Australian Open Series
The Australian Open Series is a selection of tennis tournaments held annually prior to the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. As of 2020, there are five official Australian Open Series tournaments held across Australia in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year, as designated by Tennis Australia.[1]
Tournaments
Week 1
ATP Cup
- Group Stages/Finals: Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, Sydney
- Group Stages: Perth Arena, Perth, Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane and Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, Sydney
The ATP Cup was introduced in 2020 as a representative multi-city tournament for the men's players of 24 of the highest-ranked nations. The nations are divided into six groups of four, with the six group winners and two highest-ranked second place teams progressing to the knockout finals stage. The group stage matches are shared between the three aforementioned cities, though the quarter-finals onward are exclusive to Sydney.
Brisbane International
The Brisbane International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of the WTA Premier tournaments of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. It was also part of the ATP World Tour 250 series until this portion of the tournament was removed to accommodate the ATP Cup. It is held annually in January at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
Week 2
Adelaide International
The Adelaide International forms part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. The inaugural tournament commences in January 2020 and will take place at an upgraded Memorial Drive Park facility in the final week before the Australian Open.
Kooyong Classic
The Kooyong Classic is an exhibition tournament played in the lead-up to the Australian Open. The format for the Classic has altered in accordance with the number of players participating, though in most years it has featured both men's and women's singles matches. Kooyong was the original home of the Australian Open before the tournament moved to Melbourne Park in 1988.
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an International tournament (previously Tier IV). It is competed on outdoor hardcourts, and is held in the run-up to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open.
| Tournament | Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's singles | 2009 |  Petra Kvitová |
Iveta Benešová |
7–5, 6–1 |
| 2010 |  Alona Bondarenko |
 Shahar Pe'er |
6–2, 6–4 | |
| 2011 |  Jarmila Groth |
 Bethanie Mattek-Sands |
6–4, 6–3 | |
| 2012 |  Mona Barthel |
 Yanina Wickmayer |
6–1, 6–2 | |
| 2013 |  Elena Vesnina |
Mona Barthel |
6–3, 6–4 | |
| 2014 |  Garbiñe Muguruza |
Klára Zakopalová |
6–4, 6–0 | |
| 2015 |  Heather Watson |
Madison Brengle |
6–3, 6–4 | |
| 2016 |  Alizé Cornet |
 Eugenie Bouchard |
6–1, 6–2 | |
| 2017 | Elise Mertens |
 Monica Niculescu |
6–3, 6–1 | |
| 2018 | Elise Mertens (2) |
Mihaela Buzărnescu |
6–1, 4–6, 6–3 | |
| 2019 | Sofia Kenin |
 Anna Karolína Schmiedlová |
6–3, 6–0 | |
| 2020 |  Elena Rybakina |
 Zhang Shuai |
7–6(9–7), 6–3 |
Weeks 3 and 4: Australian Open
The first of four Grand Slam events is held at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, usually in the second fortnight of January. In 2020 the tournament finished in the first week of February.
See: List of Australian Open champions.
Former tournaments
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup was an eight-nation tournament featuring one male and one female player representing their country. The tournament was originally played at the Burswood Dome before being moved to the Perth Arena in 2014. It has featured several of the top players, including Roger Federer, who won the last edition for Switzerland with compatriot Belinda Bencic.
Sydney International
The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open) was played in the lead-up to the Australian Open for both men and women. The tournament was removed from the calendar in 2020 to make way for the ATP Cup.[2]
World Tennis Challenge
The World Tennis Challenge was a three-night exhibition tournament held in the week before the Australian Open in Adelaide, South Australia. The tournament was created by a consortium of past players. It usually had four teams of two players, a 'legend' and a current player were paired into areas e.g. Americas or represent their countries. The current players played each other in a best of 3 match with a match tiebreaker for a 3rd set. The legends played a pro set, and the doubles if needed was a normal set with no a rules before a super tie break.
2021 COVID-19 alternative tournaments
In 2021 most of the usual tournaments were either relocated to Melbourne Park or not held at all, as a result of international and domestic travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 ATP Cup was moved to Melbourne Park but cut to 12 teams, whilst two WTA tournaments (the Gippsland Trophy and Yarra Valley Classic) and two ATP tournaments (the Great Ocean Road Open and Murray River Open) were held at the park in the lead-up to the 2021 Australian Open. An additional WTA tournament, the Grampians Trophy was later added for players who had to undergo strict quarantine measures upon arrival in Australia, serving as preparation for the Australian Open. Two other WTA tournaments, the Phillip Island Trophy and Adelaide International, were staged in the last week and week after the Open. Both tournaments (sans Adelaide) were named after places in the state of Victoria.
References
- ^ "Tennis Australia". Tennis Australia. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "ATP confirms big names set to kick off season at inaugural ATP Cup draw in Sydney". Australia: ABC News. 17 September 2019.
