The Chengdu Open, China
- City:
- Chengdu, China
- Dates:
- May 1-4, 2010
- Venue:
- Sichuan International Tennis Centre
- Director:
- Nick Freyer
- Surface:
- Hard (Outdoor)
- Website:
- www.chengduchampions.com
- Tickets:
- www.chengduchampions.com/tickets.html
- 2009 Results
The Chengdu Open was held for the first time on the ATP Champions Tour in 2009, and the event marked the Tour’s first visit to China. In its maiden year the tournament boasted a scintillating line-up that included Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as well as the 2001 WImbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic and Chinese-American hero Michael Chang.
The event didn’t disappoint, either for the players or the fans. Thousands of locals flocked to see the latest installment of the McEnroe-Borg rivalry, won on this occasion by the Swede, and to see Thomas Enqvist lift his third ATP Champions Tour title of the year on finals day. The players had the opportunity to pay a visit to a nearby Giant Panda sanctuary, seizing a unique chance to see the beautiful and endangered species close up.
The city of Chengdu is a perfect location for the event. Situated in the Sichuan Province in the South West of China, on the edge of the Sichuan Basin, it is one of the most important hubs of communications, economics and transportation in the whole of China, and has a population of more than 11 million. The Los Angeles Times nicknamed Chengdu ‘China’s Party City’ in 2006 because of its inhabitants’ carefree lifestyle and relaxed attitude to life.
The popularity of tennis in China has soared recently, with the rise of several notable female players such as Na Li and Zheng Jie to the top of the game, and several major ATP Tour events coming to the country such as tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai. The addition of the Chengdu Open to China’s growing portfolio of tennis events has only heightened the country’s appetite for tennis, and the fans are sure to be flocking to the Sichuan International Tennis Centre to see the legends at the 2010 Chengdu Open.
