1979-1982 Avon Championship Trophy

This sterling silver trophy, originally created and hand-etched in England in 1879, was awarded annually to the winner of the Avon Championships in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Virginia Slims sponsored tour dominated women’s professional tennis. However, for a brief stint from 1979 to 1982, Avon took over as the title sponsor for the season-ending championship event. In the four year span, three players won this trophy. Martina Navratilova won the event twice, in both 1979 and 1981. Tracy Austin won in 1980, and German player Sylvia Hanika won in 1982, before Virginia Slims returned as the title sponsor in 1983.