If you’re one that only attends a few sporting events and haven’t had the chance to attend the Odlum Brown VanOpen, you should mark the date on your calendar and plan on attending.
It seems that each year they continue to draw stars that have played in some impressive tournaments around the world, and this year is no different.
The organizers of the Odlum Brown VanOpen released the official announcement that 2010 French Open champion and former World No. 4 Francesca Schiavone will attend.
She is entered into the main draw of the women’s competition August 15 – 23 at Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver. Besides winning at Roland Garros in 2010, Schiavone was the runner-up the following year in 2011.
She has also played in four Grand Slam quarterfinals, at the Australian Open in 2011, Wimbledon in 2009 and the US Open in 2003 and 2010.
Schiavone is the first ever Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title and becomes only the third Italian player (ever) to winning a Grand Slam in singles play.
Her career-high No. 4 ranking is the highest ever for an Italian woman. Odlum Brown VanOpen Chairman Floyd Hill stated “We are thrilled with the addition of such a high-calibre player like Francesca to our tournament.”
She continued “We continue to try and grow our event each year and provide fans in Metro Vancouver with the best possible tennis experience. Having a player like Francesca, who’s been ranked among the top five in the world, will help take our tournament to a new level.”
She turned pro in 1998 at the age of 18 and holds victories over a number of notable players in her career that include the current World No. 1 Serena Williams, who she beat in the second round of the 2005 Italian Open.
She also has career wins against former World No. 1s Amelie Mauresmo, Jelena Jakovic, Victoria Azarenka, Dinara Safina, Justine Henin, and Caroline Wozniacki.
In total, Schiavone has 103 career wins against players who have been ranked in the WTA’s Top-10. “Francesca is one of the WTA Tour’s most exciting players,” said Odlum Brown VanOpen Tournament Director Ryan Clark. “Her mix of touch, shot-making, and athletic ability is always fun to watch – and we’re excited to bring her to Vancouver.”
She is a six-time winner and 11-time runner up in WTA career final appearances, this in addition to her 2010 French Open win.
She has also been victorious at the 2007 Gastein Ladies (Austria), 2009 Kremlin Cup (Moscow), 2010 Barcelona Ladies Open, and 2013 Marrakech Grand Prix in Morocco.
She also defeated former World No. 11 Alize Cornet in the 2012 Internationaux de Strasbourg final. She was asked about playing in Vancouver and she stated “I’m excited to visit Vancouver and play in this tournament.”
She continued “The city is beautiful and from what I’ve heard, the field is always strong, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing there.”
The tennis star a Milan resident helped lead her country to Fed Cup wins in 2006, 2009, and 2010.
She also represented Italy at three Summer Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and the third round in 2008 in Beijing.
Unfortunately for the 35-year-old, she struggled with a right shoulder injury throughout the 2014 season, but still managed her 15th straight Top 100 season.
Tickets to the Odlum Brown VanOpen presented by Miele and Trail Appliances are on sale now and prices start as low as $17.
Visit vanopen.com for details.
