It's a relatively small tweak of a couple of weeks but organizers of the Odlum Brown VanOpen tennis tournament are hoping a scheduling change will make a big difference in the strength of their fields starting in 2015.
Earlier this month it was announced that the $200,000 VanOpen, held annually at West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club, will start two weeks later in 2015, running from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23.
The previous date - end of July/first week of August - always conflicted with several other Challenger-level tournaments as well as the Rogers Cup, which took away much of Canada's top talent. The new date will make it easier for players to play the Roger's Cup before heading West for the VanOpen. It's also just two weeks before the start of the US Open, making it potentially an attractive stop for players tuning up for the season's final Grand Slam.
"Every year, we look for ways to make our event bigger and better," stated tournament chairman and underwriter Floyd Hill in a release. "We're now closer to the US Open and players from around the world looking for a high-calibre warm-up event will turn their attention to the Odlum Brown VanOpen. Additionally, our new spot on the calendar means our wild card spots will be more in-demand, allowing us to attract an extremely strong field of players."
