From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
WTA Auckland Open
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | ASB Classic |
| type | wta |
| logo | Asbclassic logo.png |
| logo size | 200px |
| founded | |
| city | Auckland |
| country | New Zealand |
| venue | ASB Tennis Centre |
| tier | WTA 250 |
| surface | Hard (Plexicushion) - outdoors |
| draw | 32S / 24Q / 16D |
| prize money | (2026) |
| website | asbclassic.co.nz |
| completed event | 2026 |
| singles | UKR Elina Svitolina |
| doubles | CHN Guo Hanyu |
| FRA Kristina Mladenovic |
FRA Kristina Mladenovic The WTA Auckland Open, known as the ASB Classic (sponsored by ASB Bank), is a professional women's tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. The tournament is played annually, in the first week of January, at the ASB Tennis Centre in the suburb of Parnell, just east of the Central Business District. It is an International level tournament in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) World Tour. The equivalent men's event, the ATP Auckland Open, is played in the following week, immediately ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, the Australian Open.
The ASB Classic returned in 2023 after the 2021 and 2022 events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic owing travel restrictions for international visitors to New Zealand.
History
In 1886 the first open tournament held in Auckland was the Auckland Championships it was the precursor event to this one, but was not always staged. In the 1920s major new tennis venues were built in Auckland for the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association (now called Tennis Auckland), as well as Wellington and Christchurch comprising both grass and hard courts. In 1920 when the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association was looking for a permanent base, the only available site was a tip in Stanley Street. Undeterred, the local clubs raised the-then enormous sum of 1,800 pounds to prepare the site and build new courts. For the next 30 years the Tennis Centre in Stanley Street was home to local tennis matches. In 1942 the Auckland Championships were discontinued. In 1954 a second version of the Auckland Championships was revived that is still being staged today.
In 1956 Auckland hosted its first new permanent international tournament, known as the 'Auckland Invitation'. In 1959 the tournament was renamed as the New Zealand Invitation before returning to its former name in 1960. By the 1960s the shuttle bus fare from town to Stanley Street was sixpence. Admission was five shillings for the first three days and 7/6 for finals and semifinals – a whole tournament for the equivalent of $4. By the 1970s, 25 cents got you all-day parking next door at Carlaw Park. The tournament was played on outdoor grass courts from its inaugural edition in 1956 until 1977, switching to hard courts in 1978.
In 1963 this event was rebranded as the Auckland Wills International tournament. In 1969 its official name was altered again to the New Zealand Open. In 1971 its official name was changed to the New Zealand Centennial Open for one year only before returning to its former name until 1981 when the event was separated into the ATP Auckland Open for men and the WTA Auckland Open for women. Between 1979 and 1989 the men's editions of the tournament were part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit.
From 1969, the first edition in the open era of tennis, until 1981 the joint tournament was known under its sponsored name 'Benson and Hedges Open'. When the event was split into two tournaments the men's sponsorship continued as the Benson and Hedges Open. Then from 1998 until 2015 it was named the 'Heineken Open'. There was no women's events for the years 1983 to 1984 and 1986. In 1987 the women's event resumed and its sponsorship name was the Nutri-Metics Open until 1989, then called the Nutri-Metics International in 1990, then the Nutri-Metics Bendon Classic from 1991 to 1992, then the Amway Classic from 1993 to 1996. In 1997 it was branded as the ASB Classic a women's tournament.
After being separated for 34 years, the WTA and ATP merged the event in 2016 and both tournaments are now known collectively as the ASB Classic. Heineken will still be a sponsor but will have a diminished role in anticipation of new tennis regulations restricting alcohol sponsorship.
Both the 2021 and 2022 Auckland Open were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In regards to the 2022 cancellation, organizers cited New Zealand's strict quarantine rules as making it intractable for players, officials, and all other required staff to be admitted into the country.
Finals
Singles
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Invitation | |||||||||
| title=Roll of Champions 1956-2020 | url=https://www.asbclassic.co.nz/the-tournament/roll-of-champions/ | website=ASB Classic | publisher=Tennis Auckland | access-date=4 April 2023 | language=en | date=2020}} | AUS Mary Bevis Hawton | AUS Thelma Coyne Long | 8–6, 10–8 |
| 1957 | AUS Margaret Hellyer | NZL Ruia Morrison | 6–4, 6–4 | ||||||
| 1958 | GBR Angela Mortimer | NZL Ruia Morrison | 6–2, 6–1 | ||||||
| New Zealand Invitation | |||||||||
| 1959 | NZL Ruia Morrison | AUS Betty Holstein | 6–4, 6–4 | ||||||
| Auckland Invitation | |||||||||
| 1960 | NZL Ruia Morrison (2) | AUS Margaret Smith | 6–2, 6–4 | ||||||
| 1961 | AUS Jan Lehane | NZL Ruia Morrison | 6–0, 6–3 | ||||||
| 1962 | USA Darlene Hard | NZL Ruia Morrison | 7–5, 7–5 | ||||||
| Auckland Wills International | |||||||||
| 1963 | AUS Lesley Turner | NZL Ruia Morrison-Davy | 6–2, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1964 | AUS Margaret Smith | AUS Jan Lehane | 6–4, 3–6, 6–0 | ||||||
| 1965 | GBR Rita Bentley | AUS Jill Blackman | 6–4, 6–3 | ||||||
| 1966 | AUS Margaret Smith (2) | AUS Kerry Melville | 6–1, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1967 | USA Rosie Casals | FRA Françoise Dürr | 6–2, 7–5 | ||||||
| 1968 | AUS Kerry Melville | AUS Gail Sherriff | 8–6, 6–1 | ||||||
| ↓ Open Era ↓ | |||||||||
| New Zealand Open | |||||||||
| 1969 | GBR Ann Haydon Jones | AUS Karen Krantzcke | 6–1, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1970 | GBR Ann Haydon Jones (2) | AUS Kerry Melville | 0–6, 6–4, 6–1 | ||||||
| New Zealand Centennial Open | |||||||||
| 1971 | AUS Margaret Smith Court (3) | AUS Evonne Goolagong | 3–6, 7–6, 6–2 | ||||||
| New Zealand Open | |||||||||
| 1972 | AUS Kerry Melville | USA Rosie Casals | 6–2, 6–0 | ||||||
| 1973 | AUS Evonne Goolagong | NZL Marilyn Pryde | 6–0 6–1 | ||||||
| 1974 | AUS Evonne Goolagong (2) | USA Ann Kiyomura | 6–3, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1975 | AUS Evonne Goolagong (3) | GBR Linda Mottram | 6–2, 7–5 | ||||||
| 1976 | GBR Sue Barker | FRG Helga Niessen Masthoff | 6–5, rained out title shared | ||||||
| 1977 | FRG Heidi Eisterlehner | AUS Karen Krantzcke | 6–4, 6–4 | ||||||
| 1978 | SWE Helena Anliot | AUS Marilyn Tesch | 6–4, 6–3 | ||||||
| 1979 | AUS Pam Whytcross | NZL Brenda Perry | 6–3, 7–5 | ||||||
| WTA Auckland Open | |||||||||
| 1980 | USA Janet Newberry | NZL Judy Connor Chaloner | 6–2, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1981 | AUS Pam Whytcross (2) | NZL Chris Newton | 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1982 | GER Susan Hagey | NZL Belinda Cordwell | 6–4, 6–2 | ||||||
| ↓ Category 1 ↓ | |||||||||
| 1985 | UK Anne Hobbs | AUS Louise Field | 6–4, 6–2 | ||||||
| 1986 | Not held | ||||||||
| 1987 | USA Gretchen Magers | USA Terry Phelps | 6–2, 6–3 | ||||||
| 1988 | USA Patty Fendick | UK Sara Gomer | 6–3, 7–6 | ||||||
| 1989 | USA Patty Fendick (2) | New Zealand Belinda Cordwell | 6–2, 6–0 | ||||||
| ↓ Tier V ↓ | |||||||||
| 1990 | URS Leila Meskhi | BEL Sabine Appelmans | 6–1, 6–0 | ||||||
| 1991 | TCH Eva Švíglerová | TCH Andrea Strnadová | 6–2, 0–6, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1992 | USA Robin White | TCH Andrea Strnadová | 6–0, 6–0 | ||||||
| ↓ Tier IV ↓ | |||||||||
| 1993 | RSA Elna Reinach | USA Caroline Kuhlman | 6–0, 6–0 | ||||||
| 1994 | USA Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen | ARG Inés Gorrochategui | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | ||||||
| 1995 | AUS Nicole Bradtke | USA Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen | 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1996 | USA Sandra Cacic | AUT Barbara Paulus | 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 | ||||||
| 1997 | AUT Marion Maruska | AUT Judith Wiesner | 6–3, 6–1 | ||||||
| 1998 | BEL Dominique van Roost | ITA Silvia Farina | 4–6, 7–6, 7–5 | ||||||
| 1999 | FRA Julie Halard-Decugis | BEL Dominique van Roost | 6–4, 6–1 | ||||||
| 2000 | LUX Anne Kremer | ZIM Cara Black | 6–4, 6–4 | ||||||
| ↓ Tier V ↓ | |||||||||
| 2001 | USA Meilen Tu | ARG Paola Suárez | 7–6(10–8), 6–2 | ||||||
| ↓ Tier IV ↓ | |||||||||
| 2002 | ISR Anna Smashnova | RUS Tatiana Panova | 6–2, 6–2 | ||||||
| 2003 | GRE Eleni Daniilidou | KOR Cho Yoon-jeong | 6–4, 4–6, 7–62 | ||||||
| 2004 | GRE Eleni Daniilidou (2) | USA Ashley Harkleroad | 6–3, 6–2 | ||||||
| 2005 | SLO Katarina Srebotnik | JPN Shinobu Asagoe | 5–7, 7–5, 6–4 | ||||||
| 2006 | FRA Marion Bartoli | RUS Vera Zvonareva | 6–2, 6–2 | ||||||
| 2007 | SRB Jelena Janković | RUS Vera Zvonareva | 7–6(11–9), 5–7, 6–3 | ||||||
| 2008 | USA Lindsay Davenport | FRA Aravane Rezaï | 6–2, 6–2 | ||||||
| ↓ International ↓ | |||||||||
| 2009 | RUS Elena Dementieva | RUS Elena Vesnina | 6–4, 6–1 | ||||||
| 2010 | BEL Yanina Wickmayer | ITA Flavia Pennetta | 6–3, 6–2 | ||||||
| 2011 | HUN Gréta Arn | BEL Yanina Wickmayer | 6–3, 6–3 | ||||||
| 2012 | CHN Zheng Jie | ITA Flavia Pennetta | 2–6, 6–3, 2–0 Ret. | ||||||
| 2013 | POL Agnieszka Radwańska | BEL Yanina Wickmayer | 6–4, 6–4 | ||||||
| 2014 | SRB Ana Ivanovic | USA Venus Williams | 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 | ||||||
| 2015 | USA Venus Williams | DEN Caroline Wozniacki | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 | ||||||
| Auckland Open | |||||||||
| 2016 | USA Sloane Stephens | GER Julia Görges | 7–5, 6–2 | ||||||
| 2017 | USA Lauren Davis | CRO Ana Konjuh | 6–3, 6–1 | ||||||
| 2018 | GER Julia Görges | DEN Caroline Wozniacki | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | ||||||
| 2019 | GER Julia Görges (2) | CAN Bianca Andreescu | 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 | ||||||
| 2020 | USA Serena Williams | USA Jessica Pegula | 6–3, 6–4 | ||||||
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic}} | ||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||
| ↓ WTA 250 ↓ | |||||||||
| 2023 | USA Coco Gauff | ESP Rebeka Masarova | 6–1, 6–1 | ||||||
| 2024 | USA Coco Gauff (2) | UKR Elina Svitolina | 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–3 | ||||||
| 2025 | DEN Clara Tauson | JPN Naomi Osaka | 4–6 retd. | ||||||
| 2026 | UKR Elina Svitolina | CHN Wang Xinyu | 6–3, 7–6(8–6) |
Event names
This tournament had just its official names from 1956 to 1968 with no sponsorship. In 1969 following the start of the open era sponsorship begins and the event carries both its official designation and its sponsorship title.
Official
| Name | Years | Event type |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland Invitation | 1956–1958, 1960–1962 | combined |
| New Zealand Invitation | 1959 | combined |
| Auckland Wills International | 1963–1968 | combined |
| New Zealand Open | 1969–1979 | combined |
| Auckland Open | 1980–1981 | combined |
| WTA Auckland Open | 1982–2015 | women's |
| Auckland Open | 2016–current | combined |
Sponsored
The tournaments sponsored names have been as follows:
| Name | Years | Event type |
|---|---|---|
| Benson & Hedges Open | 1969–1970, 1960–1962 | combined |
| Benson & Hedges Centennial Open | 1971 | combined |
| Benson & Hedges Open | 1972–1981 | combined |
| events separate (1982–2015) & no women events (1983–84, 1986) | ||
| Nutri-Metics Open | 1987–1989 | women's |
| Nutri-Metics International | 1990 | women's |
| Nutri-Metics Bendon Classic | 1991–1992 | women's |
| Amway Classic | 1993–1996 | women's |
| ASB Classic | 1997–2015 | women's |
| events combine again (2016) | ||
| ASB Classic | 2016–current | combined |
References
References
- (6 October 2020). "2021 ASB Classic cancelled".
- (29 June 2021). "Tennis: ASB Classic cancelled for second straight year".
- (7 June 2022). "ASB Classic to return to Auckland after 2-year hiatus".
- (29 February 1892). "The Auckland Tennis Championships". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
- (5 Sep 2013). "Tennis: Consolidation, 1920s to 1940s". Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand..
- (2021). "Auckland Champs Roll of Honour".
- Romanos (2013)
- (5 January 2002). "Tennis: Net profits the name of the game".
- (28 August 2015). "ATP and WTA Auckland events merge".
- (6 October 2020). "2021 ASB Classic cancelled".
- (2020). "Roll of Champions 1956-2020". Tennis Auckland.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about WTA Auckland Open — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report