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The Bordeaux International 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.

History

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

In 1907 the club championship became an open international tournament. The tournament attracted top players Frenchman Max Decugis, was the inaugural winner of the men's singles event. 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, 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.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete Roll) included:

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

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. 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.

• Clay court tennis tournaments
• Defunct tennis tournaments in France