The 2017 tennis season owns well-defined periods of play… and then there is the jumbled two-week period after Wimbledon, in which hard court and clay events compete for attention and primacy. While Nanchang hosts the hard court players of the WTA Tour, Bastad welcomes more clay specialists… and some big names to this year’s tournament, Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova. We’ll see if either of them can go all the way and capture the 2017 title in Sweden.
The competition in the 32-player main draw begins on Monday, July 24.
Event Details
Event: WTA Ericsson Open (Bastad)
Category: WTA International level
Date: July 24-30, 2017
Location: Bastad Tennis Stadium – Bastad, Sweden
The 2017 Ericsson Open is the WTA Tour stop in Bastad, coming one week after the men played at the same facility. Clay-court experts on the WTA Tour will try to bank some wins, points and dollars before the permanent switch to hardcourts for nearly the entire remainder of the season.
The prize money is just over $226,000, standard for an international-level tournament.
Points
Champion – 280
Runner-up – 180
Semifinal – 110
Quarterfinal – 60
Round of 16 – 30
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Laura Siegumund def. Katerina Siniakova – 7-5, 6-1
2015: Johanna Larsson def. Mona Barthel – 6-3, 7-6(7-2)
2014: Mona Barthel def. Chanelle Scheepers – 6-3, 7-6(7-2)
2013: Serena Williams def. Johanna Larsson – 6-4, 6-1
2012: Polona Hercog def. Mathilde Johansson – 0-6, 6-4, 7-5
Player Info
Caroline Wozniacki played in her 41st major tournament at Wimbledon but is still without a Grand Slam title. Wozniacki couldn’t make use of her draw – she succumbed to Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets in the fourth round. Her counterattacking style of tennis is not very suitable for grass.
Wozniacki has seen it all from being World No. 1 to reaching multiple Grand Slam finals but is still yet to make a breakthrough. As one of the top players, Wozniacki has made a surprising choice to play on clay, since the American hardcourt season is just around the corner. An early loss on the dirt in Bastad wouldn’t hurt too much – she has plenty of time to get ready in time for the U.S. Open.
Wozniacki is arguably the most consistent performer on the WTA circuit this year. The Dane is an excellent 38-14 in 2017 but has somehow not managed to get her hands on a trophy. Bastad has a quality field but Wozniacki is one of the most in-form players on tour.
The surgery and the recovery period kept Petra Kvitova out of WTA action for a lengthy period, but she has made a successful comeback to the tour. The two-time Wimbledon champion went down in the second round to 95th-ranked Madison Brengle in a tightly contested three-set battle. It was Kvitova’s third tournament after returning from the knife attack she suffered during the attempted burglary at her residence in Prague.
Kvitova has won titles on clay – a player of her caliber can never be underestimated – but she won’t start as the favorite in Bastad. She hasn’t played much this year but already has a title to her name.
Seeded second in Bucharest, Carla Suarez Navarro is playing some of her best tennis. In the first round, Suarez Navarro thrashed Annika Beck in just 54 minutes. In the second round, the Spaniard showed some brilliant clay court tennis and clinched a quarterfinal berth. She took care of the Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse in straight sets. Ruse posted a comeback from 0-4 to 4-4 in the second set, only to win two points in the final two games.
The world No. 302 tried to pressure Suarez Navarro on serve and take more risks from the baseline, but to no avail.
Suarez Navarro has made a stellar start in Bucharest, reaching the semifinals there (and still alive in the event). She is at her absolute best on clay so there is every chance she’ll make a run in Sweden too.
Bastad Tennis Stadium
This not-very-ostentatious facility doesn’t need to be impressive on its own. It is the backdrop to a seaside view, part of the beautiful summer locale and a great way for the locals in Sweden to enjoy professional tennis during the warmest part of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The central stadium court has roughly 5,000 seats.
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