürgen Fassbender		6-3, 6-4, 6-2
1974	Raz Reid		6-2, 6-1

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Natal Sugar Championships
1962	Ann Haydon		6-2, 6-0
1963			7-5, 4-6, 6-3
1964	Darlene Hard		6-1, 6-2
1965			1-6, 6-0, 6-4
1966		Ann Haydon Jones	4-6, 6-3, 6-4
1967	Pat Walkden		6-2, 9-7
1968			6-1, 6-1
Open era
Natal Sugar Open Championships
1969	Billie Jean Moffitt King		6-4, 6-1
1970	Billie Jean Moffitt King (2)		6-4, 2-6, 6-2
1971^[11]		Patti Hogan	6-2, 6-1
1972			6-3, 6-3
1973	Sharon Walsh		0-6, 6-3, 6-4
1974	Sharon Walsh (2)		6-2, 6-1
1975			0-6, 6-0, 6-4
1976	Brenda Kirk Dimitriou (2)		6-1, 6-2
1977			6-3, 6-2
1978			7-5, 6-2
1979	Elizabeth Vlotman (2)	Alison McMillan McDade	7-5, 6-2
1980		Ms Muller	3-6, 6-4, 6-4
1981			3-6, 6-1, 6-2

Notes and References

1. The South African Sugar Year Book . South Sugar Journal . 1982 . 53 . 26 . South African sugar journal. . Mount Edgecombe, South Africa . en.
2. News: TENNIS . 13 March 2023 . Belfast Telegraph . British Newspaper Archive . 17 January 1962 . Antrim, Northern Ireland . 13. subscription.
3. Web site: The History of KZN Tennis . KZN Tennis Association . 1 July 2022 . 1.
4. Robertson (1974)
5. Belfast Telegraph (1962)
6. Dewey, Glen (1980). THE LAST SUGAR TENNIS CIRCUIT END OF AN ERA By Glen Dewey (South African Sugar Association). The South African Sugar Journal. Vol 64. Mount Edgecombe, South Africa. p.10.
7. South African Sugar Journal (1980)
8. Web site: South African Sugar Industry . SASA . The South African Sugar Association. 8 March 2023 . en-ZA.
9. News: TENNIS: Stilwell loses in final of Natal Sugar open tennis tournament at Durban yesterday . 13 April 2023 . Birmingham Daily Post . British Newspaper Archive . 8 April 1970 . Warwickshire, England . 26. subscription.
10. News: Weekend Sports In Brief . 13 April 2023 . Oxnard Press Courier . Newspaper Archive . 17 January 1972 . Oxnard, California, United States . 16. subscription.
11. News: Sport: Cricket and Tennis . 13 April 2023 . Sports Argus . British Newspaper Archive . 3 April 1971 . Warwickshire, England . 2. subscription.