Patrick Walker won one of three wild cards to this year’s Odlum Brown VanOpen tennis championships.
The Burnaby Tennis Club member won the Road to the Odlum Brown VanOpen men’s singles title, following a three-set win over last year’s champion Kyryll Kryvchun of the North Shore Winter Club on Saturday.
Walker lost the opening set 7-5 but took the second set 7-6, before outpointing Kryvchun 10-3 in the final tiebreaker.
Both Walker and Kryvchun received wild cards to the qualifying round of the VanOpen along with third-place finisher Paul Ratchford of the Jericho Tennis Club, who got by Vancouver Lawn Tennis Club member Alexander Day 6-2, 7-5.
Walker got by Day in a 10-3 tiebreaker in the semifinals played earlier Saturday after winning the opening set 6-3. Day stormed back with a 6-1 win to force the third-set tiebreak.
In the quarter-finals, Walker posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Robert Fung of the Arbutus Club, while Kryvchun beat Derek Lau of Shaughnessy Country Club in straight sets 6-0, 6-0 on Friday.
The Burnaby club player opened the Road to the Odlum Brown VanOpen with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Daniel Budd of Hollyburn Country Club.
The Odlum Brown VanOpen begins Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Hollyburn club in West Vancouver. Admission for Saturday and Sunday matches is free.
2015 marks the 14th year of the $200,000 Odlum Brown VanOpen presented By Miele and Trail Appliances, a dual sanctioned USTA pro circuit and Tennis Canada event. The event has an equal balance of prize money for both men and women and provides players with the opportunity to gain valuable world-ranking points on both the respective ATP and WTA Tours. Between the men’s and women’s events, it annually attracts 140 international and professional players to Vancouver from over 40 countries. Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray, Marion Bartoli, Eugenie Bouchard, Jelena Dokic, Milos Raonic, Nicole Vaidisova, and Vasek Pospisil are among today’s top stars who began their careers at the Odlum Brown VanOpen.
