Tennis
A new WTA tournament in Granby
Tennis Canada announced Wednesday morning the creation of a new WTA tournament in Granby. The 250 caliber National Bank Championships in Granby will be presented just after the National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto.
Eugène Lapierre, Senior Vice-President of Professional Tennis in Quebec at Tennis Canada was delighted to announce this great news which will have a considerable impact on Quebec tennis.
With this new tournament, Granby joins a list of important cities that organize professional tournaments of the best women’s circuit in the world. Melbourne, Lyon, Istanbul and Budapest are among the host cities of 250 tournaments.
“The WTA strongly asked us at Tennis Canada to hold a tournament in Granby, they know that tennis is going well here,” said Mr. Lapierre.
The tournament will take place from August 20-28, 2022. It will serve as preparation for the US Open in September.
“The level of play will be there, that’s for sure,” explained Mr. Lapierre.
The National Bank Championships in Granby will in a way replace the National Bank Cup in Quebec, which ceased operations in 2019.
Granby has hosted a men’s Challenger Series tournament since 1993 and will continue to do so in 2022. In the eyes of Eugène Lapierre, the tournament has seen “remarkable progress” since its inception. First, because a women’s section was created in 2011. Then, because scholarships between men and women have become equal and balanced.
Since 2011, the Granby tournament has welcomed many players who are now established on the WTA circuit, such as Eugenie Bouchard, Jennifer Brady and Leylah Annie Fernandez.
The Canadian players will be warmly welcomed by the Granby crowd and the arrival of international players can also help enrich the tournament year after year. After all, many have passed through the Eastern Townships in recent years: “It’s sure that it will certainly have its effect, because several players who have played here in the past and are now in the top 50. They will remember the place. Our tournament has a good name on the international scene. We’ll see, it’s the first time we’ve held it, we’ll be surprised! What we do know is that when you look at the other 250 tournaments, there is always a strong representation of the top 20s and top 30s,” concluded Mr. Lapierre.
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Jessica Martinez is an author at Sportish, a publication dedicated to sports news and analysis. She covers various topics related to sports and provides insightful commentary on the latest developments in the world of sports.