VANCOUVER, July 28, 2017 (Press Release)
Organizers of the Odlum Brown VanOpen are pleased to announce that five of Canada’s top ten veteran men’s players will play at the tournament starting August 12 at the Hollyburn Country Club.
North Vancouver’s Philip Bester returns to play in front of family, friends and home fans one last time before retiring. The 28-year-old announced on Wednesday that the Odlum Brown VanOpen will be his last as a pro tennis player. He first participated in the tournament at the age of 16 in 2005. Bester was the first Canadian male to reach a Grand Slam final in singles when he made the finals of the 2006 junior French Open. A former member of Canada’s Davis Cup team, he also won a silver medal in mixed doubles for Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
Canada’s top men’s player from January 2006 to June 2010, Frank Dancevic has a career-high singles ranking of World No. 65. The 32-year-old from Niagara Falls is one of only four players to receive a Davis Cup commitment award for Canada for playing 20 or more ties. At the Odlum Brown VanOpen, he reached the quarterfinals in 2005. Dancevic has also reached two ATP singles finals in his career. He is the first men’s singles player to enter the main draw of all four Grand Slams in one calendar year by playing the qualifying round for each event.
Born in North Vancouver but now residing in Paris, Filip Peliwo is the first Canadian male and second Canadian ever to win a Grand Slam in singles with his 2012 junior Wimbledon win. That same year, he claimed the junior US Open title and first played the Odlum Brown VanOpen as an 18-year-old. Also in 2012, Peliwo became the first Canadian player to be named the ITF Junior Boys’ World Champion. The 23-year-old has 15 career ITF Futures singles and doubles titles, including eight in 2017 alone.
Coming off a finals appearance at this month’s Gatineau Challenger where he fell to compatriot Denis Shapovalov, Thornhill, Ontario’s Peter Polansky is currently the third-ranked Canadian men’s player behind Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil. The 29-year-old is a three-time Grand Slam main draw participant and reached a career high of World. No 118 on July 24, 2017. A member of Canada’s Davis Cup team, he has 33 career ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures singles and doubles titles.
Toronto’s Brayden Schnur is a former Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rookie of the Year and Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year while at the University of North Carolina. He turned pro last year at the Rogers Cup, where he upset then-World No. 98 Ruben Bemelmans in the first round of qualifying. Coached by 2007 Odlum Brown VanOpen champion Frédéric Niemeyer, the 22-year-old has won a combined nine ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures championships in singles and doubles.
“We are thrilled this year to have so many Canadian players competing at the 2017 Odlum Brown VanOpen,” said Tournament Director Rik de Voest. “These players have represented Canada at the highest level, including Davis Cup competition, and we look forward to them showcasing their skills once again in Vancouver.”
