In what year was the first Australasian Championships, later the Australian Open, held? 1905.
The inaugural Australasian Championships took place in Melbourne from 21 to 25 November 1905 at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground, a grass-court venue now associated with the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre. The men’s singles draw had 17 players, and Australia’s Rodney Heath defeated Albert Curtis in the final.
The tournament was created as a championship for players from Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the region’s sporting identity at the time. It did not begin as the Australian Open: the event was called the Australasian Championships through 1926, then became the Australian Championships in 1927.
Its early history was geographically unsettled. Matches were staged in several Australian cities and, on occasion, in New Zealand, including Christchurch in 1906 and Hastings in 1912. The tournament entered the Open Era in 1969, when professionals could compete alongside amateurs, and adopted the name Australian Open. Its 1905 origin therefore predates both the modern name and its later status as a Grand Slam centerpiece.