Vancouver is losing its annual tennis tournament, as was announced today in a statement.
The Odlum Brown VanOpen was around for 14 years, growing each year.
Odlum Brown VanOpen started in 2002, originally started as a $25,000 event and morphed into a $200,000 where a lot of the stars began career
— JAY JANOWER (@DOUBLEJGLOBALBC) January 29, 2016
The tournament, hosted annually by the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver, did not feature many household names, though it was a place for up-and-comers.
One last note about Odlum Brown: Johanna Konta, last year's women's singles champ, made it to semi-finals of this year's Aussie Open.
— Brad Ziemer (@BradZiemer) January 29, 2016
Johanna Konta, for instance, won the tournament last year and made it all the way to the semis of the Australian Open this week.
Here’s the statement from the Odlum Brown VanOpen:
After 14 fantastic years of managing and underwriting the Odlum Brown VanOpen presented by Miele & Trail Appliances, I have decided to take a step back from the Odlum Brown VanOpen to spend more time with my family and to have the opportunity to pursue some other areas of personal interest.
As a result, 2015 was the last year and the final chapter in the Odlum Brown VanOpen tournament story.
It has been such a remarkable experience to see the tournament grow from a $25,000 Women’s event in 2002 to a $200,000 combined men’s and women’s event and to watch it evolve into one of the most prestigious events on the Tour. We had our highest caliber of players in 2015 and it was a fantastic year.
I experienced a great deal of joy and good times at the Odlum Brown VanOpen and will miss it immensely along with all of those individuals who worked with me to achieve such a high standard.
A huge thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers, ball kids, officials, staff and all the local families who have assisted with housing, for the countless hours of time you have donated to help make the Odlum Brown VanOpen a success! Your tireless efforts and enthusiasm never went unnoticed and we truly value your extraordinary efforts. This group of special people is a huge part of why our tournament was so exceptional and allowed us to provide such a great experience for our players and fans!
We would also like to thank all of our partners, vendors, suppliers and our host venue, Hollyburn Country Club and its staff and members. This tournament would not have been possible without your year-round support and commitment. We would like to give special recognition to Odlum Brown who have partnered with us since 2002 and shared our vision to bring championship tennis to Vancouver. To our new presenting partners Miele & Trail Appliances, this event would not have been possible without your ongoing support and dedication.
Thank you to our funding partners Tennis BC, Tennis Canada, USTA, ATP and ITF.
I also want to personally thank the following who have been instrumental to the success of the tournament every step of the way: the Friends of VanOpen, Mercedes-Benz North Shore, Cambie Surgery Centre, Carlota Lee, Michael Kates, Alan Bailey, Che Winters and Ryan Clark.
And most importantly, we thank YOU, THE FANS! The crowd that returned year after year and stayed until the late hours of the evening, showed great dedication to the players, so we thank all of you for your tremendous encouragement and enthusiasm.
I hope to see tennis in Canada continue to thrive and I look forward to watching our Canadians flourish in the coming years. I have also enjoyed seeing American and foreign players develop as they were all a very big part of this event.
Sincerely,
ODLUM BROWN VANOPEN
Floyd Hill
Chairman & Underwriter
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