Grand Rapids, MI, United States – Devos Place Convention Center is set to again host the U.S Open table tennis championships twice in the next three years following its successful staging of the biggest table tennis event in the United States last year, USA Table Tennis confirmed Thursday.

USA Table Tennis CEO Michael Cavanaugh announced DeVos Place, located in downtown Grand Rapids, will once again hold the US Open table tennis championship in 2012 and 2014, with the Milwaukee staging the 2013 edition.

USA Table Tennis legend Dell Sweeris, who joined forces with the West Michigan Sports Commission in brining the championship back in Grand Rapids, is expecting a much bigger tournament due to a longer preparation time of 15 months.

Last year, DeVos Place had only six months to prepare but still came up with a successful tournament, drawing 700 paddlers from 16 nations and providing $600,000 to the Grand Rapids’ economy.

Sweeris also envisions the tournament becoming a major sports event like the prestigious US Open championships in golf and tennis.

“I don’t want it to say that this is like the U.S. Open in golf and the U.S. Open in tennis yet, but that’s the direction I would like to challenge our community to get to,” Sweeris told Michigan Live.com Thursday.

West Michigan Sports Commission’s executive director Mike Guswiler added the experience they gained from hosting last year’s US Open championship will give them an edge in finding more sponsors and awareness on what it takes to host the event.