[Jorn]

Hi Marlene, har du selv været ved Båstad turneringen? Der findes ikke et bedre sted til en WTA turnering også... imo. As I has been there, even it a small town...

 

[Cyclo]

I think it's just wishful thinking at this point. The Båstad tournament was basically struggling to stay afloat for the entirety of its existence, and it sounds highly unlikely they've suddenly discovered the magic fix for it. And the location was really the root of all the problems, so I'm even more sceptical of a revival in the same location.

I also checked the other Swedish news: nothing.

Yeah, I heard similar things from the Rio Open organizers. But it's the first time I hear there are actual plans to bring it back (this tweet has another quote, but I'm not sure if it's about the WTA event). Like you said, I can't find any more details or another report so I wouldn't expect much anyway.

 

[Marlene]

Hi Marlene, har du selv været ved Båstad turneringen? Der findes ikke et bedre sted til en WTA turnering også... imo. As I has been there, even it a small town...

Ja, jeg har vært i Båstad-byen, men ikke samme uke som WTA turneringen. Vi bodde i et sommerhus i nærheten. (Nærmere Torekov enn Båstad, men vi var i bil).

Det stemmer at Båstad-byen er veldig fin og hyggelig, og det er et fint ferieområde i det hele tatt. Men:

1) opplandet er ikke stort nok til at en tennisturnering på WTA-nivå kan selge nok billetter til å overleve,
2) folk må komme fra Malmö, Göteborg, Stockholm, København, osv.,
3) der har ikke vært en stor kvinnelig tennisstjerne i Sverige i flere år,
4a) der er ikke er nok muligheter for overnatting i Båstad for folk som reiser alene og uten bil,
4b) og langt de fleste sommerhuse i Torekov-omådet utleies bare for en uke ad gangen; og
5) ATP-turneringen uken før/etter blir en direkte konkurrent til WTA-turneringen om det tilreisende tennispublikum.

Kombinasjonen av dette - ingen store navn som trekkplaster og komplett umulig logistikk for tilreisende - har gjort det umulig for WTA-turneringen i Båstad å overleve. Som TV-produkt konkurrerer det i tillegg med ting som Tour de France osv.

 

[Marlene]

(I presume everybody else is tired of my Båstad rants).

 

[Marlene]

Yeah, I heard similar things from the Rio Open organizers. But it's the first time I hear there are actual plans to bring it back (this tweet has another quote, but I'm not sure if it's about the WTA event). Like you said, I can't find any more details or another report so I wouldn't expect much anyway.

Quite frankly, I think it's just another way to promote this year's men's tournament (by putting ATP-Båstad in the news). "We're working very hard to bring the WTA tournament back to Båstad, because it would be very nice to have it in addition to our ATP tournament. Blah blah blah, did you hear we have an ATP tournament in Båstad!? It begins on Monday, tickets here...".

 

[Jorn]

I was only in Båstad on a Saturday where JoLa played in the Semis, and Barthel and Putintseva, last was ithink Lara A. from Spain, and there was nearly soldout of tickets, only in the bad places in the ends there were free sits...

 

[Jorn]

Men jeg har siden tænkt over hvor alle de folk kom fra! I had travel far to be there...

 

[Jorn]

Gstaad One posted this. Can Jo get to the finals?

This tournament is going to be one of the worst of the year

#44 Cornet , #58 Larsson and #69 Kuzmova will be the only top 80 players in the list. Last player in MD is #176 Kostova.

Even Bogotá and Tashkent looking better these days.

 

[Marlene]

Men jeg har siden tænkt over hvor alle de folk kom fra! I had travel far to be there...

Det må ha vært 2015. Det var året hvor Serena Williams spillet én kamp og trakk seg. To år før hadde det vært Williams-Larsson i finalen. Men uten et navn som Serena Williams har turneringen ikke kunne tiltrekke nok folk til å løpe rundt. De siste to årene har der vært gratis adgang mandag-torsdag (fredag?) fordi de ikke kunne selge billetter. Angelique Kerber var trekkplaster i 2016, men hun er ikke like "stor" som Serena Williams og trakk seg dessuten etter første runde. Siste år var det Caroline Wozniacki, og det var nok især et forsøk på å tiltrekke folk fra København/Nordsjælland. Wozniacki nådde helt til finalen, men igjen var det et problem med mangel på overnattningsmuligheter i Båstad. Folk vil ikke køre 2-3+ timer hver vei i flere dager i strekk, og slett ikke med brobilletten oveni.

 

[jolafan]

A couple of questions to add to WTA/Båstad discussion...

1) Why not Stockholm?

2a) Was Arvidsson really that much more popular than JoLa? I had honestly never heard of her until I came in here, although I didn't follow tennis as closely back when she played.
2b) Was there a bigger Swedish name on the women's side previously?

 

[Jorn]

Marlene, One i know from Sjælland stayed at a hotel 12 KM from Båstad and was there de 3 free days, so it possible… From eks. Halmstad its a hour drive i think…

I had to stay at a hotel in Helsingør in Denmark, the night before and the night after, as I went from Jylland by train…

 

[Marlene]

Marlene, One i know from Sjælland stayed at a hotel 12 KM from Båstad and was there de 3 free days, so it possible… From eks. Halmstad its a hour drive i think…

I had to stay at a hotel in Helsingør in Denmark, the night before and the night after, as I went from Jylland by train…

Yes, it's possible if you really, really, really, really want to. But the hassle-to-tennis ratio was driving away too many potentially interested visitors. Especially when the tournament didn't have a big name like Serena Williams.

 

[Marlene]

A couple of questions to add to WTA/Båstad discussion...

1) Why not Stockholm?

2a) Was Arvidsson really that much more popular than JoLa? I had honestly never heard of her until I came in here, although I didn't follow tennis as closely back when she played.
2b) Was there a bigger Swedish name on the women's side previously?

1a) Why Båstad - see: History of the Swedish Open.

1b) With the current WTA calendar an indoor tournament in Stockholm in October or February is probably an option.

2a) Yes, Sofia Arvidsson was a much bigger name than Johanna. She made the final of the Junior Aus Open when she was 16 years old, so she got attention from an early age. She was also very charismatic and "natural" in the spotlight.

2b) If you're asking if there used to be a female tennis player who single-handedly made the Swedish Open (1948–1990) a profitable business, then IMO it's not really a comparable situation.

 

[jolafan]

1a) Why Båstad - see: History of the Swedish Open.

1b) With the current WTA calendar an indoor tournament in Stockholm in October or February is probably an option.

2a) Yes, Sofia Arvidsson was a much bigger name than Johanna. She made the final of the Junior Aus Open when she was 16 years old, so she got attention from an early age. She was also very charismatic and "natural" in the spotlight.

2b) If you're asking if there used to be a female tennis player who single-handedly made the Swedish Open (1948–1990) a profitable business, then IMO it's not really a comparable situation.

1) Maybe they can buy the Tashkent license?

2a) Cool, makes sense.

2b) Nah, I was just wondering why the lack of a real Swedish headliner now was any different than it had been in the past.

 

[Jorn]

Ithink it was in 2015 I was there, can it be the only day it was nearly no tickets to get?, as Jo had to play? , I got a ticket on the front row, as there was nearly soldout , I don't know Saturday in other years… But me and a women i meet in the morning did not sit on my place in the front row, before Jo did start and one other want to sit where we sat... that women told she never did buy any ticket, just moved if one want her sit...

 

[Marlene]

1) Maybe they can buy the Tashkent license?

2a) Cool, makes sense.

2b) Nah, I was just wondering why the lack of a real Swedish headliner now was any different than it had been in the past.

1) I don't think Tashkent is going anywhere?

2b) Before Sofia Arvidsson it was probably Åsa Svensson. But that was long before I started paying attention to Swedish tennis.

 

[Jorn]

Gstaad: Jo's kvarter...

(7)Voegele v Korpatsch
Sorribes Tormo v Q
Minella v Martincova
(2)Larsson v (wc) Kung



She's in the Juniors Ranking at about #598 Kung, I never heard about her before this Wimbledon...

 

[Marlene]

[Kung is] in the Juniors Ranking at about #598 Kung, I never heard about her before this Wimbledon...

Leonie Küng

All I know about her is that some people call her Lion King - because of her name, obviously.

 

[Jorn]

My old fave was Magüi Serna, but now I can't remember to write that 'ü'

 

[Marlene]

Ithink it was in 2015 I was there, can it be the only day it was nearly no tickets to get?, as Jo had to play? , I got a ticket on the front row, as there was nearly soldout , I don't know Saturday in other years… But me and a women i meet in the morning did not sit on my place in the front row, before Jo did start and one other want to sit where we sat... that women told she never did buy any ticket, just moved if one want her sit...

Johanna has been to the SF of Båstad (or better) five times - 2011 (F), 2012 (SF), 2013 (F), 2015 (W) and 2016 (SF)* - but only 2015 fits with all the names you mentioned. But I've also paid attention to how the tournament was doing, and 2015 was the last of the "good" years.


SFs in 2015:


*Remind me again why it was a genius idea to get stuck in Gstaad playing doubles when you have this kind of record in Båstad!?