Winter Tournament
Over two decades of Polonia Open Tennis in Florida.
The origins of the Winter Tournament go back to 1998, when the current Tournament Director, Arthur Bobko, had the idea to bring together Polish and Slavic people from all over the world to discover and enjoy tennis in the year-round outdoor sporting lifestyle of Florida. Arthur set to work gathering support and building a plan for the tournament.
The first "Swiatowy Polonijny Turniej Tenisowy", or World Polonia Tennis Tournament, was held in Sarasota, Florida January 8-14, 2001, with 74 tennis players from the USA, Poland, Canada, England and Germany, and also included a separate Golf event. Pawel Gasior, current President of the Polish American Golf Association, helped organize the first Golf tournament with 18 players. The event was a great success -- and Polonia Open was born. The current Winter Tournament traces its roots directly back to this event, with over two decades of rich history since.
