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| ECC Antwerp | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Event name | European Champions' Championship (1982–1985) The European Community Championship (1986–1998) |
| Tour | Invitational/Exhibition (1982–1991) World Series (1992–1994) Championship Series (1996–1998) |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Abolished | 1998 |
| Editions | 16 |
| Location | Antwerp, Belgium |
| Venue | Sportpaleis |
| Surface | Carpet (indoor) (1982–1996) Hard (indoor) (1997–1998) |
TheEuropean Community Championship was a men's professionaltennis tournament held from 1982 until 1998 inAntwerp, Belgium. The tournament was held as a special invitational/exhibition event run outside theGrand Prix series and did not distribute anyATP ranking points until 1992, when the tournament became part of theATP 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.
The inaugural event was held in December 1982, with a $700,000 purse on offer for 24 players. At that time, the high level (Super Series) European Grand Prix events like theItalian Open or indoor tournament inWembley, London offered only $300,000 and $200,000 respectively.
It was called theEuropean Champions' Championship and from 1986 was renamed theEuropean Community Championship (ECC). Its nickname was the "Gold Racquet" tournament because if a player won the tournament thrice within a 5-year span, he would also receive 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 theProximus Diamond Games, aWTA Tour event held in Antwerp since 2002, to have a similar trophy system.
In 1985,Ivan Lendl won his third 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 $1,250,000 million prize ($250,000 prize money plus the $1,000,000 racquet) at the ECC in Antwerp by beating him in the semifinals. Had Lendl won, he would have kept the gold-and-diamond racquet trophy valued at about $1,000,000, 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.
| 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 |
| 1995 | Not 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 |
| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | John FitzgeraldAnders Järryd | Jared PalmerPatrick McEnroe | 6–2, 6–2 | ||
| 1993 |  Grant ConnellPatrick Galbraith |  Wayne Ferreira Javier Sánchez | 6–3, 7–6 | ||
| 1994 | Jan ApellJonas Björkman | Hendrik Jan DavidsSébastien Lareau | 4–6, 6–1, 6–2 | ||
| 1995 | Not held | ||||
| 1996 | Jonas BjörkmanNicklas Kulti |  Yevgeny KafelnikovMenno Oosting | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| 1997 | David AdamsOlivier Delaître | Sandon StolleCyril Suk | 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 | ||
| 1998 | Wayne FerreiraYevgeny Kafelnikov | Tomás CarbonellFrancisco Roig | 7–5, 3–6, 6–2 | ||