Bordeaux International

The Bordeaux International^[1] or Bordeaux Internationale also known as the Villa Primrose Cup or Coupe de la Villa Primrose was a men's and women's international clay court tennis tournament founded in 1897. The tournament was played at the La Festa Country Club, Bordeaux, France. It was played annually until 1969 when it was discontinued.

Bordeaux International Bordeaux Internationale
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded	1897; 126 years ago (1897)
Abolished	1969; 54 years ago (1969)
Location	Bordeaux, France
Venue	Villa Primrose Bordeaux
Surface	Clay

History

In May 1897 the Société Athlétique de la Villa Primrose was founded.^[2] In the summer that year it staged its first tennis tournament.^[3] This first tournament was a club championship open to members only.^[3]

In 1907 the club championship became an open international tournament.^[1] The tournament attracted top players Frenchman Max Decugis, was the inaugural winner of the men's singles event.^[1] The prestigious Coupe de la Primrose was also offered for the first time in 1907. The first winner of the women's singles was France's Marguerite Broquedis.

The final men's singles champion was Chilean player Patricio Rodríguez,^[1] and the final women's singles champion was Belgium's Christiane Mercelis. In 1979 after a period of ten years a new main tour event for men was revived at Villa Primrose called the Bordeaux Open that ran until 1995 when it was abolished. In 2008 the Association of Tennis Professionals established a new challenger tournament for men at the same venue called the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux that is still held today.^[4][5]

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete Roll) included:^[6]

Villa Primrose Athletic Society Tennis Championship
Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1897	Paul Robert Marcel Devès	Paul Lebreton	3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3
1901	Paul Robert Marcel Devès (2)	Mr. Schroeder	6–0, 6–1
1902	Daniel Édouard Lawton^[7]	Paul Robert Marcel Devès	6–4, 6–4
1906	Max Decugis	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6

(Incomplete Roll)

Bordeaux International/Coupe de la Primrose
Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1907^[1]	Max Decugis	Jean Montariol	2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
1908^[1]	Anthony Wilding	Daniel Édouard Lawton	6–2, 6–0, 6–1
1909^[1]	Max Decugis (2)	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6
1910^[1]	Jean Montariol	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	?
1911^[1]	Maurice Germot	François Blanchy	6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6, 8–6
1912^[1]	Max Decugis (3)	Jean Montariol	6–3, 6–3, 6–0
1913^[1]	Max Decugis (4)	Maurice Germot	6–8, 6–1, 6–0, 8–6
1914/1918	Tournament not held due to World War I
1920^[1]	Nicolae Mishu	Ludwig von Salm-Hoogstraeten	6–4, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3
1922^[1]	Jean Borotra	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–3, 7–5 3–6 6–2
1923^[1]	René Lacoste	Jean Borotra	7–9, 6–2, 8–6
1924^[1]	François Blanchy	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3
1925^[1]	Jean Borotra (2)	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–0, 6–2, 6–2
1926^[1]	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	François Blanchy	8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3
1927^[1]	Antoine Gentien	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	8–6, 6–0, 6–2
1928^[1]	Guillermo Robson	Ronaldo Boyd	3–6, 6–2, 6–4
1929^[1]	Antoine Gentien (2)	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–8, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1
1930^[1]	Antoine Gentien (3)	Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh	6–2, 6–2
1931^[1]	Roger George	Christian Boussus	1–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–4
1932^[1]	Roland Journu	Alexandre Goldryn	6–1, 3–6, 7–5, 6–2
1933^[1]	André Martin-Legeay	Roland Journu	6–4, 6–4, 6–3
1934^[1]	André Martin-Legeay (2)	Jean Lesueur	6–2, 8–6, 6–4
1936^[1]	André Martin-Legeay (3)	Enrique Maier	6–3, 7–5, 9–7
1937^[1]	Paul Féret	Jean Lesueur	1–6, 6–4, 6–1, 6–3
1939^[1]	Roland Journu (2)	Christian Boussus	8–6, 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1
1952^[1]	Irvin Dorfman	Jean Ducos de la Haille	3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–4
1954^[1]	Rex Hartwig	Neale Fraser	6–1, 6–2
1955^[1]	Jean-Claude Molinari	Jean-Noël Grinda	3–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–3
1957^[1]	Bernard Destremau	Alain Lemyze	6–4, 6–0
1958^[1]	Alain Bresson	Georges Deniau	6–2, 8–6, 6–3
1963^[1]	François Jauffret	Mustapha Belkhodja	6–2, 6–2
1964^[1]	Jean-Claude Barclay	Patricio Rodríguez	6–2, 7–5, 6–1
1967^[1]	Thomaz Koch	José Edison Mandarino	6–4, 5–6, 6–2, 7–5
↓  Open era  ↓
1969^[1]	Patricio Rodríguez	Nicholas Kalogeropoulos	0–6, 9–7, 6–4, 6–4
For the successor mens event see Bordeaux Open

Women's singles

Bordeaux International/Coupe de la Primrose
Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1907	Marguerite Broquedis	?	?
1911	Marguerite Broquedis (2)	Mme Flouch	6–2, 6–1
1912	Marie Decugis	Jeanne Liebrechts	8–6, 6–2
1913	Elizabeth Ryan	Marie Decugis	6–2, 6–1
1914/1918	Tournament not held due to World War I
1920	Hélène Contostavlos	Germaine Bourgeois Pigueron	8–6, 6–2
1921	Phyllis Satterthwaite	Sylvia Henrotin	6–3, 6–4
1922	Germaine Bourgeois Pigueron	Mlle Flouch	6–1, 6–1
1923	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (3)	Mlle de Luze	6–0, 6–3
1924	Yvonne Bourgeois	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout	6–2, 2–6, 6–2
1925	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (4)	Yvonne Bourgeois	7–5, 7–5
1926	Nelly Neppach	Margethe Kahler	6–1, 6–0
1927	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (5)	Yvonne Bourgeois	9–7, 6–2
1928	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (6)	Germaine Leconte	6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1929	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (7)	Jacqueline Gallay	6–3, 6–4
1930	Simone Marre	Marguerite Broquedis-Billout	6–4, 4–6, 7–5
1931	Isabela Dutton de Pons	Simone Marre	6–3, 3–6, 6–3
1932	Isabela Dutton de Pons	Lucia Valerio	7–5, 4–6, 6–4
1933	Simone Passermard Mathieu	Sylvia Henrotin	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
1934	Simone Passermard Mathieu (2)	Ida Adamoff	7–5, 6–2
1935	Lilí Álvarez	Dorothy Andrus Burke	6–3, 9–7
1936	Simone Passermard Mathieu (3)	Simone Iribarne	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
1937	Simone Passermard Mathieu (4)	Susan Noel	6–2, 6–3
1938	Susan Noel	Lolette Payot	4–6, 10–8, 6–3
1939	Jeanne Peyré	Simone Iribarne Lafargue	6–1, 2–6, 6–3
1951	Patricia Ward	Manuela Bologna	6–4, 6–3
1952	Anita Lizana	Melita Ramírez	4–6, 7–5, 6–3
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Christiane Mercelis	Almut Sturm	0–6, 6–2, 6–4

Venue

The Villa Primrose Tennis Club still operates today. It covers approximately 27,081m2 and has 10 outdoor clay courts, 2 outdoor green-set courts, 5 indoor clay courts, 3 mini tennis courts and 1 practice wall.^[8]

Tournament statistics

Men's singles

• Most titles:   Max Decugis (4)
• Most consecutive titles:   André Martin-Legeay (3)
• Most finals:   Jean-Pierre Samazeuilh (8)
• Most consecutive finals:   André Martin-Legeay (3)

Women's singles

• Most titles:   Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (7)
• Most consecutive titles:   Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (3)
• Most finals:   Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (8)
• Most consecutive finals:  Marguerite Broquedis-Billout (4)

References

1. "Tournaments:Bordeaux International – Villa Primrose Cup". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
2. "Un club centenaire". Villa Primrose (in French). Villa Primrose Bordeaux. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
3. Villa Primrose Bordeaux
4. "Villa Primrose Bordeaux: Tennis and hockey club in Bordeaux". www.barnes-bordeaux.com. Barnes International. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
5. "Bordeaux: Overview". ATP Tour. ATP Tour. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
6. "Tournaments: Villa Primrose Athletic Society Tennis Championship Primrose". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
7. "Olympedia – Daniel Lawton". www.olympedia.org. International Society of Olympic Historians. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
8. "Principaux clubs de tennis à Bordeaux". tennissables.com (in French). Tennissables. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2023.