The 2016 edition of the European Open is also the first one. The rights to the Valencia Open tournament in Spain were bought out by an entrepreneur who wanted to move the tournament to its new home in Antwerp, Belgium, a city which is globally known as the home of the 1920 Summer Olympics, nearly 100 years earlier.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, October 17.
Event Details
Event: European Open
Category: ATP World Tour – 250 Series
Date: October 17-23, 2016
Location: Lotto Arena – Antwerp, Belgium
With a prize money allotment of just over 566,000 pounds – nearly $690,000 – there will be a considerable financial incentive for a tournament with a relatively low profile. No one knows how this first tournament will be received, but the prize money on offer is competitive with other tournaments of similar stature in the ATP lineup.
The points structure under the ATP system is that the championship means 250 points. A runner-up finish is worth 150. A semifinal result is 90 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 45 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
This is the first year in the tournament’s history.
Player Info:
David Goffin enjoyed a very good first half of the season but fell apart post-Wimbledon. He regrouped in Tokyo last week and made the finals. Goffin has won 43 matches this season but somehow hasn’t been able to lift a trophy this year. His consistent performances have kept him alive in the ATP race to London rankings, but he’ll need a couple of stellar weeks to steal a London berth. The Belgian knocked out Juan Martin del Potro and Benoit Paire at the ongoing Shanghai Rolex Masters and is a great bet to go deep in the tournament. Goffin is playing some fabulous tennis and will be the favorite in his home event, where he’ll look to maintain momentum.
Believe it or not, but David ‘little beast’ Ferrer hasn’t won a single title this season. The last time that happened, Federer and Nadal were gobbling up Slams and all other consequential tournaments– 2009. Since the start of 2010, Ferrer has accumulated 19 ATP titles of which five had come last year. He is 33-19 on the year and has failed to reach the final round of any ATP tournament. Ferrer’s Asian swing came to a premature end in Shanghai after he lost to his fellow compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the first round by a narrow margin. He had a good run in Beijing, where he beat some quality players before going down to Andy Murray in the semifinals. Ferrer will be desperate to keep his six-year title streak alive, but winning in Antwerp is going to be an uphill battle.
Richard Gasquet will quickly look to put the Asian swing behind him. It’s hardly brought any success to the talented Frenchman. Yes, he made the finals in Shenzhen but only defeated players ranked way below him. In Beijing, he was upset by Pablo Carreno-Busta in three sets, and in the battle of single-handed-backhands at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, Grigor Dimitrov beat him. Gasquet was playing fantastic tennis at Roland Garros, his home Slam, but was gassed in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray. Ever since that run to the quarters, he has progressed to the quarterfinals or beyond only twice in eight tournaments. Injuries have derailed him and form has betrayed him time and again. There are some good players in the Antwerp draw and Gasquet will have to be on his toes to keep them in check.
“Generation next” players Borna Coric and Taylor Fritz will be seen locking horns with the tour veterans. Coric already has multiple wins over Rafael Nadal, a win over Andy Murray, and has also reached the finals at an ATP event. Fritz has showcased his potential by reaching the title round in Memphis. The teenager also became the youngest American to reach an ATP final since Michael Chang. Also, an American teenager hadn’t reached an ATP final since Andy Roddick in 2002 in Montreal. He pushed Roger Federer to three sets in Stuttgart earlier this year. The talent is immense and the hype is understandable. In Antwerp, we’ll see more of how the tennis future looks.
Lotto Arena
The 2016 staging of the European Open will occur in this facility. It is commonly used for basketball, since it houses a professional team in Antwerp. Basketball seating capacity is a modest 5,218. It houses 8,000 for concerts. The arena was built in 2007 and now hosts the European Open.
