# River Oaks International Tennis Tournament

The River Oaks International Tennis Tournament, also known as the River Oaks Invitational Tennis Tournament, was a men's tennis tournament held in early spring from 1931 until 2007 at the River Oaks Country Club, Houston, Texas, USA. The tournament was the oldest in the country to still be played at its original site, in the original stadium. The tournament was founded by cotton broker Jack Norton. From the very beginning, the River Oaks International was an invitational amateur tournament, and was not associated with the professional tennis associations. From the start, the field was filled with a few stars and then local candidates filled out the rest of the field. The inaugural edition in April 1931, which made a loss of $1,500, was won by 19-year-old Ellsworth Vines. The tournament was not held during the World War II years 1942–1945.
In 1971 the tournament was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit while from 1973 until 1977 it formed part of the World Championship Tennis circuit. One of the landmark tournament events was in 1974, the championship match was broadcast before a national audience; thirty-four-year-old Rod Laver, met heir apparent, seventeen-year-old Björn Borg. Laver, who in 1961 became the first foreign player to win the singles title, won in straight sets and became the first man to hold four singles championships at River Oaks.
In 2008, the River Oaks International was merged with one of the oldest, and last remaining clay court tournaments in the United States, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

## Finals
### Singles

| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
| 1931 | Ellsworth Vines | Bruce Barnes | 6–3, 6–4, 10–8 |
| 1932 | Wilmer Allison | Jake Hess | 8–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1933 | Frank Parker | George Lott | 7–5, 10–12, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1934 | Lester Stoefen | Wilmer Allison | 6–2, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1935 | Bryan Grant | Wilmer Allison | 6–3, 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1936 | Bryan Grant | Wilmer Allison | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 1937 | Bryan Grant | Wilmer Allison | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 1938 | Wayne Sabin | Ernest Sutter | 6–4, 4–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–2 |
| 1939 | Frank Guernsey | Frank Kovacs | 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, 6–3 |
| 1940 | Robert Riggs | Bryan Grant | 7–5, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 1941 | Frank Kovacs | Bryan Grant | 6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 1942 | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) |
| 1943 | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) |
| 1944 | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) |
| 1945 | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) | No competition (due to WWII) |
| 1946 | Gardnar Mulloy | William Talbert | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| 1947 | Jack Kramer | Gardnar Mulloy | 6–1, 6–0, 6–2 |
| 1948 | Frank Parker | William Talbert | 9–7, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1949 | Ted Schroeder | William Talbert | 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1950 | Robert Falkenburg | Ted Schroeder | 6–0, 15–13, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 1951 | Arthur Larsen | Herbert Flam | 6–4, 7–5, 3–6, 10–8 |
| 1952 | Gardnar Mulloy | Arthur Larsen | 6–3, 3–6, 3–6, 8–6, 6–4 |
| 1953 | Gardnar Mulloy | Vic Seixas | 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1954 | Dick Savitt | Ham Richardson | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 1955 | Tony Trabert | Vic Seixas | 6–0, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1956 | Ham Richardson | Vic Seixas | 7–5, 6–0, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 1957 | Herbert Flam | Mervyn Rose | 7–5, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1958 | Barry MacKay (tennis) | Luis Ayala | 8–10, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1959 | Bernard Bartzen | Dick Savitt | 2–6, 7–5, 4–6, 0–2 retired |
| 1960 | Barry MacKay (tennis) | Neale Fraser | 7–5, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1961 | Rod Laver | Roy Emerson | 7–5, 7–5, 1–6, 6–3 |
| 1962 | Rod Laver | Roy Emerson | 6–1, 7–5, 7–5 |
| 1963 | Manuel Santana | Chuck McKinley | 6–4, 13-11, 3–6, 2–6, 6–4 |
| 1964 | Roy Emerson | Nikola Pilić | 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1965 | Ramanathan Krishnan | Cliff Richey | 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1966 | Marty Mulligan | Nikola Pilić | 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 0–6, 4–5 |
| 1967 | John Newcombe | Tony Roche | 6–2, 7–5, 6–3 |
| 1968 | Cliff Richey | Boro Jovanović | 6–4, 6–1, 6–0 |
| 1969 | Željko Franulović | Rafael Osuna | 7–5, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1970 | Clark Graebner | Cliff Richey | 2–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1971 | Cliff Richey | Clark Graebner | 6–1, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1972 | Rod Laver | Ken Rosewall | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1973 | Ken Rosewall | Fred Stolle | 6–4, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 1974 | Rod Laver | Björn Borg | 7–6, 6–2 |
| 1975 | Ken Rosewall | Cliff Drysdale | 6–4, 6–7, 6–4 |
| 1976 | Harold Solomon | Ken Rosewall | 6–4, 1–6, 6–1 |
| 1977 | Adriano Panatta | Vitas Gerulaitis | 7–6, 6–7, 6–1 |
| 1978 | Brian Gottfried | Ilie Năstase | 3.6, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1979 | José Higueras | Gene Mayer | 6–3, 2–6, 7–6 |
| 1980 | Ivan Lendl | Eddie Dibbs | 6–1, 6–3 |
| 1981 | Guillermo Vilas | Sammy Giammalva Jr. | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1982 | Ivan Lendl | José Luis Clerc | 3–6, 7–6, 6–0, 1–4 retired |
| 1983 | Ivan Lendl | Paul McNamee | 6–2, 6–0, 6–3 |
| 1984 | Mark Dickson | Sammy Giammalva Jr. | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1985 | Paul McNamee | Anders Järryd | 7–6, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1986 | Jimmy Arias | Mats Wilander | 6–2, 2–6, 6–1 |
| 1987 | Jimmy Arias | Jonas Svensson | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1988 | Henri Leconte | Michael Chang | 4–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| 1989 | Magnus Gustafsson | Bruno Orešar | 6–2, 6–0 |
| 1990 | Richey Reneberg | Magnus Gustafsson | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1991 | Magnus Gustafsson | Magnus Larsson | 6–7, 7–6, 6–1 |
| 1992 | Bryan Shelton | Jeff Tarango | 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1993 | Richey Reneberg | Todd Martin | 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1994 | Magnus Larsson | Richey Reneberg | 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1995 | Mikael Tillström | Richard Fromberg | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1996 | Christian Ruud | Jeff Tarango | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 1997 | Jason Stoltenberg | Alex O'Brien | 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 |
| 1998 | Mariano Zabaleta | Xavier Malisse | 7–6, 6–2 |
| 1999 | Vince Spadea | Jason Stoltenberg | 6–4, 6–2 |
| 2000 | Magnus Larsson | Roger Federer | 3–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 2001 | Andrei Pavel | Christian Ruud | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2002 | Michel Kratochvil | Wayne Ferreira | 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
| 2003 | James Blake | Wayne Ferreira | 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 2004 | Jiří Novák & Hugo Armando | | Title shared |
| 2005 | James Blake | Dmitri Tursunov | 6–2, 6–3 |
| 2006 | Victor Hănescu | Juan Mónaco | 6–7, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 2007 | Dmitri Tursunov | Nicolás Massú | 2–6, 1–0 retired |
| 2008 | see U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships | see U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships | see U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships |