Bengaluru, Nov 7 (IANS): Australia's Alexander Vukic is likely to defend his title in the Bengaluru Open, which has become one of the most popular stops on the ATP Challenger Tour and will be held from February 20-26 next year at the KSLTA Stadium here.
The main draw of the USD 130,000 prize money Bengaluru Open 2023 will consist of 32 players in singles and 16 in doubles with 24 making it to the qualifying draw.
The event would be a big boost to Indian Tennis and would be the fifth in a series in the Garden City.
"KSLTA is very happy to host the fifth edition of the Bengaluru Open. We are expecting a strong field once again, especially in the event which has increased the prize money to $130,000 from the previous edition of $52,000. Bengaluru Open has always been a wonderful platform for budding Indian players with few of them graduating to bigger events, said Maheshwar Rao, Hon. Secretary, KSLTA while announcing the dates on Monday.
"It is our endeavour to promote and grow the game of tennis and give the aspiring players the chance to showcase their skills on an international platform. We hope the Indian players, especially from Karnataka make the best use of this opportunity," he added.
Tournament Director, Sunil Yajaman said, "Bengaluru has become a sought-after destination on the ATP Challenger Tour and it is exciting to announce that the Bengaluru Open 2023 would be held from Feb 20-26. Apart from the Indian and Karnataka players deriving benefit from the event with home advantage on their side, we are also keen to welcome players from across the globe to Bengaluru."
"The Government of Karnataka has been our biggest supporter of the Bengaluru Open with all the Corporates based in the city without whom Bengaluru would not find a place on the Global Tennis map. We look forward to their continued support once again. Bengaluru Open 2023 would be a big treat for the sports-loving people of Silicon City. We have started upgrading the facilities at the KSLTA Stadium in order to give the players and the fans a much better experience," he was quoted as saying in a release.