Photos: AvS
Swiss champion of the Ladies Championship Gstaad, Viktorija Golubic.
A Fortnight of Tennis Fever Gstaad Tournaments a Resounding Success
Tennis fever hit the Saanenland for two weeks as the newly resurrected Ladies Championship Gstaad came to town in mid-July, followed by a week of challenging mens matches at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. While the tournament saw fewer spectators view the matches in Roy Emerson arena, post-event reporting has shown a positive outcome. BY GSTA ADLIFE
Ladies on Top Despite inclement weather that resulted in the postponement of several games, the ladies tournament was popular amongst fans, with over 11500 spectators in attendance. The rain was so heavy that some fans waited out the storms in local cafés and shops. Although the tournament ended with a deficit of nearly a half million francs, according to tournament director Jeff Collet, it was a successful first edition. “ We saw wonderful ladies tennis in Gstaad,” said Collet, “and with the strength of the Swiss players, were able to sell another round of tickets.” Highlights of the weeklong event included the triumph of two Swiss nationals–
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Viktorija Golubic and Xenia Knoll. Golubic beat the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens to win the singles, while Knoll and her Spanish partner, Lara Arruabarrena, aced the doubles portion aced opponents Annika Beck (GER) and Evgeniya Rodina (RUS).
Next year’s tournament dates are already set. The Ladies Championship Gstaad will run from 15 to 23 July 2017, and the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open will follow from 22 to 30 July 2017.
Tenth Times’ the Charm Unpredictable weather also plagued the men’s tournament and fewer spectators attended than were expected, the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open rose to the highest level of sporting competition. This marked the first tournament since private bank J. Safra Sarasin became title sponsor. Competition favourite Spaniard Feliciano Lopez emerged as the winner, taking the title after a thrilling final with Robin Haase. The 191 cm tall Haase, a native of the Netherlands, towered over his opponent–yet Lopez managed to win two sets, 6:4 and 7:5, to clinch the top spot at the podium. Lopez, who was ranked 22 worldwide at the start of the tournament, played in Gstaad for the tenth time in his career. In all, attendance was down 20% for the men’s tournament, presumably due to the weather and the fact that it is an Olympic year.
LOCAL NEWS // GSTAADLIFE // ISSUE 5 // AUGUST 5, 2016
Spain's Feliciano Lopez is Gstaad's number one.