$5,000 Prize Money For Tennis Championships
Tennis players have a chance to win a total of $5,000 in prize money when they take part in the Bermuda Clay Court Championships at Coral Beach & Tennis Club later this month.
The tournament, sponsored by Moet & Chandon, and open to local and overseas players, is offering a total pot of $5,000 in prize money, and the winner of the Men’s Open Singles competition will win $3,000. The runner-up will receive $1,000 while the Women’s Open Singles winner will receive $750 and the runner-up will receive $250.
The Men’s and Women’s Open Singles contests are just two of the events available at the tournament, which takes place from October 25th to October 31st at Coral Beach.
Other events include men’s and women’s open doubles, men’s singles over 45s, over 55s, over 65s, over 75s and over 80s. There will also be century mixed doubles and over 50s and 60s women’s singles categories.
Running from October 25 to 31, the tournament, previously known as the Coral Beach Invitational, has been recognised by the United States Tennis Association and sanctioned by the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association. This means that players can gain ranking points with both associations.
Neal Towlson, the new Coral Beach and Tennis Club lead professional, said the tournament committee had been working hard on the plans for months, and are encouraging as big a field as possible of local and overseas players.
He added that he is expecting the majority of the Island’s top players to be in action during the weeklong tournament.
Coral Beach & Tennis Club general manager Nik Bhola said the owners and members of the Club are keen to our Coral Beach back on the tennis map.
“Coral Beach has been a spiritual home of tennis in Bermuda for decades and some of the greatest names in the sport have played on our courts. We see events like this one, along with the appointment of Neal as lead tennis pro, as part of the renaissance of tennis at Coral Beach.”
All matches will be the best of three sets, using the 12-point tie-breaker at six-all in any set, while consolation singles and doubles events are planned for players who lose their first-round matches.
In the doubles events, professional players cannot be partners, while all players are limited to a maximum of three events.
Social events will be held throughout the week, including a welcoming cocktail party at The Coral Beach Club next Monday, dinner and dancing at the Longtail Terrace next Friday, and a prize-giving ceremony and gala dinner the following day.
Coral Beach has long been an important base for tennis in Bermuda, and the Club hosted the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association’s Open Singles Challenge earlier this year. The event served as the selection tournament for the Bermuda Davis Cup team, who subsequently trained on Coral Beach’s courts.
The entry deadline for the tournament is Sunday, October 18th. More information is available here [PDF].
Wow, talk about equality of pay. The women’s purse should be a lot more then just $750.
On a flip side its good its nice to know there even is a cash prize.
The difference between the men’s and women’s prize money is shocking. Female tennis players fought long and hard for pay equality in the Grand Slams and other tournaments. How embarrassing to learn that Bermuda is still in the dark ages. I think female players should consider boycotting this tournament.