The ATP has decided two new locations for respective tournaments. As planned, the ATP has moved the Valencia Open into Belgium. Brussels will now play host to an ATP tournament for the first time in 1998. In a move that was not highly publicized, the Claro Open Colombia will to Mexico and will be played in Cabo San Lucas.
The Fallout Between The Regional Government And The Event Doomed Valencia
Former French Open champion and Valencia Open director, Juan Carlos Ferrero, was deeply saddened by the move. He was very disappointed that an agreement with the government was not honored and were considering renting or selling the license for the event, which has been running since 2003, to another city.
Ferrero also felt deceived since there was an accord between the previous administration and the tournament but was ignored by the new government. Joao Sousa of Portugal is the last champion ever of the event after taking home the title this year.
Belgium Welcomes Back A Tour-Level Event
After the Diamond Games officially ended their run in Antwerp this year, Belgium was about to be shutout of a tour-level event once again. The Diamond Games became a new event in St. Petersburg, Russia, but the exit of the Valencia Open opened a new door for Belgium to host an event. 2016 will mark the first ATP event in Belgium since the ECC Antwerp ended back in 1998.
Claro Open Moving As Well
In early October, Argentine journalist Juan José Moro revealed that the Grupo Pegaso bought the rights to the Claro Open Colombia and was looking to move it to Mexico. The group also has the rights to the Abierto Mexícano Telcel, an ATP 500 event in Acapulco. Cancun, Monterrey, and Puerto Vallarta were the original contenders as the host city for the new event in Mexico, but Cabo San Lucas won the final vote.