ECC Antwerp

The European Community Championship was a professional tennis tournament held from 1982 until 1998 in Antwerp, Belgium. The tournament was held as a special invitational/exhibition event run outside the Grand Prix series, and not earning any ATP ranking points until 1992, when the tournament became part of the ATP Tour. While an exhibition tournament, invitations were extended to players who won a tournament title in Europe during that year. The surface of the tournament was indoor carpet.

ECC Antwerp
Defunct tennis tournament
Event nameEuropean Champions' Championship (1982-1985)
The European Community Championship (1986-1998)
TourInvitational/Exhibition (1982–1991)
World Series (1992-1994)
Championship Series (1996-1998)
Founded1982
Abolished1998
Editions16
LocationAntwerp, Belgium
VenueSportpaleis
SurfaceCarpet (Indoor) (1982-1996)
Hard (Indoor) (1997-1998)

The inaugural event was held in December 1982 offering a $700,000 purse for 24 players field while the high level (Super Series) European Grand Prix events like the Italian Open or indoor tournament in Wembley, London offered only $300,000 and $200,000 respectively.

It was called European Champions' Championship and from 1986 was renamed to European Community Championship (ECC). Its nickname was "Gold Racquet" tournament because if a player won the tournament three times within a 5 year span, he would receive also a special trophy, a life-size, 13.2-pound gold racquet studded with 1,420 diamonds valued at $1,000,000, created by the artist Varozza. This inspired the Proximus Diamond Games, a WTA Tour event held in Antwerp since 2002, to have a similar trophy system.

In 1985 Ivan Lendl won his 3rd title within 4 years and received the $200,000 winners prize together with the Gold Racquet. In 1991 Boris Becker spoiled Lendl's quest for a $1.25 million prize ($250,000 prize money plus the $1 million racquet) at the ECC in Antwerp by beating him, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals. Had Lendl won, he would have kept the gold-and-diamond racquet trophy valued at about $1 million, adding to his from 1985. He was in the running for a second after victories in 1987 and 1989, but wound up with only $100,000 that year.

Past finals

Singles
Year
Date Final
Prize Money
Champion
Runner-up
Score
Special / Invitational event
1982 Dec 5
$700,000
 Ivan Lendl John McEnroe 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–3, 6–3
1983 Nov 20
$750,000
 John McEnroe Gene Mayer 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
1984 Nov 18
$800,000
 Ivan Lendl Anders Järryd 6–1, 6–2, 6–2
1985 Nov 3
$850,000
 Ivan Lendl John McEnroe 1–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–2
1986 Nov 10
$940,000
 John McEnroe Miloslav Mečíř 6–3, 1–6, 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 6–2
1987 Nov 1
$940,000
 Ivan Lendl Miloslav Mečíř 5–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
1988 Nov 6
$940,000
 John McEnroe Andrei Chesnokov 6–1, 7–5, 6–2
1989 Oct 29
$1,000,000
 Ivan Lendl Miloslav Mečíř 6–2, 6–2, 1–6, 6–4
1990 Oct 21
$1,100,000
 Goran Ivanišević Henri Leconte 6–2, 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 4–6, 6–1
1991 Dec 8
$1,250,000
 Aaron Krickstein Boris Becker walkover
ATP Tour
1992 Nov 15
$1,000,000
 Richard Krajicek Mark Woodforde 6–2, 6–2
1993 Nov 14
$1,100,000
 Pete Sampras Magnus Gustafsson 6–1, 6–4
1994 Nov 13
$1,100,000
 Pete Sampras Magnus Larsson 7–6(7–5), 6–4
1995Not held
1996 Feb 19
$1,100,000
 Michael Stich Goran Ivanišević 6–3, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
1997 Feb 23
$1,000,000
 Marc Rosset Tim Henman 6–2, 7–5, 6–4
1998 Feb 23
$1,000,000
 Greg Rusedski Marc Rosset 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–1, 6–4

Doubles
Year Winners Runners-up Score
1992 John Fitzgerald
Anders Järryd		 Jared Palmer
Patrick McEnroe		6–2, 6–2
1993 Grant Connell
Patrick Galbraith		 Wayne Ferreira
Javier Sánchez		6–3, 7–6
1994 Jan Apell
Jonas Björkman		 Hendrik Jan Davids
Sébastien Lareau		4–6, 6–1, 6–2
1995Not held
1996 Jonas Björkman
Nicklas Kulti		 Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Menno Oosting		6–4, 6–4
1997 David Adams
Olivier Delaître		 Sandon Stolle
Cyril Suk		3–6, 6–2, 6–1
1998 Wayne Ferreira
Yevgeny Kafelnikov		 Tomás Carbonell
Francisco Roig		7–5, 3–6, 6–2
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See also

References
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