Preparations are underway for the Winston-Salem Open. The men’s tennis tournament begins Sunday at Wake Forest University. Several Triad media personalities and mascots competed in matches at BB&T field Tuesday to kick off the event, including David Ford, host of Triad Arts Up Close.
WFDD’s David Ford was top seed in the celebrity tennis tournament at Wake Forest University Tuesday. He won his final match against WGHP TV’s Cindy Farmer. The Demon Deacon and mascots from Winston-Salem State University, The Dash, and Bo the tennis ball, the new mascot for the tournament also hit the courts.
This is the second year for the Winston-Salem Open held at Wake Forest University. The tennis tournament is part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour.
Bill Oakes, tournament director for the Winston-Salem Open said ticket sales are up and some of the matches are almost sold out. Last year, more than 39,000 people from 32 states and six countries attended the tournament’s debut last year. Oakes said several new amenities will be offered this year’s ticket holders.
“Free parking is a big one, because how many pro sports events do you go to that have free parking? Every seat in the stadium is padded. We are the only professional outdoor tournament in the world that I know of that has a fully padded outdoor stadium. I think that is a big deal when you are watching two hours of watched having padded seats makes sense,” said Oakes.
Improvements also include an expanded VIP sponsor and the player section. Oakes said last year, the tournament brought in around $7 million in revenue for the city. He said the investments Winston-Salem had made in this event will attract people to the Triad year after year.
“We are the last event on the U.S. Open series, which starts a few days after our tournament, so for the players we try to provide them the best environment, so get prepared and many of the players here last year had their best results at the U.S. Open so we are hoping that will extend to this year and players are very superstitious and if they do well they are more likely to come back,” said Oakes.
In 2011, Greensboro native John Isner, currently ranked 10th in the world , won the Winston-Salem Open against Frenchman Julien Benneteau last year. Both players are returning this year, along with American Andy Roddick. New entrants this year are top ten players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga , and fellow Frenchman Gaël Monfils.
On Tuesday, tournament officials announced Tomas Berdych will compete in the Winston-Salem Open. He is the third wildcard player named to the tournament and is currently ranked No. 7.
The tennis tournament will be held from August 18-25 at Wake Forest University’s BB&T Field.
