The WTA Croatia Bol Open will be held from June 5 to 10, 2018, at the Bluesun Tennis Center in Bol.
At today’s press conference held at Split’s Hotel Park, the list of players for this year’s WTA Croatia Bol Open was announced. The players will come from 18 countries around the world, and 14 of them are top 100 players! Spectators will again watch Croatian-Australian Alja Tomljanovic, three-time Grand Slam winner Italian Sara Errani, Croatian-American tennis player Bernarda Pera, and of particular interest is the arrival of Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard, who is slowly returning to better form while she covers front pages and lands massive sponsorship deals at an enviable speed.
"Both Ajla and Bernarda came from Croatian tennis schools and are currently playing in great form. The tournament will also see Ana Karolina Schmiedlova, who was at the first WTA Bol Open, two of the best Slovenian tennis players Zidansek and Jakupović, and the best Montenegrin tennis player Danka Kovinić. I am particularly pleased to announce the arrival of the Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk, who this year, at only 15 and a half years old, arrived to the 3rd round of the Australian Open, which has not happened for the last 13 years in world tennis. As we have already announced, world sensation and the former fifth best tennis player in the world, 23-year-old Eugenie Bouchard, will also appear in Bol. Her 1.7 million followers on Instagram will certainly enjoy the beauty of Dalmatia,” organizer Feliks Lukas said.
Tena Lukas and Lea Bošković announced their arrival in Bol today as wildcards to the tournament by the request of Croatian Fed Cup coach Iva Majoli. In their last appearance on the Croatian national team, they were unexpectedly defeated in the Euro-African Fed Cup group, and deserve more than ever to play at this WTA tournament.
Of the top 50 tennis players, invitations were reserved for last year's winner Aleksandra Krunić, whom WTA recently awarded for the biggest progress in last year's season which Aleksandra started with the Bol tournament. Another invitation is set aside for our Petra Martić, whose arrival will ultimately depend on her advancement at Roland Garros.
This year, the tournament begins on Tuesday and matches will be played in the afternoon. The most attractive game of the day will be played at 20:30 on the central court of the Bluesun Tennis Center in Bol. On Saturday, the semi-final match will be played at 13:00, and the final will be played on Sunday at 18:00.
"The biggest support this year was given by the local community, namely the Municipality and Tourist Board of Bol and Split-Dalmatia County, as well as our sponsors, the Croatian National Tourist Board and INA, which I would like to thank again,” added tournament director Feliks Lukas. He added that he is disappointed with the lack of financial support from the Central State Office for Sport and other institutions whose principal activity is the promotion of sports. Lukas emphasizes that they have been absent for the third consecutive year for the most significant sporting event for women in Southeast Europe, and for tennis alone which, compared to all other sports, generates the largest income for the Croatian economy.
"My goal is to find the most suitable tournament term and possibly raise it from 125K to a higher international level in the coming years, which would be an even greater benefit to our country's promotion, Croatian tennis and Croatian women's sport in general. In the end, it will not depend on me, although I have the will, the knowledge, and the enthusiasm. However, the strategy of the development of Croatian sport does not value women's tennis today, even though WTA is officially the strongest brand in women's sport in the world,” Lukas concluded.
"Organizing a tennis tournament at this level is not an easy task, and to keep it going for the third consecutive year deserves a sincere congratulations to Feliks and his team. This is the promotion of our country at the international level because everyone on tour is talking about the Bol tournament. This is a massive opportunity to appear in front of the local audience, and this means a lot to our girls,” said Iva Majoli.
Ivica Serdarević, Director of INA d.d in the Split Region, said: ”It is our pleasure to support the WTA Croatia Bol Open tennis tournament and thus help promote this top sport. INA regularly monitors and actively supports big sports competitions and projects, and we are particularly glad that, thanks to this event, we are also supporting women in sports. The WTA Croatia Bol has already positioned itself as a great tennis and lifestyle destination, and we are happy to support its further development, as well as the development of Bol as a well-known sports and tourist destination.”
The conference was attended by the Mayor of Bol, Tihomir Marinković, who personally invited all relevant institutions to promote the tournament and the development of sports. The director of Split-Dalmatia County, Joško Stella, pointed out the many advantages the competition brings to the local community and wishes that this WTA tournament be the forerunner of all other tennis events held in the pre-season at the 26 tennis courts of the Bluesun Tennis Center in Bol.
The WTA Croatia Bol Open starts on June 5th, and the final is on Sunday, June 10th at 18:00. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketshop.hr and all ticket revenues will be donated to the only safe home in Dalmatia which provides adequate accommodation and care for women victims of domestic violence.
The daily ticket price is 30 kuna, and all matches in the tournament can be viewed for only 100 kuna. Tickets for the final are 60 kuna.
