The first challenger events were held in 1978, with eighteen events taking place. Two were held on the week beginning January 8, one in
Auckland and another in
Hobart. The next events were held one at a time beginning June 18 and ending August 18 in the following U.S. locations, in order:
Shreveport,
Birmingham,
Asheville,
Raleigh,
Hilton Head,
Virginia Beach,
Wall,
Cape Cod, and
Lancaster. Events continued after a one-month hiatus with two that begun on September 24 and 25, one in
Tinton Falls, New Jersey, and in
Lincoln, Nebraska, respectively. The following week saw one event played, in
Salt Lake City, then two played simultaneously in
Tel Aviv and
San Ramon, California, then one played the following week in
Pasadena. A final event was played a month later in
Kyoto. In comparison, the 2008 schedule saw 178 events played in more than 40 countries. == Partnerships with ITA and ITF ==