The 2016 Mallorca Open is the first edition of this brand-new tournament held on the Spanish island where Rafael Nadal grew up. It might seem odd for a nation dedicated to clay-court tennis to open a tournament with a grass surface, but this is part of the evolving, global nature of the sport. It is also a product of the fact that Nadal won two Wimbledon titles and overcame his limitations to be a very good grass-court player for a stretch of time in his career. It’s also a response to Garbine Muguruza’s run to the 2015 Wimbledon final.
If you’re betting this event, there is value to be found in creating players who can function well on all surfaces. For Americans, this means developing better clay-court players in a nation where hardcourts are the surface of choice, widely available to younger players as they train and practice. In Spain, the goal is to create better grass competency, to supplement the clay-court abilities so many players develop at a comparatively early age in their careers.
The Mallorca Open is a testament to Spain’s willingness to broaden its horizons. The trophy given to the champion of this tournament is the Toni Nadal Trophy, a reminder of the Nadal family’s influence and visibility on the island of Mallorca. The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Monday, June 13. Let’s see if Muguruza’s star power is limited to just clay or whether it can carry over to grass.
Event Details
Event: Mallorca Open
Category: WTA International Level
Date: June 13 – 19, 2016
Location: Santa Ponsa Tennis Club – Mallorca, Spain
With a prize money allotment of $250,000, this tournament is making a cautious first step into the structure of the WTA Tour. Organizers are anxious to see if this event can grow over time. Something entirely new brings with it a sense of optimism, but also some apprehension. We’ll just have to wait to see how this tournament unfolds, not just in terms of the level of play, but the way it is received by the public in Spain, a country accustomed to clay-court tennis.
The points structure under the WTA system is that for the women, the championship at a Premier classification means 470 points. A runner-up finish is worth 305. A semifinal result is 185 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 100 points. Round-of-16 results will give 55 points.
This is the first year in which the tournament has been held, so there are no previous results to report.
Player Info:
Garbine Muguruza, the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2015, comes to her home country as the top seed in this tournament. She is not only going to be favored for this event but she’s now the star of the show. Even if there were bigger names like Serena Williams or anyone else, they wouldn’t trump Muguruza, who is in the spotlight right now. However, remember that we’re switching to grass now, so we’ll have to see how she adjusts. Throughout her young career so far, clay has been her best surface. She is 33-18 on clay, including 12-3 this year. On the hard courts, she is 65-42, which is respectable, but not nearly as impressive as her clay numbers. In terms of grass, she is 13-8 all time, although she was 7-3 last year.
Jelena Jankovic is the second seed, trying to jump-start what has been a rough 2016 season. Ana Ivanovic, also struggling, is the third seed. Kristina Mladenovic is the fourth seed. Yulia Putintseva is fifth. Caroline Garcia is sixth. Laura Siegemund is seventh. Eugenie Bouchard, who got blasted in the first round of another grass warm-up tournament this past week, is eighth.
Annika Beck, Mona Barthel, and Sara Errani headline the players who have pulled out of this tournament and have been replaced by alternates. The highest-profile entry into the tournament as a result of these pullouts is former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.
Santa Ponsa Tennis Club
The new facility in Mallorca also hosts a tennis academy. It is part of Spain’s earnest attempt to develop itself as an all-surface tennis nation. Everyone’s waiting to see how this venue, whose grass surface has been overviewed by Wimbledon officials, will showcase grass tennis in a place that’s not used to it.
