From 18 - 25 May, one week ahead of the French Open tennis championships at Roland Garros, the Royal Primerose Tennis Club at Laeken will play host to the third annual BNP Paribas Fortis Brussels Open. This year, BNP Paribas Fortis sees its profile raised even higher as title sponsor of this women’s clay court tournament, which has become a major event in the WTA international calendar. The photo gallery below captures moments from the pre-event press conference.
2013 is a very special year for the BNP Paribas Group as we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of our worldwide partnership with tennis. Since joining the Group, BNP Paribas Fortis has been a highly active sponsor of the sport. The Bank partnered the Brussels Open in its inaugural year, 2011, and last year became main sponsor of the event. Now, in the third year of the contest, our partnership is being further strengthened and the official title of the tournament has become the BNP Paribas Fortis Brussels Open.
Tournament director Dominique Monami, herself a former professional tennis player and Olympic medallist, has confirmed that a number of highly-ranked players, including Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA 4), Roberta Vinci (WTA 13), Dominika Cibulkova (WTA 15) and Sloane Stephens (WTA 16), are due to compete.
Among the home-grown players, Belgian no. 1 Kirsten Flipkens (WTA 23), Yanina Wickmayer (WTA 35) and Alison Van Uytvanck (WTA 181) will be defending the honour of the host country at the foot of the Atomium. The entry list has not yet closed but the spectators can definitely look forward to some high-quality tennis entertainment.
More information on the BNP Paribas Fortis Brussels Open at www.wta-brusselsopen.com. Please also have a look at the Facebook page.
Contacts at BNP Paribas Fortis: alain.degreef@bnpparibasfortis.com – morgan.libert@bnpparibasfortis.com
A consistent sports sponsorship policy – BNP Paribas Fortis’ partnership with the Brussels Open is one of a number of initiatives in the Bank’s overall policy of supporting and promoting tennis in Belgium.
In 2013, BNP Paribas Fortis became team sponsor for the Belgian national men’s team competing in the Davis Cup and the women’s team which competes for the Fed Cup. This move also strengthened the Bank’s partnership with the two Belgian federations which run tennis at national level – the Francophone AFT and its Flemish sister organisation VTV.
In addition to the BNP Paribas Fortis Brussels Open, the Bank sponsors the Astrid Bowl in Charleroi and the Rising Stars Tennis Tour, which every summer features tournaments played at various Belgian coastal resorts, plus many other local tennis events. BNP Paribas Fortis has also been Presenting Partner of the annual Diamond Games played in Antwerp and was last year Presenting Partner of ‘Kim's Thank You Games’, organised as a tribute to Belgian star Kim Clijsters to mark her retirement from the professional tennis circuit.
The Bank’s sports sponsorship policy in Belgium accords closely with that of the BNP Paribas Group. The overall strategy consists of four planks: sponsorship of major pro tournaments, encouragement for young talent, support for amateur tennis and for wheelchair tennis. In 2011, tennis joined the events at the Special Olympics, an initiative strongly supported by the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation.