Stage set for ITF Kalaburagi Open from today
3 min read
Kalaburagi: Having returned to the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour circuit after a long hiatus last year, Kalaburagi, a city that is steeped in history, is ready for the next edition.
The prestigious Kalaburagi Open kicks off with the two-day qualifying competition at the Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium courts here on Sunday.
In all, 12 foreigners from eight countries will take part in the $25,000 event that offers 25 ranking points to the winner. The 32-player main draw gets under way on Tuesday with 24 players, including four wild cards, having earned direct entries into the tournament. Eight players will come through the two-round qualifiers.
Uzbekistan’s Khumoyun Sultanov, who is in the final of the ITF Mumbai Open that is currently underway, has been given the top billing. Karan Singh, who lost in the semifinals of the Mumbai event on Saturday, will lead India’s challenge. Also in the main draw are four Karnataka players – Adil Kalyanpur, SD Prajwal Dev and wild card entrants Rishi Reddy and Manish G.
The doubles final will be played on Saturday and the singles final the following day (Nov 24).
“The return of the men’s $25,000 event is a reaffirmation that Kalaburagi has become an important stop on the ITF World Tennis Tour calendar,” said Priyank Kharge, Minister of IT BT & RDPR, who is also the Senior Vice President of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) and Chairman of the Organising Committee.
“The ITF Kalaburagi Open 2024 will be as exciting, or even better than the previous year. The Kalaburagi District administration, led by the Deputy Commissioner, has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the prestigious tournament and to ensure the international players have a comfortable stay in the city. Kalaburagi has a lot of history and I hope all the sporting ambassadors from nine countries experience it. I wish all the players a great time in Kalaburagi and hope they return with good memories,” the minister added.
“It will be a great opportunity for the people of Kalaburagi to witness world-class players in action with the youngsters hopefully being inspired by these players. With a view to promoting the game in Karnataka, we have made earnest efforts to take the sport to the districts. We are leaving no stone unturned in our quest to unearth promising talents,” the minister pointed out.
“The KSLTA is the only state tennis association in the country that boasts of 12 districts capable of organising international events. I hope the international tennis body will upgrade this tournament in the coming years.”
“We at KSLTA always thrive to provide opportunities which are the most required for our players to play with home advantage and raise their international rankings. KSLTA has some ambitious plans to support the players and provide further opportunities,” Shri Kharge said.
Peter Vijaykumar, a former professional player from Karnataka, is the Tournament Director and Puneet Gupta, also from India, will be the ITF Supervisor for this event.
Fouzia Taranum, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Kalaburagi, spearheading the arrangements, expressed her enthusiasm on Kalaburagi playing host to this prestigious event.
“We are really proud that the Kalaburagi Open has become a regular fixture on the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour calendar. We are honoured to host the prestigious $25,000 tournament under the leadership of Priyank Kharge and we welcome the players from around the world to showcase their skills on our courts,” said Fouzia Taranum.
“We have made every effort to ensure that the players are well looked after on and off the courts. I would like to thank all the sponsors without whom the event would not be possible. I also appreciate the work of all my officers and staff of the district administration who have come together to make this a successful event,” she added.
– Team Mysoorunews
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