The German Indoor Championships^[1] or officially the West German Indoor Championships^[2] was a men's and women's international open tennis tournament founded in 1911 as the German Covered Court Championships or German International Covered Court Championships^[3] and first played on indoor wood courts at the Bremen Tennis Club.^[4] The tournament was mainly held in Bremen, West Germany, but was also played at other locations for the duration of its run. In 1981 the championships were last held in Stuttgart then it was discontinued.^[5]

History

In 1911 German indoor championships were established at the Bremen Tennis Club, Bremen, Germany.^[6] In 1955 the tournament was rebranded as the West German Covered Court Championships.^[7] or West German International Covered Court Championships In 1966 the tournaments name was changed again to the West German Indoor Championships.

The championships were mainly played Bremen Tennis Club (f.1896), Bremen, Germany which had built an indoor facility for staging this tournament.^[8] The championships continued to be held in Bremen until 1939. In 1940 the event moved to Hamburg until 1941. From 1942 till tournament was not held due to World War Two and the rebuilding of Germany under the Marshall Plan.

In 1955 the tournament was revived under a new title as the West German Covered Court Championships and, moved to Cologne it remained there until 1961. In 1962 the championships were moved back to Bremen then they alternated between Cologne and the former until 1969. In 1970 the event moved to Munich for one edition only, before returning to Bremen till 1979. In 1980^[9] the German Indoor Championships were moved to Stuttgart and remained there until 1981^[10] when they were abolished.^[11]

Surface

The championships were played almost exclusively of indoor wood courts from inception until 1973 at all locations. The tournament then continued to played on indoor hard courts and indoor carpet courts until 1981.

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

German Covered Court Championships
Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1911[5]	Bremen	Max Decugis	Clarence Phelps Dodge	6–1, 6–2, 8–6
1912[5]	Bremen	Max Decugis (2)	Robert Spiess	6–0, 6–2, 9–7
1913[5]	Bremen	Oscar Kreuzer	Curt Bruno Bergmann	2-6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–4
1914[5]	Bremen	Curt Bruno Bergmann	Harald Waagepetersen	6–1, 5-7 6–1
1915/1919	Not held (due to World War I)
German International Covered Court Championships
1920[5]	Bremen	Robert Cleon Spiess	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe	6–2, 6–0, 6–1
1921[5]	Bremen	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe	Robert Cleon Spiess	7–9, 6–2, 6–1 ret.
1922[5]	Bremen	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe (2)	Robert Cleon Spiess	6–3, 6–4, 5-7, 6–2
1923[5]	Bremen	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe (3)	Hans Moldenhauer	6–4, 6–1, 9–7
1924[5]	Bremen	Willi Hahnemann	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe	6–3, 9–7, 7–5
1925[5]	Bremen	Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe (4)	Robert Cleon Spiess	6–2, 8–6, 2-6, 3-6, 7–5
1926[5]	Bremen	Robert Cleon Spiess (2)	Bela Von Kehrling	6–0, 4-6, 6–3, 6–2
1927[5]	Bremen	Einer Ulrich	Axel Petersen	4-6, 6–4, 9–7, 6–4
1928[5]	Bremen	Axel Petersen	Daniel Prenn	6–3, 6–2, 6–1
1929[5]	Bremen	Axel Petersen (2)	Walter Dessart	7–5, 5-7, 6–0
1930[5]	Bremen	Curt Östberg	Einer Ulrich	6–3, 2-6, 6–3
1931[5]	Bremen	Pierre Henri Landry	Einer Ulrich	6–3, 2-6, 6–3
1932[5]	Bremen	Pierre Henri Landry (2)	Curt Ostberg	6–4, 6–2, 7–5
1933[5]	Bremen	Gottfied von Cramm	Josef Hirtz	7–5, 0-6, 3-6, 6–3, 7–5
1934[5]	Bremen	Gottfied von Cramm (2)	Pierre Henri Landry	6–1, 2-6, 4-6, 6–4, 6–2
1935[5]	Bremen	Gottfied von Cramm (3)	Marcel Bernard	12-14, 6–0, 6–2, 4-6, 8–6
1936[5]	Bremen	Max Ellmer	Josip Palada	2-6, 6–4, 2-6, 6–3, 6–0
1937[5]	Bremen	Gottfied von Cramm (4)	Henner Henkel	6–4, 6–2, 3-6, 6–3
1938[5]	Bremen	Kalle Schröder	Rolf Göpfert	6–1, 6–1, 5-7, 5-7, 7–5
1939[5]	Bremen	Roderich Menzel	Henner Henkel	6–4, 7–5, 6–4
1940[5]	Hamburg	Henner Henkel	Engelbert Koch	8–6, 6–3, 6–4
1941[5]	Hamburg	Rolf Göpfert	Henner Henkel	6–0, 6–2, 7–5
1942-54	Not held (due to World War II)
West German International Covered Court Championships
1955[5]	Cologne	Giuseppe Merlo	Orlando Sirola	8–6, 4-6, 6–3, 1-6, 6–3
1956[5]	Cologne	Torsten Johansson	Orlando Sirola	6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1957[5]	Cologne	Pierre Darmon	Torsten Johansson	10-8, 6–0, 9–7
1958[5]	Cologne	Jorgen Ulrich	Jaroslav Drobný	6–4, 7–5, 2-6, 6–8, 6–3
1959[5]	Cologne	Jaroslav Drobný	Jacques Brichant	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
1960[5]	Cologne	Jacques Brichant	Nicola Pietrangeli	4-6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–4
1961[5]	Cologne	Bobby Wilson	Ulf Schmidt	2-6, 3-6, 8–6, 6–4, 7–5
1962[5]	Bremen	Bobby Wilson (2)	Christian Kuhnke	6–4, 6–3, 7–5
1963[5]	Cologne	Wilhelm Bungert	Adolf Kreinberg	6–4, 6–3, 9–7
1964[5]	Bremen	Bobby Wilson (3)	Michel Leclercq	6–2, 6–3, 6–3
1965[5]	Cologne	Jan-Erik Lundqvist	Bobby Wilson	6–4, 6–4, 3-6, 4-6, 8–6
West German Indoor Championships
1966[5]	Bremen	Bob Carmichael	Ingo Buding	6–4, 6–1, 8–10, 6–3
1967[5]	Cologne	Roger Taylor	Pierre Darmon	11-9, 6–1, 3-6, 6–3
1968[5]	Bremen	Ismail El Shafei	Daniel Contet	6–4, 6–8, 6–4
↓  Open era  ↓
1969[5]	Cologne	Ove Nils Bengtson	Christian Kuhnke	6–3, 6–3, 6–8, 6–4
1970[5]	Munich	John Clifton	Håkan Zahr	6–3, 1-6 6–3
1971[5]	Bremen	Jorgen Ulrich	David Lloyd	6–4, 10-8 4-6, 4-6, 6–3
1972[5]	Bremen	Karl Meiler	Attila Korpás	6–3, 6–3, 6–1
1973[5]	Bremen	Peter Pokorny	Tadeusz Nowicki	7–6 6–1 3-6 4-6 6–3
1974[5]	Bremen	Frew McMillan	Nikola Pilić	5-7, 7–6, 7–6
1975[5]	Bremen	Jürgen Fassbender	Bernard Mignot	6–3, 6–3, 6–4
1976[5]	Bremen	Balazs Taroczy	Norman Holmes	6–3, 3-6, 6–3, 6–4
1977[5]	Bremen	Nikola Pilić	David Lloyd	7–6, 7–6, 7–6
1978[5]	Bremen	Werner Zirngibl	Péter Szőke	7–6, 6–4, 6–4
1979[5]	Bremen	Niki Pilic	Klaus Eberhard	6–3, 3-6, 6–2
1980[5]	Stuttgart	Tomas Smid	Mark Cox	6–1, 6–3, 5-7, 1-6, 6–4
1981[5]	Stuttgart	Ivan Lendl	Chris Lewis	6–3, 6–0, 6–7, 6–3

Women' singles

(incomplete roll)

German Covered Court Championships
Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1911	Bremen	Mieken Rieck	Doris Breyer	6–3, 3-6, 6–2
1912	Bremen	Mieken Rieck (2)	"Frau Larida"	6–3, 8–6
1913	Bremen	Mieken Rieck (3)	Daisy Schultz	6–4, 6–4
1914	Bremen	Mieken Rieck (4)	Else Koch	6–2, 6–1
1915-19	Not held (due to World War I)
German International Covered Court Championships
1920	Bremen	Mieken Rieck Galvao (5)	Frau Gätjen	6–0, 6–2
1921	Bremen	Gertrud Hagelin
1922	Bremen	Mieken Rieck Galvao (6)	Nelly Gassmann Stephanus	4-6, 6–2, 6–2
1923	Bremen	Sigrid Frenckell Fick	Mieken Rieck Galvao	6–1, 4-6, 7–5
1924	Bremen	Nelly Neppach	Else Klatte	6–3, 6–4
1925	Bremen	Nelly Neppach (2)	Paula Heimann	6–1, 6–4
1926	Bremen	Ilse Friedleben	Cilly Aussem	6–3, 6–4
1927	Bremen	Ilse Friedleben (2)	Nelly Neppach	10-8, 6–3
1928	Bremen	Ilse Friedleben (3)	Frl Frese	6–2, 9–7
1929	Bremen	Irmgard Rost	Ilse Friedleben	11-9, 2-6, 7–5
1930	Bremen	Hilde Krahwinkel	Ellen Hoffmann	7–5, 6–0
1931	Bremen	Hilde Krahwinkel (2)	Irmgard Rost	6–2, 6–3
1932	Bremen	Hilde Krahwinkel (3)	Klara Hammer	6–0, 6–2
1933	Bremen	Lolette Payot	Marie-Louise Horn	6–3, 2-6, 6–2
1934	Bremen	Hilde Sperling (4)	Toni Schomburgk	2-6, 6–1, 6–2
1935	Bremen	Hilde Sperling (5)	Lolette Payot	6–4, 6–1
1936	Bremen	Hilde Sperling (6)	Marie-Louise Horn	6–0, 6–3
1937	Bremen	Hilde Sperling (7)	Totta Zehden	6–1, 6–2
1938	Bremen	Totta Zehden	Trude Wolf	8–6, 6–3
1939	Bremen	Gracyn Wheeler	Klara Somogyi	6–4, 6–4
1940	Hamburg	Ursula Heidtmann	Tilde Hamel Dietz	6–1, 10-12, 6–4
1941	Hamburg	Ursula Heidtmann (2)	Lotte Tegtmeyer	6–4 4-6 6–4
1942-54	Not held (due to World War II)
West German International Covered Court Championships
1955	Cologne	Bibi Gullbrandsson	Shirley Bloomer	6–1, 1-6, 6–3
1956	Cologne	Althea Gibson	Christiane Mercelis	4-6, 6–3, 6–2
1957	Cologne	Anne Shilcock	Christiane Mercelis	6–3, 11-9
1958	Cologne	Anne Shilcock (2)	Edda Buding	default
1959	Cologne	Christiane Mercelis	Renate Ostermann	6–3, 6–4
1960	Cologne	Ann Haydon	Sheila Armstrong	6–3, 6–0
1961	Cologne	Angela Mortimer	Ann Haydon	6–2, 4-6, 6–4
1962	Bremen	Elizabeth Starkie	Renate Ostermann	6–4, 2-6, 6–1
1963	Cologne	Ann Haydon Jones (2)	Christiane Mercelis	6–1, 4-6, 8–6
1964	Bremen	Christine Truman	Carole Rosser	6–4, 5-7, 6–1
1965	Cologne	Elizabeth Starkie (2)	Ann Haydon Jones	6–3, 6–4
West German Indoor Championships
1966	Bremen	Ann Haydon Jones (3)	Helga Niessen	7–9, 7–5, 6–3
1967	Cologne	Ann Haydon Jones (4)	Ingrid Loeys	6–1, 6–1
1968	Bremen	Joyce Barclay Williams	Helga Niessen	6–2, 6–1
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Cologne	Christina Sandberg	Christine Truman Janes	6–3, 2-6, 8–6
1970	Munich	Virginia Wade	Joyce Barclay Williams	6–2 6–4
1971	Bremen	Nell Truman	Heide Orth	6–3, 6–3
1973	Bremen	Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer	Heide Orth	6–2, 1-6, 6–3
1976	Bremen	Linda Mottram	Edith Winkens	6–0, 6–1
1977	Bremen	Helga Niessen Masthoff	Sylvia Hanika	6–4, 6–2
1978	Bremen	Sylvia Hanika	Heidi Eisterlehner	?
1979	Bremen	Sylvia Hanika (2)	Heidi Eisterlehner	6–1, 6–0
1980	Stuttgart	Heidi Eisterlehner	Claudia Pasquale	6–2, 6–3

References