The Crèdit Andorrà Open, organized by Tennium, will bring the best international tennis to the Principality: the first women’s WTA 125 in the country’s history. The tournament will be held from 28 November to 4 December at the Andorra Sports Centre.
The tournament, which will distribute $125,000 among its participants, has as its ambassador the great promise of Andorran tennis, Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva, who at only 17 years of age is already 147 in the WTA ranking and has several titles to her name, including the Australian Open Junior and the European Junior championships. The young player is the perfect image for a tournament that represents the future of the sport, the potential of the venue where it is held and women’s tennis.
Tennium, the owner of the tournament, is a global tennis platform with a central base in Barcelona and presence in Argentina, Belgium and the United States. The company, led by Kristoff Puelinckx and Sebastien Grosjean, already has experience in organizing tournaments in this category with much success in Uruguay, Argentina and Spain. They have also organized ATP tournaments such as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell – Conde de Godó Trophy and the ATP 250 tournaments in Belgium and Argentina.
This project aims to consolidate itself as a key date in the WTA calendar, and it can do so thanks to the unconditional support of the tournament’s main sponsor, Crèdit Andorrà, as well as the commitment of public entities such as the Govern d’Andorra and the Comú d’Andorra la Vella.
All the agents involved in the event were present at the press conference held today at the Crèdit Andorrà head office. Nuria Roca Mateo, Director of Corporate Communication, Marketing and New Channels at Crèdit Andorrà, said that “Crèdit Andorrà stands by the country’s sport, supporting clubs, federations and sportspeople like Vicky who have talent and a future career with great potential. That’s why this international tournament carries our brand because we want to continue promoting Andorran sport and the values it brings, such as effort and self-improvement”.
Conxita Marsol, Consul of Andorra la Vella, who was the first public institution to take part in the event, wanted to highlight “the importance for Andorra of an event like this, because of the media coverage and the promotion of our country worldwide”.
Gerard Blasi, president of the Andorra Tennis Federation, thanked “everyone, and above all Tennium, for making an event like this possible in Andorra, and emphasized the role of the Federation in this open”. She stressed that “our project is based on promoting the young talent, so the tournament will serve as a mirror for all young people and will encourage them to want to practice tennis”.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Sílvia Riva, stressed that the hosting of the event puts Andorra on the map of women’s tennis worldwide, and it is also happening at a special moment thanks to the outstanding career of the Andorran tennis player, Victoria Jiménez. “Holding the WTA 125 in the country is the most important tennis event that the country will host, after the 2004 Challenger held in Escaldes-Engordany,” she said. Becoming part of the professional tennis circuit also allows us to fulfil our goals, as it gives visibility to the sport, the grassroots and the federation.
Enric Molina, partner of Tennium and CEO of the tournament, expressed his satisfaction, stressing that the dream of organizing a top-level professional tournament in Andorra has come true and that the aim of the tournament is “to be an event that transcends beyond sport, involving itself in the social sphere, serving as a platform for Andorran sport and leaving a legacy in the country”.
Joan Jiménez, director of the tournament, was thrilled to have the opportunity to be the director of a tournament that “as the slogan says, is finally played at home”.
The presentation ended with the participation of Victoria Jiménez, professional player and ambassador of the tournament, who wanted to end with words of appreciation “to all the agents who have made the tournament possible, especially to its organizer, Tennium”.
From the WTA headquarters, Melisa Pine, Vice President of WTA 125 Operations, said that for the association, “It is always special to bring professional women’s tennis events to new parts of the world, and we are delighted that the Crèdit Andorrà Open is joining the WTA family as a 125-level tournament” adding that “WTA 125 tournaments, like the Crèdit Andorrà Open, play an important role in strengthening the sport, and this event will provide a great stage for both established players and rising stars to win a prestigious title”.
Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 11 October on the tournament’s official website: andorraopenwta.com.
The tournament will be broadcast internationally on Eurosport and other television and digital channels.
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