South of France Championships

South of France Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded	1895
Abolished	1971
Editions	76
Location	Nice, France
Venue	Nice Lawn Tennis Club
Surface	Clay / outdoor

The South of France Championships its original name also known as the Championships of the South of France and the Championship of Southern France was a tennis event held from 1895 through 1971 it was originally played at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club, Nice, France.

Lawn Tennis was introduced to French Riviera by English, who decided to holiday on the Cote d'Azur after Queen Victoria vacationed there during the late 1800s. The riviera season was usually December through to March and a number of events would be staged in Nice the South of France Championships was considered the best of these early continental tournaments other events founded around this time included the Nice Championships, the Nice Lawn Tennis Club Championships and later the Nice International. Nice Lawn Tennis Club was originally founded in 1890 at Place Mozart. In 1895 the South of France Championships tournament began, the dates the event was held fluctuated between February, March and April annually the club and championships changed location to Parc Imperial Avenue Suzanne Lenglen in 1923 it was one the earliest events open to international players the tournament survived for a period of 76 years until 1971.

Notes: Challenge Round: The Final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921) in some tournaments not all. * Indicates challenger

...
Wikipedia