ATP Vienna: Erste Bank Open for the first time with day and night sessions
Despite capacity restrictions, as many fans as possible should be given the opportunity to experience live tennis in the Wiener Stadthalle.
by PM / red
last edit: Sep 25, 2020, 01:31 pm
First the good news! The Erste Bank Open 2020 will take place from October 24th to November 1st in the Wiener Stadthalle. Due to the current situation, however, under completely new conditions. If the planning in summer was based on a capacity of 5,000 visitors per game day, this number had to be reduced to 2,500 at the beginning of September. The latest ordinances of the Austrian federal government meanwhile only allow indoor events with 1,500 people.
“In the past weeks and months we have worked tirelessly to ensure that the Erste Bank Open can take place despite the huge challenges that the current situation brings with it. It was important to us to maintain continuity with the staging this year, after all, the tournament has been one of the most important sporting events in Austria since 1974. We also want to give the domestic fans confidence that there is a prospect in sport of being able to attend major events again, ”emphasizes tournament director Herwig Straka.
Dominic Thiem will start the race as the defending champion, Austria's number one defeated his friend Diego Schwartzman in three sets in the 2019 final.
1,500 tickets each for the day and night session
Organizationally, the organizing e | motion group has a Herculean task to master - especially when it comes to advance ticket sales, which will restart on October 5, 2020. The reason for this is the new seating arrangement in the Wiener Stadthalle, which is now laid out in a checkerboard pattern. Tickets that have already been purchased for this year's tournament will be reversed, with customers being offered the alternative of rebooking the tickets to 2021 or getting the money refunded. Purchased VIP and box tickets, on the other hand, remain valid.
In order to offer as many tennis fans as possible the opportunity to be there live in the Wiener Stadthalle despite the capacity restriction, the first five match days of the main competition (Monday, October 26th to Friday, October 30th) will be a day - and give a night session for which 1,500 tickets are issued.