Tennis Channel has inked an eight-year deal with the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, South Carolina. The deal removes ESPN as the main TV provider for the event and gives Tennis Channel exclusive on-air and digital rights. Tennis Channel will also have an on-site studio desk as it does at the French Open and BNP Paribas Open. The event, which takes place from April 3-9 2017, is one of the largest women’s only tennis tournaments in the world.

A snippet from the Tennis Channel press release:

Covering the action first serve to last, Tennis Channel plans to provide coverage of more than 130 hours of the Volvo Car Open action in 2017. Tennis Channel Plus will offer 360 hours of streaming coverage as well, with all on-air and digital competition available on-demand. In addition to carrying the doubles final live, the network will have a live daily lead-in show from its tournament studio desk, akin to pre-contest programs like Tennis Channel Live at the US Open.

“We always look for opportunities to tell as much of a tournament’s story as possible and the Volvo Car Open is one of the rare events filled with players who annually make deep runs at the Slams,” said Ken Solomon, president, Tennis Channel. “Every year, top players like Venus and Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, and Madison Keys make Charleston a key stop on their calendar. Moreover, the event has a unique blend of rising young Americans and international contenders who showcase the depth of talent on the tour today.”