The Volvo Car Open is one of the premier clay court tournaments on the WTA Tour. The Volvo Car Open serves as a lead up tournament for the second Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season: The French Open
Tournament History
The tournament was founded in 1973. The Volvo Car Open has been hosted at multiple sites: Hilton Head Island South Carolina, Amelia Island, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina. Since its inception, The Volvo Car Open has helped influence women’s professional tennis, as well as women’s sports in general.
When the tournament was first established, women’s tennis was still in the midst of a break through. The women wanted to prove that the women’s tour deserved the same amount of respect as the men’s tour. Family Circle Magazine emerged as a top sponsor and created The Family Circle Cup.
The Family Circle Cup was the first women’s tennis event to offer $100,000 in total prize money. The 1973 Family Circle Cup was also the first women’s event to be broadcast on network television. When the tournament moved to Charleston in 2001, Family Circle Magazine reached a historic partnership with The City of Charleston. The magazine partnered with local municipalities to create a unique tennis facility. In 2015, The Family Circle Cup reached a deal with Volvo Car of North America, as Volvo became the new tournament sponsor. Many of the greatest players in the history of tennis have won this prestigious event. Past champions include Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Serena Williams.
The Volvo Car Open 2019
The Volvo Car Open 2019 will have a stacked field that is worthy of its stature as the largest women’s tennis tournament in North America. The field currently has three top ten players scheduled to compete in Sloane Stephens, Kiki Bertens, and Aryna Sabalenka. Other top players scheduled to compete in the tournament include Caroline Wozniacki, Ashleigh Barty, Anastasija Sevastova, Julia Georges, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko. There are also several young Americans in the field: Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin, and Amanda Anisimova.
Stephens, Wozniacki, and Ostapenko stand out as Grand Slam Champions, the highest honor in professional tennis. Stephens won The 2017 US Open and also won The Volvo Car Open in 2016. Ostapenko won The 2017 French Open. She is also a previous runner up at The Volvo Car Open, losing in the 2017 final to Daria Kasatkina. Wozniacki is a former World number 1 ranked player. She won The 2018 Australian Open and also won The Volvo Car Open in 2011.
Using Volvo Car Open Car Services
The Volvo Car Open brings a week long showcase of World class tennis and entertainment to Charleston. There are multiple hospitality options available. Parking at the tournament site can be expensive. That’s why you are encouraged to use Volvo Car Open car services to safely transport you to and from the tournament site.
Photo Credit: WTA