City of Onkaparinga Tennis International becomes second ATP Challenger in South Australia

South Australian tennis has been boosted with the announcement that the City of Onkaparinga Tennis International is being upgraded to ATP Challenger status from January 2015.

One of the longest standing Australian Pro Tour events in South Australia, the tournament has been upgraded from ITF Futures to ATP Challenger status in a major coup for event organisers. The tournament will now give players the opportunity to compete for a slice of US$50,000 in prize money, as well as valuable world ranking points.

Tennis SA and Tennis Australia, in conjunction with the City of Onkaparinga and Happy Valley Tennis Club, will host South Australia’s newest addition to the ATP calendar from Saturday 3rd to Sunday 11th January 2015. 

The addition of the City of Onkaparinga ATP Challenger to the summer of tennis and Australian Pro Tour series provides an ideal lead-in event for players vying for a coveted position in Australian Open Series events and Australian Open 2015. 

Welcoming the upgrade, Tennis Australia Tournament Operations Coordinator Jason Simmons explained “these ATP level events provide a very important springboard for players to move up the rankings and this event, being the week before Australian Open qualifying, will be a vital warm-up for players heading to Melbourne.

“Following the success of the tournament at Futures level over the past nine years, we look forward to the local community getting behind the event again and thank the City of Onkaparinga for their continued support.” 

The City of Onkaparinga ATP Challenger will form a major part of South Australia’s World Tennis Challenge (WTC) Be Active Challenge events, set to take place throughout January.

For more information on the Australian Pro Tour or Tennis Australia visit www.tennis.com.au. 

For more information on the ATP Challenger Tour visit www.atpworldtour.com.