Trivandrum Open Tennis Championships this week

Trivandrum Open Tennis Championships is billed as the oldest organised tennis tournament in the country.
Image for representational purpose only
Image for representational purpose only

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The semifinal and final matches of the thrilling 2018 edition of the Trivandrum Open Tennis Championships (TOTC) will be held at the Trivandrum Tennis Club (TTC) over the coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Billed the oldest organised tennis tournament in the country, TOTC comes with a prize money of Rs 1 lakh this year and has more than 150 players participating in over 15 categories.The Tournament started on Monday. ‘’The Tournament has gained tremendous popularity in South India and has started attracting players from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as an opportunity to sharpen the players technical, physical and emotional skills,’’ TTC honorary secretary Anilkumar Pandala said.

A brainchild of Colonel Goda Varma Raja, the tournament’s entire history is not recorded to throw light on which year it was not conducted. However, the records are clear on the fact that TOTC being held this year is the 72nd edition, he said.

The oldest tennis club in existence in the country, TTC has a proud history. Some of the finest top world-ranked players and fastest servers have played on TTC courts, Pandala said.They include Bill Tilden, Budge Patty (a former Wimbledon champion), Roy Emerson, Vijay and Anand Amritraj, Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Barry McCay, Dilip Bose and Premjit Lal, Sania Mirza, and, lately, Yanina Wickmayer (who played US Open semis the same year she played on TTC Courts).

Pandala points out that like in athletics, Kerala has an opportunity to lead India in tennis also. ‘’The government and corporates should take note of the TTC eco-system properly and put their weight behind it,’’ he said.The closing ceremony of the 2018 edition of TOTC will be held on July 22.

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