Before launching the first matches of the final draw on the clay courts of ASCH in Grabels, this Tuesday, Serge Aygalenq presents the 18th edition of the tournament.
How can we assess the level of the Montpellier Women’s International Open?
It is an international intermediate tournament. It is not the highest level of women’s WTA tournaments but it is positioned just below. This Open is an ITF W75 which gives the winner the possibility of registering 75 points in the WTA rankings.
How important is it for the region and local tennis to see a tournament of this magnitude being held?
As the Hérault Tennis Committee, the representation at the departmental level of the French federation, our missions are to develop and promote the discipline. Given the fact that women’s sport does not have the same influence as men’s, it seemed important to us, 18 years ago, to focus on women’s tennis to try to train young girls to practice it. and to show that there can also be a spectacle when tennis is played by women.
Did you complete these challenges?
I would say it works moderately. We are a little disappointed with the low number of people who come to see the matches. We think there are between 2000 and 3000 spectators during the week, although we could expect at least double that.
How do you organize this type of event?
The work is divided into three phases. The first, which is my responsibility, focuses on closing the budget and finding sponsors. The second, which involves five or six employees of the Committee, is the preparation phase. The last is intense during the eight days of the tournament and brings together between 60 and 70 volunteers.
Is the setting appreciated by the players?
The place is particularly appreciated, indeed. The club’s technical teams, ASCH, take very good care of the grounds and the players are often amazed by their quality. Also, everyone recognizes that the setting is magnificent even if it is far from the business areas, hence the difficulty of attracting people.
What can we expect from the sporting level of the tournament this week?
It depends a lot on the Wimbledon Grand Slam. If last year, we were able to have the extraordinary presence of Clara Burel (42nd in the world and 2nd French player), this year many players registered with us performed well during the qualifications of the British tournament and withdrew from our draw like the French Chloé Paquet and Elsa Jacquemot or the Russian Erika Andreeva. The advantage is that we were able to recover young French hopefuls to whom we give the chance to develop in our tournament.
