WTA Linz should take place despite exit restrictions - Vroni Bokor wins Wild Card
It has been clear since Saturday that the Upper Austria Ladies in Linz will take place without spectators on the anniversary of all things. The only WTA tournament in Austria, the last of the current tour season, will take place as a ghost tournament on the Linzer Gugl.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Nov 03, 2020, 11:54 am
According to the regulation, events of up to 100 professional athletes are allowed indoors, so the 30th edition of the event in Linz is not endangered. "We are definitely planning it. I know the regulation and still have to talk to the health department in Linz whether we can do it anyway. I need that in black and white," said tournament director Sandra Reichel of the APA.
Originally 1,000 fans would have been admitted to their tournament, as was the last one in the Wiener Stadthalle. For Reichel this means a loss. In Vienna, Straka had declared that due to all the necessary measures, etc., an event without spectators would have been cheaper in purely financial terms than one with 1,000 per day. "It's different with us." The corona measures themselves, including all the necessary corona tests, would cost around 180,000 euros, Reichel estimated.
For the players themselves, the lockdown from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. is no problem. If you are in sport, that is covered anyway. "And otherwise the players are in the bubble in the Marriott Hotel and in the TipsArena anyway," said Reichel.
Although Linz is the only and last WTA tournament of the year in the world, not as many top players as, for example, the men in Vienna are willing to travel. "Corona has already triggered something for many." In principle, women are certainly more cautious than men. "The WTA is also much stricter in the whole implementation. We have stricter regulations, the WTA manual is much more detailed for the players than that of the ATP." The event will of course bring a loss, the red light for the audience costs their money.
Wild Card goes to Lower Austria
Veronika Bokor from Lower Austria took advantage of the great chance at the weekend and won a wildcard for qualifying for the anniversary tournament. In the Froschberg tennis center, Bokor prevailed against Arabella Koller, Irina Dshandshgava, Anna Lar, Katarina Sopkova, Daniela Glanzer, Ines Faltinger and Sophia Piech. In the final, Bokor defeated Koller 7: 5, 6: 1.
“I am thrilled that it was possible to hold the Young Ladies Wild Card Challenge in these turbulent times - in cooperation with the Austrian and Upper Austrian tennis associations. It is very important to me to offer our young players this platform. And the winner can then smell the scent of the big tennis world at the anniversary tournament and gain valuable experience, ”said Sandra Reichel.
Marion Maruska, Fedcup captain and sports coordinator in the Austrian Tennis Association, summed up: “The final was fiercely contested, Veronika Bokor was the more active and aggressive player. I am delighted that Sandra and I launched this challenge together three years ago. It's great for Austria's women's tennis that the young players are given the opportunity to be part of a WTA tournament and then see where the journey should go. "