| 1970 Houston Women's Invitation | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 23–26 |
| Edition | 1st |
| Draw | 8S |
| Prize money | $7,500 |
| Surface | Clay (Green) / outdoor |
| Location | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Venue | Houston Racquet Club |
| Champions | |
 Rosie Casals | |
The 1970 Houston Women's Invitation (also known as the Virginia Slims Invitation for sponsorship reasons) was a women's only tennis tournament. The tournament was the first women only tournament and was created by Gladys Heldman and held at the Houston Racquet Club.
The tournament was held in protest to the unfair distribution of prize money at tennis events. The women objected to the Pacific Southwest Championships offering a 8:1 ratio split in prize money.[1][2] Nine women, known as "the original 9", including Billie Jean King, went with Heldman to play in this one-off tournament.
The Houston Women's invitation received sponsorship from Virginia Slims (Philip Morris), making the total prize purse $7,500 and took place at the same time as the Pacific Southwest Championships. The tournament was won by Rosie Casals when she beat Judy Dalton of Australia in the final.
- ^ 1970: The Women's Tour Begins, Tennis.com, Steve Tignor, Feb. 26, 2015.
- ^ Ware, Susan (2011). "The making of a sports icon". Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women's Sports. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-8078-3454-1.