Charleston will play host to crème de la crème in women's tennis this April as the biggest female tennis WTA event in North America is about to kick off in April 2020. The place will celebrate its 20th anniversary of hosting the ever-growing Volvo Car Open. The event runs from April 4th to April 12th. Get ready for a genuine experience featuring the top-notch women tennis, rooftop views, special occasions as well as the Lowcountry cuisine. Sports predictions portal Bettingtips4you.com have reviewed this tennis event below.
How big is Volvo Car Open?
The tournament gathers more than 100 of the best singles and doubles players in the world. Its long history dates back to 1973 when it was initially held in Hilton Head Island. The event moved to Charleston in 2001 and has become the biggest women’s tennis tournament in North America.
More than 90,000 spectators come to enjoy the world-class female tennis every year in Charleston. There are 56 players to earn the place in the singles main draw, while 32 battle it out for the remaining spots through the qualifications.
The event is fully covered from the first to the very last point all over the United States and across the globe with 174 international partners.
The former champion is the new tournament ambassador
Tracy Austin will have the honor of being the 2020 Volvo Car Open tournament ambassador. One of the all-time greats will no doubts contribute to the outstanding level of organization. Austin was the former winner here in Charleston. She is also a Grand Slam champion and the Tennis Hall of Fame member. Tracy will do the post-match on-court interviews with the players and lead a number of special events on the occasion.
On top of this, tennis fans will have the opportunity to enjoy several special-occasion events during the tournament.
The list of special events
The party weekend begins on Saturday, April 11th, with the Good Morning Charleston Yoga event. Sarah Frick will host the yoga show. Those who decide to buy a $55 ticket will receive healthy refreshments, yoga classes, and a ticket to the semi-final affairs.
Jennifer Nettles will hold an intimate concert on the day of semi-finals, Saturday, April 11th. Tickets have been on sale since January 24th at a price of $50. The local residents will thus have an opportunity to an exclusive entertainment in between the final matches of the event as Jennifer is a Grammy award winning artist.
Sunday is reserved for the huge final, but the spectators will also have an option to enjoy the Easter Sunday Brunch. For the price of $100, tennis fans will get food and drinks, a special musical star as well as a ticket to the most important match of the tournament.
Speaking of the prices, individual-session tickets will be available at $25, while attendees will also have an option for the all-inclusive package featuring all complimentary events at a price of $540.
Novelties at the 2020 tournament
Among others, the 20th edition of the Volvo Car Open in Charleston will be special for the following reasons too. It will be the inaugural female tennis event on clay to introduce the electronic line calling. The FOXXTENN system will use 40 high-speed cameras and will allow players to challenge umpire's calls on both Althea Gibson Club Court and Billie Jean King Stadium.
Furthermore, the whole event will be fully covered through the new website. The fans will have the opportunity to follow event schedules and track each point via live scores directly from the court. The site will also contain additional information about all players involved in the event.
Main stars to feature the 2020 edition
Three of the best four players in the world will contribute to the festive atmosphere at the 20th edition of the Volvo Car Open in Charleston. World No 1 and 2, Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep have confirmed their presence, as well as the fourth player in the WTA rankings, Belinda Bencic.
The local crowd will rely on Madison Keys who is the reigning champion having defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets a year ago. Serena Williams has won the tournament three times in her career, but she won't feature this year's edition.
Ashleigh Barty earned the WTA Player of the Year award in 2019 and she will no doubts be the top contender for her maiden silverware in Charleston. The Australian player made it to six finals, four of which she has won last year. Barty clinched her maiden Grand Slam trophy just on the dirt as she conquered the Roland Garros 2019. She also captured the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals title in Shenzhen.
Aside from the defending champion, Sofia Kenin could be the local hero on the occasion. She enjoyed by far the best season of her career last year winning as many as three WTA titles. Sofia went on to earn the biggest achievement of her professional career at the start of 2020 when she shocked the world by winning the Australian Open title.
Belinda Bencic climbed up to the 4th position in the WTA standings thanks to the last year's trophies in Dubai and Moscow. These were her maiden titles at the highest level since 2015. The Swiss star confirmed the comeback from a tough wrist injury by a couple of additional strong campaigns in late 2019. She could cause problems to any player on the tour on her day.
The icing on the cake – Kim Clijsters
The former World No 1 and the four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters will make her debut at the Volvo Car Open in 2020. She ended an eight-year retirement by returning to the professional tennis in February this year at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. With her appearance, Charleston will mark an outstanding accomplishment. Since the tournament moved to Charleston in 2001, every single Grand Slam champion except for Kim Clijsters has played here.
The 36-year-old Belgian has the third-highest number of WTA titles among active players, sitting behind Williams sisters.
