Biel, Switzerland - With only four days until the first game of the inaugural WTA Ladies Open Biel Bienne, operational aspects are underway with the tournament organiser InfrontRingier co-ordinating all marketing and national media rights. The international WTA tennis tournament will be played from 8 to 16 April 2017 in the brand-new Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel. Led by Barbora Strycova (WTA 18), at least 25 of the world’s top 100 players will compete for USD 250,000 in prize money. Five-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one player Martina Hingis (WTA 8, double) is supporting the event as tournament ambassador, while electronics company SAMSUNG occupies the role of Premium Partner on the sponsorship side.
An eye on everything – 360 degree perspective
Tennis fans can look forward to a world premiere: For the first time in tennis history, live coverage will provide a virtual reality experience through special cameras. In collaboration with Premium Partner SAMSUNG, media partners SRG SSR and Blick and WTA Media, InfrontRingier is providing behind-the-scenes footage of the tournament as well as live streams of the matches and training sessions from a 360 degree perspective. From Tuesday onwards, SRG SSR will also live broadcast the "Match of the Day" on a daily basis as well as the semi-finals and the final. The Ladies Open Biel Bienne will be broadcast worldwide by over 105 TV stations.
National and international sponsor lineup
The sponsorship contingent is led by international Premium Partner SAMSUNG. In addition, five other companies are supporting the event as Official Partners: DataHub (data centre service provider), YUM! (Emmi’s yogurt mousse), ok.- (a brand of retail company Valora), BWT (technology group) and Yonex (tennis, golf and badminton product manufacturer). Furthermore, the watch brand Rado will appear as the Official Time Keeper. All of the sponsor brands are to benefit from great visibility on state-of-the-art LED boards provided by InfrontRingier’s parent company Infront Sports & Media.
Tournament Director and Deputy Managing Director at InfrontRingier, Lukas Troxler, has high expectations for the following week: “After intensive preparations, we are finally looking forward to the premiere of the Ladies Open Biel Bienne. We are proud to have won international partners such as SAMSUNG and to be transforming the tennis experience for television audiences with the help of the Virtual Reality innovation. It is important to us that we offer a fascinating live tennis experience, not only to the spectators onsite, but also to viewers off Centre Court.”
Participant field with top players
The participant field is led by the Czech player Barbora Strycova (WTA 18). In total, at least 25 of the world’s top 100 players will travel to Switzerland for the tournament. Local champions Viktorija Golubic (WTA 51), Belinda Bencic (WTA 130) and tournament ambassador Martina Hingis (WTA 8, double) will be participating. In addition, the 17-year-old Swiss talent and current winner of the Junior French Open, Rebeka Masarova (WTA 315), will receive a wild card for the tournament. All games will take place in the brand-new Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel, which can accommodate around 2,500 spectators.
Lastly, on the final day, one further special showdown awaits the fans: On Sunday, 16 April 2017, at 2pm the Swiss comedian and actor Marco Rima is to challenge Martina Hingis in a show match – which is sure to be an entertaining spectacle for the media and fans.
Tickets available at Ticketcorner
Tickets for the first Ladies Open Biel Bienne held from 8 to 16 April 2017 are available at www.ticketcorner.ch as well as at numerous pre-sale points. More information on the tournament and the public fan village can be found at www.ladiesopen.ch.
About InfrontRingier
InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, is a 50/50 joint venture between the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and the largest Swiss media group Ringier. It unifies the competencies and experiences of both mother companies and has developed into the leading sports marketing company in Switzerland. InfrontRingier supports organisers of sports events as well as top athletes as a marketing, consulting and service partner. The high-level national portfolio includes, besides others, the Raiffeisen Super League, the Swiss Ice Hockey Cup and the Tour de Suisse.
