# Gulf State Championships

The Gulf State Championships was a men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1892 as the Gulf Coast Championships. It was first played at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States in 1892. In 1968 the final edition was played at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after which when it was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit.

## History

In 1892 the first Gulf Coast Championships (also known as the Tampa Bay Championships) were held in at the Tampa Bay Lawn Tennis Club, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Florida, United States and was played on outdoor hard cement courts. The first winner of the men's singles title was Albert Empie Wright, he defeated a former top 4 ranked English tennis player, Charles Walder Grinstead in the final, who was touring America at this time. The first gulf tournament ran until 1894 when it was discontinued. In 1901 the tournament was revived under the new name the Gulf State Championships held at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club, New Orleans, Louisiana. The tournament continued to be held there until 1914. In 1968 the tournament was downgraded from the main worldwide ILTF Circuit and became a USLTA regional event.

## Finals
### Men's singles

(incomplete roll)
| Year | Location | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
| Gulf Coast Championships |||||
| 1892 | Tampa | Albert Empie Wright | Charles Walder Grinstead | 6–2, 8–6, 6–1. |
| 1893 | Tampa | Bob Wrenn | Albert Empie Wright | 6-2, 6–2, 6–2. |
| 1894 | Tampa | Gregory Seeley Bryan | Bob Wrenn | w.o. |
| Gulf State Championships |||||
| 1901 | New Orleans | R.G. Hunt | ? | ? |
| 1911 | New Orleans | Wallace F. Johnson | Nat Thornton | 6–3, 7–5, 6–2. |
| 1912 | New Orleans | Wallace F. Johnson (2) | Frank Richard Woodbury | 6–2, 6–0, 6-–2. |
| 1933 | Shreveport | Arthur Hodges Hendrix | Hudson Russell Hamm Jr. | 6–2, 6–0 6–2. |
| 1951 | New Orleans | Jack Tuero | Ham Richardson | 2–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1. |
| 1957 | Baton Rouge | Tommy Robinson | Ron Fisher | 4–6, 11–9, 7–5. |
| 1958 | Baton Rouge | Larry Caton | Don Caton | 7–5, 6–1, 1–6, 9–11, 6–4. |
| 1959 | Baton Rouge | Ron Fisher | James G. Schmidt Sr | 6–2, 6–8, 6–4. |
| 1960 | Baton Rouge | Andy Lloyd | Tom Falkenburg | 6–3, 6–3. |
| 1961 | Baton Rouge | Jerry Walters | Clint Nettleton | 5–7, 6–3, 6–2. |
| 1962 | Baton Rouge | Jerry Walters (2) | Clint Nettleton | 6–4, 4–6, 6–0. |
| 1963 | Baton Rouge | Tom Karp | Upton Giles III | 6–1, 6–3. |
| 1966 | Baton Rouge | Steve Faulk | Robert Ecuyer | 6–3, 6–4. |

### Women's singles

(incomplete roll)
| Year | Location | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
| Gulf Coast Championships |||||
| 1893 | Tampa | Miss Valentine Hobart | Miss Constance Talmage | 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. |
| 1894 | Tampa | Miss Valentine Hobart | Miss Elizabeth Stroud | 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Gulf State Championships |||||
| 1903 | New Orleans | Mrs. R. C. Montgomery | May Logan | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1906 | New Orleans | May Logan | ?. | ? |
| 1914 | New Orleans | Ethelyn Legendre | May Logan | 3–6, 6–2 6–2 |
| 1916 | New Orleans | Mrs Irving Murphy | Ethelyn Legendre | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1933 | Shreveport | Charlotte MacQuiston | LaVerne Stages | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1934 | Shreveport | Charlotte MacQuiston (2) | ? | ? |
| 1957 | Baton Rouge | Carolyn Rogers | Sue Zigerbein | 6–0, 6–2 |
| 1958 | Baton Rouge | Carolyn Rogers (2) | Sylvia Bradley | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1961 | Baton Rouge | Carolyn Rogers (3) | Kitty Moody | 6–4, 6–1 |
| 1963 | Baton Rouge | Patsy Lowdon | Putsy Trice | 4–6, 8–6, 6–3 |