Already one of the marquee events on the ATP Challenger Tour, the Open d’Orleans continues to raise the bar.
The hard-court perennially boasts one of the most competitive draws on the ATP Challenger Tour, which this year included seven Top 100 players and two formerly ranked in the Top 20 in the ATP Emirates Rankings: Ernests Gulbis and Jerzy Janowicz. The tournament saw a flurry of competitive three-set matches in the historic French city, culminating in a high-quality final with 2016 finalist Norbert Gombos of Slovakia overcoming crowd-favourite Julien Benneteau in three sets.
Gombos not only walks away with a hefty prize cheque from the $150,000 indoor tournament (the only indoor tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour of that level), but also with a painting crafted by a local artist in lieu of a trophy, one of the Open d'Orleans' many unique touches.
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This year, former ATP World Tour stars Sebastien Grosjean and Nicolas Escude were brought on board by the prominent French event as ambassadors.
Grosjean reached a career-high ranking of No.4 in the world back in 2002, claiming the Rolex Paris Masters title in Paris-Bercy the year prior and reaching four Grand Slam semi-finals throughout his career. Escude peaked at No.17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and is a former Australian Open semi-finalist with four titles to his name.
The duo hopes that their representation continues to raise the profile of the Open d’Orleans and other ATP Challenger Tour tournaments in France.
"Orleans is 13 years old and everybody, especially in France, knows this tournament. It's a great event,” said Escude. “The quality of the people here and the courts and the city are amazing. That's why Orleans is a very popular tournament."
"The Challenger Tour is very important because it's where all the young players start to win matches and get [Emirates ATP Rankings] points. It's such a high level,” he added. “To use these tournaments to be stronger on the ATP World Tour, makes the Challenger Tour so important. To be in the main draw of an tournament like here in Orleans or in Brest where I am, really helps the young players. It helps them grow step by step."
But at the Open d’Orleans it’s more than simply world-class tennis. Tournament director Didier Gerard wanted to integrate French gastronomy, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage item, into the heart of the event.
Each day of the tournament saw a different chef take to the kitchen to provide the tennis-goers with creative and top-quality French cuisine. Chef Bernard Vaussion, a former executive chef of the Elysee Palace and who served under all six French Presidents from 1969 to 2017, highlighted the culinary endeavour at the Open d’Orleans.
“People can watch tennis but also share quality time together,” said Gerard. ‘Conviviality’ is the key ingredient to the success story of Open d’Orleans. People sitting together around a table enjoying great tennis, food and excellent wine – that’s what characterises the French culture.
“This week has been a tremendous success – we have served 3,500 meals in three different restaurants and are fully booked for the week. For me, it is a great pleasure and honour to bring great players, renowned chefs and great painters to the city of Orleans, to give it a cosmopolitan character.”
