World tennis governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has given players across the world Thursday, 19th September 2019 as registration deadline for the first leg of this year’s Lagos Open Tennis Championship.
The Lagos Open, which enters its 19th edition, holds from October 7 through October 20.
It has been an annual tennis championship staged to celebrate the sitting Executive Governor of Lagos State and also a destination for emerging young tennis players across the world to fight for ATP points. The tournament is played within the course of two weeks (Futures 4 &5) at the Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan in Lagos.
The ITF directed that players should register for the first leg of the tournament latest by 14:00GMT this week’s Thursday, while withdrawal deadline is Tuesday, 24 September 2019 by 14:00GMT.
The first leg serves off with a day qualifying matches on Monday, 7 October, while the Main Draw in both the singles and doubles of men and women events start the following day. The final of the leg holding on Sunday, 13 October 2019.
This leg has as its prize money $50,000 to be shared $25,000 each in both the men and women’s categories.
For the second leg, the ITF also directed that players should register latest by Thursday, 26 September with the withdrawal deadline fixed for Tuesday, 1 October 2019. The qualifying matches for the second leg hold on Monday 14 October with the main draws starting the following day.
The finals of the second leg, which traditionally is the grand finale with its usual closing ceremony, hold on Sunday, 20 October 2019.
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other important dignitaries are expected to watch the finals of the singles events.
This leg also has as its prize money $50,000 to be shared $25,000 each in both the men and women’s categories.
At last year’s tournament, British youngster, Jack Draper, caused a major upset in the finals of the second leg watched by the former Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode and other important personalities, as well as hundreds of school children who were mobilised to watch live tennis action from the older players.
Draper became the youngest winner of an ITF Futures tournament in Nigeria following a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over the highly experienced top seed, Tom Jomby of France. The 16-year-old Brit was to after the Lagos Open went on to play in the 2019 Wimbledon Open and made surprising improvement of his tennis career.
