Gulf State Championships


The Gulf State Championships was a men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1892 as the Gulf Coast Championships. It was first played at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States in 1892. In 1968 the final edition was played at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after which when it was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit.

History

In 1892 the first Gulf Coast Championships were held in at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States and was played on outdoor hard cement courts. The first winner of the men's singles title was Albert Empie Wright, he defeated a former top 4 ranked English tennis player, Charles Walder Grinstead in the final, who was touring America at this time. The first gulf tournament ran until 1894 when it was discontinued. In 1901 the tournament was revived under the new name the Gulf State Championships held at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, New Orleans, Louisiana. The tournament continued to be held there until 1914. In 1968 the tournament was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit and became a USLTA regional event.

Finals

Men's singles

Women's singles