Belgian Open (tennis)
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| Belgian Open | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Tour | WTA Tour |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Abolished | 2002 |
| Editions | 9 |
| Location | Various |
| Category | Tier IV (1988–89, 1992, 2001) Tier V (1993, 1999, 2000, 2002) |
| Surface | Clay / outdoor |
The Belgian Open was a WTA Tour tennis event held over three different periods during 1987–2002. The competition took place in July during 1987–1989 and 2002, and in May during 1992–1993 and 1999–2001. During 2000–2001 it was sponsored by Dutch clothing chain Mexx and renamed the Benelux Open. In 2002, it was renamed French Community Championships. The competition was played on outdoor clay courts.
The tournament was a Tier V event during 1988–89, then again in 1992 and 2001. The tournament was a Tier IV event in 1993, 1999, 2000 and 2002.
Only one Belgian woman won the singles event; the then little-known Justine Henin, aged 16 in 1999. However, Sabine Appelmans, Kim Clijsters and Els Callens all won the doubles event.
Location chronology
1987: Knokke
1988-89: Brussels
1992: Waregem
1993: Liège
1999-2001: Antwerp
2002: Brussels
Champions
Singles
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 |  Kathleen Horvath |
 Bettina Bunge |
6–1, 7–6 |
| 1988 |  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
 Raffaella Reggi |
6–0, 7–5 |
| 1989 |  Radka Zrubáková |
 Mercedes Paz |
7–6, 6–4 |
| 1990 | Not held | ||
| 1991 | Not held | ||
| 1992 | Wiltrud Probst |
Meike Babel |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 1993 | Radka Bobková |
 Karin Kschwendt |
6–3, 4–6, 6–2 |
| 1994-98 | Not held | ||
| 1999 |  Justine Henin |
 Sarah Pitkowski |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 2000 |  Amanda Coetzer |
Cristina Torrens Valero |
4–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 2001 | Barbara Rittner |
Klára Zakopalová |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 2002 |  Myriam Casanova |
Arantxa Sánchez |
4–6, 6–2, 6–1 |
Doubles
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Bettina Bunge Manuela Maleeva |
Kathleen Horvath Marcella Mesker |
4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1988 | Mercedes Paz Tine Scheuer-Larsen |
Katerina Maleeva Raffaella Reggi |
7–6, 6–1 |
| 1989 | Manon Bollegraf Mercedes Paz |
Carin Bakkum Simone Schilder |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 1990-91 | Not held | ||
| 1992 | Manon Bollegraf Caroline Vis |
 Elena Brioukhovets Petra Langrová |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1993 | Radka Bobková María José Gaidano |
Ann Devries Dominique Monami |
6–4, 2–6, 7–6 |
| 1994-98 | Not held | ||
| 1999 | Laura Golarsa Katarina Srebotnik |
 Louise Pleming Meghann Shaughnessy |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 2000 | Sabine Appelmans Kim Clijsters |
Jennifer Hopkins Petra Rampre |
6–1, 6–1 |
| 2001 | Els Callens Virginia Ruano Pascual |
Kristie Boogert Miriam Oremans |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 2002 | Barbara Schwartz Jasmin Wöhr |
Tathiana Garbin Arantxa Sánchez |
6–2, 0–6, 6–4 |
