1949 French Championships (tennis) 1949 French Championships (tennis) The 1949 French Championships (now known as the French Open) was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The tournament ran from 18 May until 28 May. It was the 53rd staging of the French Championships, and the second Grand Slam tennis event of 1949. Frank Parker and Margaret Osborne duPont won the singles titles. Frank Parker defeated Budge Patty 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 Margaret Osborne duPont defeated Nelly Adamson 7–5, 6–2 Pancho Gonzales / Frank Parker defeated Eustace Fannin / Eric Sturgess 6–3, 8–6,
Grand Slam (tennis) clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Wimbledon is the oldest, founded in 1877, followed by the US in 1881, the French in 1891, and the Australian in 1905. However, of these four, only Wimbledon was a major before 1924–25, when all four became designated Grand Slam tournaments. Skipping majors—especially the Australian Open because of the remoteness, the inconvenient dates (around Christmas and New Year's Day) and the low prize money—was not unusual before 1982. Grand Slam tournaments are not operated by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) or the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), but by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). However,