Today we are thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Volvo Car Open, the largest women’s only tennis tournament in North America. UTR and Volvo Car Open will be hosting an all-new Qualifying Wild Card Tournament which will give participating players a chance to win their way into the WTA Premier event’s qualifying player field.
The Qualifying Wild Card tournament, hosted February 28 – March 3, 2019 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC, will include a 32-player draw. Players will be seeded based on their UTR. This unique event will provide the opportunity for any female tennis player with a UTR of 10+ to compete for a spot in the professional tennis tournament, against an all-star player field featuring Caroline Wozniacki, Julia Goerges, Sloane Stephens, Kiki Bertens, Madison Keys, and Elise Mertens.
"We are very excited to create an official partnership with UTR by hosting a wild card event for a spot in our qualifying draw of the 2019 Volvo Car Open. UTR provides the most accurate and real-time assessment of a player’s ability. It cuts through gender and age to provide a vehicle for men and women to play together and juniors to play with adults based on their UTR rating."
Bob Moran, Volvo Car Open Tournament Director
The winner of this event will be given a Wild Card into the Qualifier of the 2019 Volvo Car Open to be held March 30 - 31, 2019. The Volvo Car Open is the largest women's only tennis tournament in North America. Each year over 90,000 spectators come out to see the action. Past champions include Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Caroline Wozniacki.
To register for the event, please visit https://www.myutr.com/events/889. Registration closes February 20th.
UTR and the Volvo Car Open will work together to provide players with compelling, competitive tennis events, drive tennis participation and engagement among players of all levels throughout the year and beyond.
For more information on the partnership and the Qualifying Wild Card tournament, check out the full announcement below.
VOLVO CAR OPEN PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSAL TENNIS FOR QUALIFYING WILD CARD TOURNAMENT
The winner of the event will receive entry into the WTA Premier event’s qualifying field
DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. – The Volvo Car Open announced today that it has partnered with Universal Tennis on a qualifying wild card tournament, with the winner receiving entry into the WTA Premier event’s qualifying player field.
The tournament, hosted February 28 – March 3, 2019 at the Family Circle Tennis Center, will include a 32-player draw. Players will be seeded based on their Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) Powered by Oracle. This unique event will provide the opportunity for any female tennis player with a UTR of 10.50+ to compete for a spot in the professional tennis tournament.
UTR Powered by Oracle is the only global tennis rating system that compares all players, regardless of age, gender, or geography across a single, unified scale. The system is growing quickly worldwide and is being adopted by players, coaches, academies, colleges, clubs and organizers as the most reliable way to measure tennis skill level. The MyUTR engagement platform features a fully integrated event and tournament management system, where tennis events are organized around player UTRs to facilitate competitive, level-based play.
“We look forward to partnering with the Volvo Car Open to create a new opportunity for talented players to play to qualify for the main draw of the tournament,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman & CEO. “We will also be working closely with the venue to create more compelling year-round opportunities for level-based competition for players of all levels.”
The tournament match play format will consist of two out of three sets, with a match tiebreak for the third.
“We are very excited to create an official partnership with UTR by hosting a wild card event for a spot in our qualifying draw of the 2019 Volvo Car Open,” said Bob Moran, Volvo Car Open Tournament Director. “However, this relationship will go far beyond this event. UTR provides the most accurate and real-time assessment of a player’s ability. It cuts through gender and age to provide a vehicle for men and women to player together and juniors to play with adults based on their UTR rating. We, as a year-round venue, find great value in being able to create and cultivate an even more close-knit community of tennis players. UTR will truly provide a standard for all players!”
The nine day Volvo Car Open is the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America and attracts an average of 90,000 attendees and more than 100 of the top singles and doubles tennis players. Its 2019 field features seven of the top 25 players in the world, including Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens and Kiki Bertens.
Patrons have the option to choose from individual tickets, ticket packages and travel packages. Ticket prices range from $25 for an individual session to $540 for an all-inclusive weeklong package with complimentary access into a private hospitality suite. The Volvo Car Open also offers packages that include premium seats, ticket savings and membership into the tournament’s Ace Club.
The Ace Club is a program for package holders that provides unparalleled amenities and benefits during the tournament, including private bag storage, invitations to the “Selection Party”, a tournament poster, incentive membership cards and much more. In addition, members have the option to opt-in for Ace Lounge access, an exclusive hospitality location providing first-class amenities like live entertainment, air-conditioning, elevated food options and more.
For more information on the tournament and ticket options, visit volvocaropen.com or call 800.677.2293. To sign up for, visit the event page on UTR here.
About the Volvo Car Open:
The Volvo Car Open is North America’s largest women’s-only tennis tournament. The event, formerly known as the Family Circle Cup, moved to Charleston, S.C., in 2001 from Hilton Head Island, S.C., and will celebrate its 47th tournament in 2019. The Volvo Car Open welcomes more than 90,000 spectators each year. The tournament features a singles draw of 56 players, a qualifying draw of 32 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. In conjunction with Tennis Channel and WTA Media, the Volvo Car Open is showcased from the first ball struck in main draw competition to the last ball played in finals, throughout the U.S. and 174 international partners. The tournament receives more than 100 hours of tennis; live from Charleston, broadcast across the globe to millions of fans. The tournament is operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC. For more information on the Volvo Car Open, visit http://www.VolvoCarOpen.com, call (800) 677-2293, email info@volvocaropen.com, Facebook (Volvo Car Open), Twitter (@VolvoCarOpen) or Instagram (VolvoCarOpen).
About Universal Tennis:
Universal Tennis is a technology company committed to providing innovative solutions to make tennis better for all players and businesses. The Company's tools and technology, including the UTR Powered by Oracle global tennis rating system and fully integrated tournament/event management system, are used by players, clubs, coaches, organizers, academies and tournaments worldwide. To learn more, visit www.MyUTR.com and watch the What is UTR Powered by Oracle video.