2011/14/07 – SPOTT
80th Stanley Park Open Tennis Tournament
For all photos below, click on them to enlarge
Once again, all 17 tennis courts at the English Bay location in Stanley Park have been commandeered for two weeks, July 9 to July 24, for the use of a whole pile of tennis players who want to compete. Yes, the Stanley Park Open. This year marks the event’s eightieth birthday…..since 1931, would you believe.
The Stanley Park Open is Vancouver’s public court amateur Grand Slam tennis event. There are Open players, Junior players (Under 18 ITF Qualifying pictured above), Senior players, players for all adult NTRP skill level categories, and wheelchair competitors. In fact its entry numbers far exceed those of any big pro event in tennis. This year Wimbledon had 760 players on its list of competitors for all events. In 1988 the Stanley Park Open was recognised by the Guiness Book of Records as being the largest tennis tournament in the world, with 1,500 competitors. Participation has only increased since then. This year there are 2,500.
First day, scene near the tournament trailer
Tournament desk, beneath the Horse Chestnuts
While the broad public have lost access to their courts by English Bay for two weeks, it must be said that many of the park’s regulars enter this tournament. It is a big deal, the eagerly anticipated central event of the tennis season. For other folks, like this writer, who do not enter tournaments, it is two weeks of the summer that invite the pleasure of passing hours in Stanley Park to watch. And lest anyone wonder, it is a public event, with a charge to participate, free to attend. But be warned, parking is not free – far from it. $3 per hour, or $10 per day. Ride your bike down to the park.
Opening day, Saturday, July 9 was wonderfully summery. For both player and spectator alike Stanley Park is a great spot to hang around on a warm day, with great leaf canopies giving shade, and cool ocean breezes wafting in from English Bay. And since 2002, when the Great Blue Herons moved in to the trees that surround the tennis courts, it is always diverting to overhear or glimpse the heron reaction to various avian emergencies, as the big, pterodactyl-shaped creatures try to raise their young.
What are normally the six summertime pay courts are the show courts for the Stanley Park Open. A couple of weeks ago the court surface received some birthday repairs and a new blue against green colour coating. They will play slower than the worn courts of recent years. That should mean longer rallies. Good for spectators?
The bleachers behind court one are raised to above fence level. There are smaller ground level bleachers behind court three, to the left of the blue (see above). There are also two sets of ground level bleachers set out by the upper eleven courts.
Those little white things on the blue back of the raised bleachers are draw sheets. Check those for who has won and who has lost, and upcoming match times. If they are not up to date, speak with someone at the tournament desk. That yellow canopy covers what is a concessionaire’s barbecue. It looks totally innocent in this photo. But it IS a barbecue, and in past years it has done what all barbecues do when heavily used – pour out smoke. Look at the proximity to the bleachers. I recall it being more considerately located in the early years of the last decade.
At time of writing, the Open draws are not out yet. However, the schedule of events is roughly thus:
First weekend (July 9&10): daytime – ITF Junior qualifying, early rounds adult NTRP singles draws.
First week (July 11-15): daytime – junior play (semifinals on Thursday); evenings – NTRP play.
Second weekend (July 16&17): daytime – junior finals on Friday, Open qualifications and adult NTRP play Saturday and Sunday .
Second week (July 18 -22): mornings – Junior Challenger tournament; afternoons – Open play; evenings – Open play and NTRP; Friday &Saturday – Rookie Tour (juniors, non-knockout).
Final weekend (July 23&24) – Open and NTRP semi-finals and finals, wheelchair event
For match times check particular draws at the tournament links below:
Canadian U18 ITF World Ranking Event
80th Stanley Park Open Juniors
At the time I post this article, the weather has reverted to the cool wetness of our early summer, with the outlook for the next few days being utterly glum. That means cancelled matches, and rescheduling. Here’s hoping for a change in the weather. More on the tournament soon.
