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Toyota Championships

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Colgate Series Championships
Toyota Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event nameColgate Series (1977–81)
Toyota Championships (1981–82)
TourWTA Tour (1977–82)
Founded1977
Abolished1982
LocationPalm Springs, CA, U.S.
Landover MD, U.S.
East Rutherford, NJ, U.S.
SurfaceHard, Carpet

The Toyota Championships were the finales in an annual series of professional women's tennis tournaments for women from 1977 through 1982. They were a continuation of the earlier Colgate Series Championships (1977-80) They were the fall season finales of the Colgate Series, then later Toyota Series circuits. They operated in much the same way as the men's WCT Circuit which also had WCT seasonal finals held in the fall or winter. The championships were discontinued when Virginia Slims became the year-round sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association Tour in 1983.[1][2] The best singles and doubles players of the circuit, based on ranking points earned, qualified for the championships.

The main full season finales were, called the Virginia Slims Championships in 1972-78, then the Avon Championships in the 1979-82 period, then the Virginia Slims Championships again from 1983 to 1989. In 1990 a single unified women's circuit began, with a rebranded year end championship event called the WTA Tour Championships (today known as the WTA Finals)

Finals

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Singles

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Series Year Series-Ending Tournament Location Surface Champion Runner-up Score
1977 Colgate Series Championships Palm Springs, California, U.S. Hard United States Chris Evert United States Billie Jean King 6–2, 6–2
1978 Colgate Series Championships Palm Springs, California, U.S. Hard United States Chris Evert United States Martina Navratilova 6–3, 6–3
1979 Colgate Series Championships Landover, Maryland, U.S. Carpet United States Martina Navratilova United States Tracy Austin 6–2, 6–1
1980 Colgate Series Championships Landover, Maryland, U.S. Carpet United States Tracy Austin United States Andrea Jaeger 6–2, 6–2
1981 Toyota Series Championships East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. Carpet United States Tracy Austin United States Martina Navratilova 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
1982 Toyota Series Championships East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. Carpet United States Martina Navratilova United States Chris Evert 4–6, 6–1, 6–2

Doubles

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Series Year Champions Runners-up Score
1977 France Françoise Dürr
United Kingdom Virginia Wade
Australia Helen Gourlay Cawley
United States Joanne Russell
6–1, 4–6, 6–4
1978 United States Billie Jean King
United States Martina Navratilova
Australia Wendy Turnbull
Australia Kerry Reid
6–3, 6–4
1979 United States Billie Jean King
United States Martina Navratilova
United States Chris Evert
United States Rosemary Casals
6–4, 6–3
1980 United States Rosemary Casals
Australia Wendy Turnbull
United States Candy Reynolds
United States Paula Smith
6–3, 4–6, 7–6
1981 United States Martina Navratilova
United States Pam Shriver
United States Rosemary Casals
Australia Wendy Turnbull
6–3, 6–4
1982 United States Martina Navratilova
United States Pam Shriver
United States Candy Reynolds
United States Paula Smith
6–4, 7–5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ John Dolan (2011). Women's Tennis 1968–84: the Ultimate Guide. Remous. pp. 500–505.
  2. ^ Barry Lorge (December 30, 1979). "Colgate Tennis Draws Spotlight With Cross-Country Move". The Washington Post.
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