The organizers of the Odlum Brown VanOpen, a pro tennis tournament held at West Vancouver’s Hollyburn Country Club, announced yesterday (Feb. 2) that the event will be back and bigger than ever this summer following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns.
The tournament, last held in 2019, is back on the schedule for Aug. 14-21, 2022, and it will be an upgraded event, assuming it does go forward as planned this summer. The last time the VanOpen was held it was as an ATP Challenger 100 event on the men’s side and an ITF Pro Circuit event on the women’s side, with a total prize pool of US$208,320. This year it’ll be an ATP Challenger 125, two rungs up the Challenger tournament ladder, and WTA 125 event, with a total prize pool of US$274,360. The 125 level is the highest tournament designation on the ATP Challenger Tour, which is one level below the top ATP Tour.
With more money and world ranking points up for grabs, the VanOpen – already known as a tournament that punches above its weight class in attracting talent – has the potential to boast its strongest field ever this year.
"The upgraded status of our event confirms the tournament's commitment to grow and offer a world-class experience for the players,” stated tournament director Rik de Voest, a former tennis pro himself who won the VanOpen in 2006. “It also further enhances the opportunities for our local Canadians to compete and display their talents on home soil."
Most of the top Canadian players of the past 20 years have hit the court at Hollyburn, including Leylah Fernandez, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Milos Raonic, Bianca Andreescu, and Eugenie Bouchard. Other world greats, often on their way up the rankings, have played the VanOpen as well, including Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, and two-time champion Marcos Baghdatis.
“Having the Odlum Brown VanOpen promoted to an ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125 event is an even greater opportunity for fans to see some of the world’s top tennis players in Vancouver,” said de Voest. “We are excited to once again present a first-class experience for men on the ATP Challenger Tour and women on the WTA 125 tournament circuit.”
The VanOpen was named the ATP Challenger Tournament of the Year in both 2017 and 2018, its popularity amongst players boosted by Hollyburn’s eye-popping mountainside location as well as the billet service the tournament offers to players, allowing them to stay with local families rather than in hotels.
More than 13,000 spectators watched the action at the 2019 tournament, which was won by Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis on the men’s side and Heather Watson of Great Britain on the women’s side.
