On October 6, the 2024 China Network once again ushered in a day of audience explosion. Previously, the women's singles champion Zheng Qinwen of the Paris Olympics unfortunately stopped in the semi-finals, and the final was played by Grand Slam champion Gauff against Grand Slam runner-up Mukhova, attracting a full audience to cheer. This is also the epitome of this year's hot box office of China Net. Driven by Zheng Qinwen, China Tennis tickets were sold out early, and China Tennis seized the Olympic dividends and the reputation accumulated in the past two decades to achieve fame and fortune in this year's box office sales, business sponsorship and tennis culture promotion.
Players give power to bring fireballs to the city
This year, a total of 380 players from 48 countries and regions came to Beijing to participate in the China Open, including 158 WTA women's professional players and 72 ATP men's players. Grand Slam winners such as Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev, Sabalenka, Gauff and Naomi Osaka have joined this year's China Open squad.
This year's China Open has set a number of records. This year, the China Open has given a number of men's and women's singles wild cards to Chinese players, and the number of Chinese players has reached a record high of 18. Chinese women's tennis player Gao Xinyu and Spain's Tomo played for 4 hours and 15 minutes, setting a record for the longest time in a Chinese women's tennis event. On October 2, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the final, giving a Grand Slam-level match, setting a record for the length of the final of the China Open.
The performance of Chinese players has attracted the attention of domestic tennis fans. On the women's side, Zheng Qinwen broke into the semifinals of the China Open women's singles, becoming the first local player to successfully reach the semifinals of the China Open women's singles again; Zhang Shuai, a 35-year-old veteran who participated in the tournament with a wild card, performed a miracle of four consecutive victories at the China Open, and successfully advanced to the top 8 of the China Open women's singles for the third time. In men's singles, the 22-year-old Buyun Chaokert entered the tournament with a wild card, defeating Rublev, the world No. 6 and No. 4 seed of the tournament, in the third round, setting a new record for reaching the semifinals of the China Open with a wild card, which is also the best result of a Chinese men's player at the China Open.
China's ticket revenue has reached a new high
From 2023 to 2024, the on-site audience flow of China Network will reach a new high. On September 28, the first weekend of China Network, the audience flow of the park was about 39,000, creating a record high in single-day traffic. On October 1, all the specifications of the first diamond court, the lotus court, and even the "joy ticket" of the outer court were also sold out, and the number of spectators at the National Tennis Center reached 44,000 on that day, once again setting a new record for the number of visitors in a single day. The men's singles final on October 2 and Zheng Qinwen's appearance brought the number of spectators to 29,000 at the China Open, and more than 13,000 people poured into the first diamond court. The number of spectators is expected to be about 300,000 during the whole race period, an increase of 50% compared with last year, and the single-day traffic of the five competition days will exceed 25,000. As of October 5, about 140,000 foreign fans and more than 13,000 overseas spectators have come to Beijing to watch the game.
In terms of ticket sales, it continues to be hot. Sales on the day of the opening were twice as high as the same period last year, and before the start of the main draw, ticket sales at the China Open had already exceeded the total for the entire season last year, with tickets for the men's final already sold out and tickets for the women's singles final also many days in advance. Just two days before the start of the tournament, ticket sales were twice as high as in the same period last year. As of 11 a.m. on October 1, all tickets for the tournament have been sold out. This year's total box office revenue exceeded 80 million, setting a record high in ticket sales on the China Net, an increase of 60% over last year.
China Grid Green Travel has been well received
In 2024, China Network has made great efforts in audience service. Fans reflect that it is more convenient to come and go to the China Open. According to reports, China Grid removed the fence around the venue to benefit the audience who drove to the venue; All entrances and exits of the audience are equipped with turnstiles to clear the congestion caused by manual ticket checking. In addition, the linkage between China Network and AutoNavi and Baidu Maps makes it easier and more direct in terms of taxi, navigation and connection.
This year, China Network contacted the bus group to use the original night line to add ferry vehicles after 12 o'clock at night; Metro Line 8 will be extended to 12 o'clock during the peak hours of the China Open from September 26 to October 2. During the competition, the total throughput of Lincuiqiao Station of Metro Line 8 reached 336,000 passengers, with the highest peak on October 1, with 35,000 passengers, nearly twice the passenger flow on weekdays. After the game on October 2 was close to 12 midnight, Metro Line 8 extended its operating hours to 00:13 that day, and four temporary buses were added after the last train, transporting a total of 665 passengers.
In addition to the accumulation of word-of-mouth in the past 20 years, China Open has also improved its services by listening to the complaints of fans. "A lot of complaints are from the 12345 hotline. Instead of learning from others about the experience of running the competition, it is better to listen directly to what the audience has to say. The person in charge of the network introduced. After last year's competition, China Network obtained feedback from the audience from the Internet and the 12345 hotline. "The audience's voice is very revealing. For example, parking is difficult and admission is congested. We gave it a category, 118 items. After the process is done, we have to fight again. Zhongwang can't say how difficult it is and how many reasons it has, and it needs to see how to solve it according to the audience's complaints. The core concept of this year is to serve all the attendees. The person in charge of the network said.
Fancy China Net is more comfortable this year
Many fans have reported that they are more comfortable in catering and leisure this year. Walking into the National Tennis Center, the audience service center at the entrance provides event consultation, barrier-free services, luggage storage, mother and baby room and other services. The west square in the park is green and grassy, and fans can lie on chairs and watch the live game on the 360-degree ring screen in front of them, and the relaxed and comfortable feeling of holiday is at your fingertips.
According to reports, in 2024, China Network will introduce nearly 30 catering brands and more than 60 catering service points, and the comprehensive catering building will provide better quality on-site catering services. The integrated event service system created by 2024 China Network helps fans to book, select seats, refund tickets, and order meals in advance and purchase licensed products. The Mini Program also provides real-time updates such as event information, travel guides, weather, and registration entrances for various activities to enhance the audience's sense of interaction and participation. Visitors can bind their identity information through the service applet to achieve rapid inspection, and the silky passage reduces the waiting time for admission. Two unmanned vending vehicles sold souvenirs and special ice cream in the stadium area, attracting fans to stop and place orders.
The upgrade of the business experience of China Network has caused the explosion to be out of stock
This year, the China Tennis Park has created a strong tennis cultural atmosphere, promoted a new upsurge of tennis consumption, and also created a shortage of mascot explosions. The new mascot IP "Ah Zhong" became an instant hit after being loved by international players, and was warmly sought after by fans during the China Open. Although the supply has doubled before the game this year, the popularity is still beyond expectations, and the supply of sought-after souvenirs such as A-Zhong pillows and plush tennis keychains is in short supply, and there was a situation where the explosive models were out of stock.
This year's tournament sponsors and partners integrated tennis into their creative booths, and set up more than 100 interactive activities in combination with tennis, with a total of more than 10,000 participants. Merchants have increased the creative catering of tennis shapes, such as tennis shaped ice cream, tennis Daifuku, and tennis small square toast. It is reported that the comprehensive consumption of China Network in the 2024 competition period will exceed 25 million yuan, an increase of nearly 40% compared with 2023.
The sponsorship of the China Open is full of power
Before the start of the 2024 China Open, Zhang Junhui, tournament director of the China Open, introduced that this year's China Open has achieved a full list of sponsors for the first time this year with "1 chief + 3 diamonds + 8 platinums + 10 partners". This represents the recognition of the China Open by the sponsors.
During this year's China Open, Capital Securities announced that it will officially join hands with the 2024 China Open Tennis Championships, becoming the first exclusive partner of China Open from the securities industry. "The full number of sponsors of the China Tennis is inseparable from the accumulation of the past 20 years of China Tennis events, the continuous development of the domestic sports market and tennis, and the excellent performance of Chinese tennis players. This year, sponsors are also different from the past in terms of fan interaction and promotion. All these have contributed to the successful holding of this year's China Open tournament. Zhang Junhui said.
This year, China Net has been well received by all parties
This year, the China Open has not only received real money support from fans, but also received praise from players. On social media platforms, China Net has also gained more attention. This year, China Open Cocktail Party invited domestic and foreign players to Beijing Junwangfu to enjoy guqin, classical dance, and experience traditional Chinese culture such as sugar painting and lacquer fan. Alcaraz and Gauff dress up in traditional Chinese costumes and tour the Forbidden City. Gauff climbed the Great Wall with Naomi Osaka, Badosa visited Zhongshan Park, and United States player Navarro experienced community life in Beijing.
In terms of media reports, there were more than 379871 pieces of content and news about this year's China Open tennis tournament on the whole network, an increase of about 7 times over the same period last year, including 352701 reports from domestic media and 27,170 reports from international media. #2024中网#及相关话题全网阅读量超过20亿, a new high in the history of the competition. During the competition, a total of 415 hot search topics were generated on various platforms on the whole network, including 149 hot searches on the Weibo platform, exceeding the number of the four major slams, #郑钦文对阿尼西莫娃#成为10月2日微博热搜第1位, and more than 11 hours on the list.
China Net has become a window for the world to understand China
The 2024 China Tennis benefited from the dividends of the Paris Olympic Games, and the reputation accumulated in the past continued to grow, continuing to promote the development of tennis culture, and also becoming a window for international friends to understand China. Lars · Graff, the joint tournament director of the China Open, said that Alcaraz came to Beijing for the first time last year, bringing only coaches and physical trainers. When Alcaraz arrived in Beijing this year, his team reached seven. There are more friends, family members are willing to come with the players and see Beijing, see China. "These players will tell his friends about Beijing's iconic sights," Graff said. In this year's China Open, many players went to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to play, leaving good memories. ”
During the China Open competition, many international players reported that the arrangement of the China Open was different from other tournaments. The China Open offers players a wide range of activities to choose from, making the trip worthwhile. In particular, the Chinese food experience provided by China Net is not available in other countries. According to Graff, the Chinese tennis has developed a unique attraction for international players.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Chu Peng