Champions Trophy (real tennis) explained

Champions Trophy
Editions:6
City:London
Country:United Kingdom
Venue:Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court
Category:IRTPA
Event Name:Champions Trophy
Draw:8 / 8
Completed Event:2024
Singles: Nick Howell
Website:royaltenniscourt.com

The Champions Trophy is an annual real tennis tournament held at the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace, London, England. It is a ranking point tournament for the purposes of qualifying for the Real Tennis World Championship.[1] The event is the only professional real tennis tournament to feature a repechage system for the top four seeds after the first round.[2]

The event was conceived as a season-end meeting of the top real tennis players in the world, bringing regular, high-quality tennis to oldest existing court in the world.[3] The inaugural event was won by incumbent World Champion Camden Riviere. Both Riviere and Robert Fahey have won the event on two occasions. Ben Taylor-Matthews has been a finalist on four occasions.In 2024, the event expanded from 4 qualifiers to 8 qualifiers, and reduced the match format from best-of-5 sets to best-of-3 sets.[4]

Past finals

YearChampionsRunners-upScore
Ben Taylor-Matthews6/2 6/1 6/0
Chris Chapman3/6 6/0 6/1 6/2
John Lumley6/2 6/4 6/4
2020–2021Not held
Ben Taylor-Matthews6/2 4/6 6/2 6/3
Ben Taylor-Matthews6/2 6/4 6/4
Ben Taylor-Matthews3/6 6/2 6/4

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tournaments with ranking points . International Real Tennis Professionals Association . 28 April 2016 . 6 October 2024.
  2. Web site: Champions Trophy 2024 . International Real Tennis Professionals Association . 18 June 2024 . 6 October 2024.
  3. Web site: Real Tennis Champions Trophy 2024 . Sports Tourism News . 6 October 2024.
  4. News: White . Tom . Royal Tennis Court announces dates for new-look Champions Trophy at Hampton Court Palace . 6 October 2024 . Woking News & Mail . 11 June 2024.