Metro Vancouver's pro tennis tournament returns after a two-year absence
Pro tennis is returning to Metro Vancouver once again.
After a two-year absence from the tennis calendar due to COVID-19 issues, the Odlum Brown VanOpen will be held at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver.
The combined ATP/WTA 125 event will be taking place from August 14 to 21 this summer. The WTA designation is an upgrade for the event, which had previously been part of the ITF circuit.
“Staging more top-level Challenger events, also in parallel with the WTA, raises the bar for the entire tennis ecosystem,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
One of the benefits of the tournament is it offers fans a chance to see young stars in the developmental stage before they begin their career on the larger events on ATP and WTA tours.
“Vancouver is a featured location on the ATP Challenger Tour and an important stop in terms of ranking points and prize money for players on the path to the ATP Tour,” said Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the quarterfinals of last month’s Australian Open and played in the tournament in 2018 as an 18-year-old.
The VanOpen first began in 2002 and features both men’s and women’s singles and doubles competition. There is USD $274,360 in prize money available for the players.
“Another tournament of this calibre in Canada definitely helps increase the profile of women’s tennis in our country,” said 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who competed in the event in 2017.
Ticket details for the event will be announced in the spring at vanopen.com.
“We are delighted and excited to see the Odlum Brown VanOpen added to the WTA 125 calendar in 2022,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon. “Women’s professional tennis has a strong history across Canada and the event in Vancouver will offer a wonderful platform for new players and established stars to compete.”