Johannesburg, South Africa – Tennis South Africa (TSA) have announced that Boland Tennis will be hosting three Futures events carrying prize money in excess of R800 000 during November 2015.
The three events will be sponsored by Digicall and will run consecutively at the Maties Tennis Club, Coetzenburg Sport Grounds and at the University of Stellenbosch. There will be singles and doubles draws for both men and women.
Each of the mens and womens events will comprise prize money of $10 000 (R134 000). That means with all three events the Digicall Futures circuit is worth $60 000.
The main draw for the first of the Digicall Futures will begin on Tuesday 3 November with the final played on Sunday 8 November. All the main draws will comprise 32 competitors.
However, the qualifying tournaments will begin on 31 October.
The mains draws for the second event begin on Tuesday 10 November with the finals on Sunday 15 November. The final Futures begins on Tuesday 17 November until Sunday 22 November.
“With the Rand under pressure it makes events like this Digicall Futures circuit so vital for all our local players because it gives them the opportunity to gain ranking points on home soil,” said TSA President and acting CEO Gavin Crookes.
“It also gives them the opportunity to play against some international competition to gauge how strong the competition is out there.”
There is no doubt Kevin Andersons recent success at Wimbledon and the US Open has raised the profile of tennis in South Africa, something that has not gone unnoticed by Digicall Chairman Altmann Allers.
“Following the recent successes of Kevin, the timing is right for South African tennis to again start making a meaningful contribution to the sport on the international stage.
“Digicall believes that by developing and investing in a local tennis circuit which provides our players an ability to earn international points and measure themselves against tough competitors, we should hopefully soon see more of our players performing and winning on the centre courts in major tournaments. By getting involved in the Digicall Futures, we hope we can provide opportunities to assist our young players to reach their potential and fulfil their dreams.”
The Western Cape is always an attractive part of the world to stage a sporting tournament and these three events will give Boland Tennis the chance to show off their province.
“ITF future tournaments are the first steps any professional tennis player needs to start a career,” said Dr Danie Morkel, President of Boland Tennis.
“We would like to thank title sponsor, Digicall as well as Associate sponsors Curro and Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, for seizing this opportunity to partner with us in bringing professional tennis back to the Western Cape. The support of the Western Cape Department of Culture and Sport is also acknowledged.”
