WTA Auckland Open

WTA Auckland Open
WTA Auckland Open
Tournament information
Founded	1956
Location	Auckland; New Zealand
Venue	ASB Tennis Centre
Category	WTA 250
Surface	Hard (Plexicushion) - outdoors
Draw	32S / 24Q / 16D
Prize money	US$267,082 (2024)
Website	asbclassic.co.nz
Current champions (2024)
Singles	Coco Gauff
Doubles	Anna Danilina ; Viktória Hrunčáková

The WTA Auckland Open (currently sponsored by ASB Bank and called the ASB Classic) 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 Auckland Open 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 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 mens 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
For historical winners of this event see Auckland Championships 1886–1942
Auckland Invitation
1956	Mary Bevis Hawton	Thelma Coyne Long	8–6, 10–8
1957	Margaret Hellyer	Ruia Morrison	6–4, 6–4
1958	Angela Mortimer	Ruia Morrison	6–2, 6–1
New Zealand Invitation
1959	Ruia Morrison	Betty Holstein	6–4, 6–4
Auckland Invitation
1960	Ruia Morrison (2)	Margaret Smith	6–2, 6–4
1961	Jan Lehane	Ruia Morrison	6–0, 6–3
1962	Darlene Hard	Ruia Morrison	7–5, 7–5
Auckland Wills International
1963	Lesley Turner	Ruia Morrison-Davy	6–2, 6–1
1964	Margaret Smith	Jan Lehane	6–4, 3–6, 6–0
1965	Rita Bentley	Jill Blackman	6–4, 6–3
1966	Margaret Smith (2)	Kerry Melville	6–1, 6–1
1967	Rosie Casals	Françoise Dürr	6–2, 7–5
1968	Kerry Melville	Gail Sherriff	8–6, 6–1
↓ Open Era ↓
New Zealand Open
1969	Ann Haydon Jones	Karen Krantzcke	6–1, 6–1
1970	Ann Haydon Jones (2)	Kerry Melville	0–6, 6–4, 6–1
New Zealand Centennial Open
1971	Margaret Smith Court (3)	Evonne Goolagong	3–6, 7–6, 6–2
New Zealand Open
1972	Kerry Melville	Rosie Casals	6–2, 6–0
1973	Evonne Goolagong	Marilyn Pryde	6–0 6–1
1974	Evonne Goolagong (2)	Ann Kiyomura	6–3, 6–1
1975	Evonne Goolagong (3)	Linda Mottram	6–2, 7–5
1976	Sue Barker	Helga Niessen Masthoff	6–5, rained out title shared
1977	Heidi Eisterlehner	Karen Krantzcke	6–4, 6–4
1978	Helena Anliot	Marilyn Tesch	6–4, 6–3
1979	Pam Whytcross	Brenda Perry	6–3, 7–5
WTA Auckland Open
1980	Janet Newberry	Judy Connor Chaloner	6–2, 6–1
1981	Pam Whytcross (2)	Chris Newton	3–6, 6–4, 6–1
1982	Susan Hagey	Belinda Cordwell	6–4, 6–2
↓ Category 1 ↓
1986	Anne Hobbs	Louise Field	6–4, 6–2
1987	Gretchen Magers	Terry Phelps	6–2, 6–3
1988	Patty Fendick	Sara Gomer	6–3, 7–6
1989	Patty Fendick (2)	Belinda Cordwell	6–2, 6–0
↓ Tier V ↓
1990	Leila Meskhi	Sabine Appelmans	6–1, 6–0
1991	Eva Švíglerová	Andrea Strnadová	6–2, 0–6, 6–1
1992	Robin White	Andrea Strnadová	6–0, 6–0
↓ Tier IV ↓
1993	Elna Reinach	Caroline Kuhlman	6–0, 6–0
1994	Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen	Inés Gorrochategui	7–6^(7–4), 6–3
1995	Nicole Bradtke	Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen	3–6, 6–2, 6–1
1996	Sandra Cacic	Barbara Paulus	6–3, 1–6, 6–4
1997	Marion Maruska	Judith Wiesner	6–3, 6–1
1998	Dominique van Roost	Silvia Farina	4–6, 7–6, 7–5
1999	Julie Halard-Decugis	Dominique van Roost	6–4, 6–1
2000	Anne Kremer	Cara Black	6–4, 6–4
↓ Tier V ↓
2001	Meilen Tu	Paola Suárez	7–6^(10–8), 6–2
↓ Tier IV ↓
2002	Anna Smashnova	Tatiana Panova	6–2, 6–2
2003	Eleni Daniilidou	Cho Yoon-jeong	6–4, 4–6, 7–6²
2004	Eleni Daniilidou (2)	Ashley Harkleroad	6–3, 6–2
2005	Katarina Srebotnik	Shinobu Asagoe	5–7, 7–5, 6–4
2006	Marion Bartoli	Vera Zvonareva	6–2, 6–2
2007	Jelena Janković	Vera Zvonareva	7–6^(11–9), 5–7, 6–3
2008	Lindsay Davenport	Aravane Rezaï	6–2, 6–2
↓ International ↓
2009	Elena Dementieva	Elena Vesnina	6–4, 6–1
2010	Yanina Wickmayer	Flavia Pennetta	6–3, 6–2
2011	Gréta Arn	Yanina Wickmayer	6–3, 6–3
2012	Zheng Jie	Flavia Pennetta	2–6, 6–3, 2–0 Ret.
2013	Agnieszka Radwańska	Yanina Wickmayer	6–4, 6–4
2014	Ana Ivanovic	Venus Williams	6–2, 5–7, 6–4
2015	Venus Williams	Caroline Wozniacki	2–6, 6–3, 6–3
Auckland Open
2016	Sloane Stephens	Julia Görges	7–5, 6–2
2017	Lauren Davis	Ana Konjuh	6–3, 6–1
2018	Julia Görges	Caroline Wozniacki	6–4, 7–6^(7–4)
2019	Julia Görges (2)	Bianca Andreescu	2–6, 7–5, 6–1
2020	Serena Williams	Jessica Pegula	6–3, 6–4
2021	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
↓ WTA 250 ↓
2023	Coco Gauff	Rebeka Masarova	6–1, 6–1
2024	Coco Gauff (2)	Elina Svitolina	6–7^(4–7), 6–3, 6–3

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
ATP Auckland Open	1982–2015	men's
WTA Auckland Open	1982–2015	women's
Auckland Open	2016–current	combined