1971 Virginia Slims Circuit

The 1971 Virginia Slims Circuit was the first annual Virginia Slims Circuit, a tour of tennis tournaments for female tennis players, sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes. Prior to the establishment of this circuit there was a huge inequality between the prize money purses for male and female tennis players which gave rise to complaints from a number of the leading female tennis players of the time. These players included Billie Jean King and became known as the "Original 9" after being banned from the events run by the hugely influential United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to their boycotting of the Pacific Southwest Championships. This resulted in the first Virginia Slims-sponsored event being held in September 1970 in Dallas, an event which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the annual Virginia Slims Circuit the following year. In 1971 the total prize money available from the Virginia Slims events was $309,100 and Billie Jean King became the first female athlete in history to earn more than $100,000 in one season.

Schedule

This is a calendar of all events sponsored by Virginia Slims in the year 1971, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage. The table also includes the Grand Slam tournaments and the 1971 Federation Cup.

Key

Grand Slam tournaments

Virginia Slims event

Federation Cup

December (1970)

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
Dec 26	Federation Cup Perth, Australia Federation Cup Grass – 14 teams knockout	Australia 3–0	Great Britain	France United States	Yugoslavia Netherlands South Africa New Zealand

January

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists		Quarterfinalists
Jan 6	British Motor Cars Invitational San Francisco, United States Virginia Slims $15,200 – Hard – 16S/8D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–4	Rosie Casals	Third place	Fourth place	Françoise Dürr Kerry Melville Jane Bartkowicz Mary-Ann Eisel
				Ann Jones 6–4, 6–4	Nancy Richey
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 6–7, 6–1	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones
Jan 8	Australian Open Sydney, Australia Grand Slam Grass – 30S/14D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Margaret Court 2–6, 7–6, 7–5	Evonne Goolagong	Lesley Hunt Winnie Shaw		Helen Gourlay Jan O'Neill Norma Marsh Sharon Walsh
		Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong 6–0, 6–0	Joy Emerson Lesley Hunt
Jan 14	Billie Jean King Invitational Long Beach, United States Virginia Slims $14,000 – Hard – 16S/8D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Nancy Richey		Stephanie Johnson Valerie Ziegenfuss Denise Carter Mary-Ann Eisel
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 7–5, 6–3	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones
Jan 21	Virginia Slims of Milwaukee Milwaukee, United States Virginia Slims $12,500 – Hard (i) – 16S/8D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr		Mary-Ann Eisel Karen Krantzcke Valerie Ziegenfuss Denise Carter
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 1–6, 6–2	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones
Jan 25	Virginia Slims of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, United States Virginia Slims $12,500 – Hard – 16S/4D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 1–6, 7–6, 6–4	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr		Kerry Melville Denise Carter Tory Fretz Mary-Ann Eisel
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–7, 6–0, 7–5	Mary-Ann Eisel Valerie Ziegenfuss

February

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
Feb 4	Virginia Slims of Chattanooga Chattanooga, United States Virginia Slims $12,700 – Hard (i) – 16S/8D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–4, 6–1	Ann Jones	Françoise Dürr Kerry Melville	Jane Bartkowicz Karen Krantzcke Kristy Pigeon Rosie Casals
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–5	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones
Feb 9	Philadelphia Indoor Championships Philadelphia, United States Virginia Slims $12,500 – Hard (i) – 16S Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Rosie Casals 6–2, 3–6, 6–2	Françoise Dürr	Billie Jean King Ann Jones	Tory Fretz Denise Carter Kerry Melville Judy Tegart Dalton
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King N/A	N/A
Feb 15	Station WLOD Fort Lauderdale, United States Virginia Slims $10,000 – Clay – 16S Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Françoise Dürr 6–3, 3–6, 6–3	Billie Jean King	Kerry Melville Rosie Casals	Judy Dalton Ann Jones Denise Carter Valerie Ziegenfuss
		N/A N/A	N/A
Feb 26	Virginia Slims of Boston Boston, United States Virginia Slims $12,500 – Hard (i) – 16S/2D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 4–6, 6–2, 6–3	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Françoise Dürr	Judy Tegart Dalton Jane Bartkowicz Kristy Pigeon Kerry Melville
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–5	Françoise Dürr Ann Jones

March

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists		Quarterfinalists
Mar 18	Virginia Slims US Indoors Detroit, United States Virginia Slims $10,000 – Hard (i) – 8S/2D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–1, 6–2	Rosie Casals	Ann Jones Mary-Ann Eisel		Valerie Ziegenfuss Tory Fretz Wendy Gilchrist Judy Tegart Dalton
		Mary-Ann Eisel Valerie Ziegenfuss 2–6, 6–2, 6–3	Judy Tegart Dalton Jane Bartkowicz
Mar 24	Virginia Slims of New York New York, United States Virginia Slims $15,600 – Hard (i) – 20S Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Rosie Casals 6–4, 6–4	Billie Jean King	Third place	Fourth place	Julie Heldman Kerry Melville Cecilia Martinez Jane Bartkowicz
				Ann Jones 6–2, 6–4	Françoise Dürr
		N/A N/A	N/A
Mar 28	Caribe Hilton Invitational San Juan, Puerto Rico Virginia Slims $10,000 – 24S/11D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Ann Jones 6–4, 6–4	Nancy Richey	Mary-Ann Eisel Jane Bartkowicz		Denise Carter Tory Fretz Judy Tegart Dalton Rosie Casals
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 7–6, 6–3	Karen Krantzcke Kerry Melville

April

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
Apr 5	Virginia Slims Masters St. Petersburg, United States Virginia Slims $10,000 – Clay – 16S/15Q/11D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Chris Evert 6–1, 6–2	Julie Heldman	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals	Karen Krantzcke Judy Alvarez Kerry Melville Judy Tegart Dalton
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 7–6, 3–6, 6–3	Judy Tegart Dalton Julie Heldman
Apr 13	Caesar's Palace World Pro Championships Las Vegas, United States Virginia Slims $29,200 – Hard – 16S/13Q/10D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Ann Jones 7–5, 6–4	Billie Jean King	Julie Heldman Judy Dalton	Nancy Richey Françoise Dürr Mary-Ann Eisel Rosie Casals
		Françoise Dürr Ann Jones 0–6, 6–2, 6–4	Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Apr 22	Virginia Slims of San Diego San Diego, United States Virginia Slims $12,400 – Hard – 16S/4D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 3–6, 7–5, 6–1	Rosie Casals	Julie Heldman Valerie Ziegenfuss	Esme Emanuel Kerry Melville Tory Fretz Kristy Pigeon
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–7, 6–2, 6–3	Françoise Dürr Judy Tegart Dalton

May

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
May 24 May 31	French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay – 64S/44Q/32D/38X Singles Draw – Doubles Draw – Mixed Draw	Evonne Goolagong 6–3, 7–5	Helen Gourlay	Marijke Schaar Nancy Richey	Linda Tuero Françoise Dürr Lesley Bowrey Gail Chanfreau
		Gail Chanfreau Françoise Dürr 6–4, 6–1	Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris
		Jean-Claude Barclay Françoise Dürr 6–3, 6–4	Tomas Leius Winnie Shaw

June

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
June 21 June 28	Wimbledon Championships London, England Grand Slam Grass – 96S/24D/80X Singles Draw – Doubles Draw – Mixed Draw	Evonne Goolagong 6–4, 6–1	Margaret Court	Judy Tegart Dalton Billie Jean King	Winnie Shaw Kerry Melville Nancy Richey Françoise Dürr
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong
		Owen Davidson Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–2, 15–13	Marty Riessen Margaret Court

August

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists		Quarterfinalists
Aug 2	Virginia Slims International Houston Houston, United States Virginia Slims $40,000 Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–4, 4–6, 6–1	Kerry Melville	Third place	Fourth place	Mary-Ann Eisel Julie Heldman Françoise Dürr Rosie Casals
				Nancy Richey 6–3, 6–3	Judy Tegart Dalton
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–1, 1–6, 6–2	Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr
Aug 16	Virginia Slims of Chicago Chicago, United States Virginia Slims $20,000 – Clay Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Françoise Dürr 6–4, 6–2	Billie Jean King	Nancy Richey Rosie Casals		Lesley Hunt Betty Ann Hansen Judy Tegart Dalton Linda Tuero
		Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr 6–4, 7–6	Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Aug 28	Virginia Slims of Newport Newport, United States Virginia Slims $20,000 – Grass Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Kerry Melville 6–3, 6–7, 7–6	Françoise Dürr	Billie Jean King Rosie Casals		C. Sanberg Judy Tegart Dalton Lesley Hunt Mary-Ann Eisel
		Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr 6–2, 6–1	Kerry Harris Kerry Melville

September

Week of	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
Sep 1 Sep 8	US Open New York, United States Grand Slam Hard – 64S/32D/47X Singles Draw – Doubles Draw – Mixed Draw	Billie Jean King 6–4, 7–6(5–2)	Rosie Casals	Chris Evert Kerry Melville	Laura du Pont Lesley Hunt Judy Tegart Dalton Joyce Williams
		Rosie Casals Judy Tegart Dalton 6–3, 6–3	Gail Chanfreau Françoise Dürr
		Owen Davidson Billie Jean King 6–3, 7–5	Bob Maud Betty Stöve
Sep 14	Virginia Slims of Louisville Louisville, United States Virginia Slims $20,000 Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 6–1, 4–6, 6–3	Rosie Casals	Kerry Melville Françoise Dürr	Lita Liem Alena Palmeova-West Helen Gourlay Margaret Cooper
		Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr 2–6, 6–4, 6–3	Kerry Melville Betty Stöve
Sep 27	Virginia Slims Thunderbird Classic Phoenix, United States Virginia Slims $20,000 – Hard – 32S/4D Singles Draw – Doubles Draw	Billie Jean King 7–5, 6–1	Rosie Casals	Kerry Melville Nancy Richey Gunter	Wendy Overton Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr Lesley Hunt
		Rosie Casals Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2	Judy Tegart Dalton Françoise Dürr

Statistical information

These tables present the number of singles (S), doubles (D), and mixed doubles (X) titles won by each player and each nation during the 1971 Virginia Slims Circuit. They also include data for the Grand Slam tournaments.

1) total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation);
2) highest amount of highest category tournaments (for example, having a single Grand Slam gives preference over any kind of combination without a Grand Slam title);
3) a singles > doubles > mixed doubles hierarchy;
4) alphabetical order (by family names for players).

Key

Grand Slam tournaments

Virginia Slims events

Titles won by player

Total	Player	S	D	X	S	D	S	D	X
25	King, Billy JeanBilly Jean King (USA)	●	●	● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	12	11	2
14	Casals, RosieRosie Casals (USA)		● ●		● ●	● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●	2	12	0
10	Durr, FrançoiseFrançoise Durr (FRA)		●	●	● ●	● ● ● ● ● ●	2	7	1
5	Haydon-Jones, AnnAnn Haydon-Jones (GBR)				● ●	● ● ●	2	3	0
4	Tegart Dalton, JudyJudy Tegart Dalton (AUS)		●			● ● ●	0	4	0
3	Goolagong, EvonneEvonne Goolagong (AUS)	● ●	●				2	1	0
2	Court, MargaretMargaret Court (AUS)	●	●				1	1	0
1	Chanfreau, GailGail Chanfreau (FRA)		●				0	6	0
1	Evert, ChrisChris Evert (USA)				●		1	0	0
1	Melville, KerryKerry Melville (AUS)				●		1	0	0
1	Eisel, Mary-AnnMary-Ann Eisel (USA)					●	0	1	0
1	Ziegenfuss, ValerieValerie Ziegenfuss (USA)					●	0	1	0

Titles won by nation

Total	Nation	S	D	X	S	D	S	D	X
30	United States (USA)	1	2	2	14	11	15	13	2
10	France (FRA)	0	1	1	2	6	2	7	1
9	Australia (AUS)	3	2	0	1	3	4	5	0
7	Great Britain (GBR)	0	0	0	2	5	2	5	0

External links

• Women's Tennis Association (WTA) official website
• International Tennis Federation (ITF) official website