In 1997, the
Corel WTA Tour created a new event –played on outdoor hardcourts– in
Gold Coast, Queensland. The
Tier III Gold Coast Classic was added to the three preexisting tournaments of Auckland, Sydney and Hobart, and became one of the two events held in the first week of the women's calendar, parallel to the men's Adelaide tournament. Various players, among which
Ai Sugiyama,
Justine Henin,
Patty Schnyder or
Venus Williams found success over the years at the low tier tune-up event for the Australian Open. The Gold Coast Classic became the Thalgo
Australian Women's Hardcourts in 1998, took the sponsorship of
Uncle Tobys in 2003, becoming Uncle Tobys Hardcourts, and changed names again in 2006 to Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts. Tennis Australia chief
Steve Wood commented on the shift: "One of the reasons we are doing this is that there's a rise of more lucrative overseas tournaments in the lead-up to the Australian Open offering increasingly attractive alternatives to the top players looking to prepare for the first Grand Slam. [...] So we really wanted them to invest in having them continue to prepare here in Australia, on the road to the Australian Open." In time for the 2012 event the tournament was promoted to a premier event on the WTA tour. Following the 2019 edition, the tournament was no longer recognised as an ATP event, due to the creation of the
ATP Cup (played at the same venue). The tournament continued as WTA-sanctioned event for female tennis players. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brisbane International did not proceed, with the WTA Premier Event moved to
Adelaide for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Brisbane International returned in 2024, expanding to 48 players in WTA singles draw, 32 players in the ATP singles draw, and 24 pairs in both men's and women's doubles. ==Past finals==