River Plate Championships
The River Plate Championships or Campeonatos del Río de la Plata, formally named River Plate International Tennis Championships, were five combined men's and women's tournaments.
The men's single was founded in 1893 as the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club Open and in 1894 it was played for the first time with cash.
Annually held on the outdoor clay courts of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the championships officially ran until 1978. From 1979 to 2016, the competitions ceased to be events on the international tennis circuits and were abolished in 2017.
History
The River Plate Championships were the most important international tennis tournaments to be held in Argentina and Latin America, preceding the Argentina International Championships by 34 years in men's competitions and by 25 years in women's competitions.In 1893 the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club organized its first tournament for members of all clubs within the Río de la Plata area, but it was played by local players. The event consisted only of the championship match and it was won by the Argentine player Frank Murray Still, who beat fellow Argentine player Thomas Vesey Melville Knox. The last champion was Argentina's José Luis Clerc, who beat New Zealand's Chris Lewis in the 1978 finale.
The women's championship did not start until 1903. It was won by the Argentine player Miss Chawner, who defeated fellow Argentine player Winnifred M. Boadle. The last champion was the American player Caroline Stoll, who beat Argentina's Emilse Raponi de Longo in the 1978 finale.