Stakes raised in Harare Open

Harare Sports Club for the Harare Open running from April 15 18.
Tennis Zimbabwe will be using the tournament to get points for the players and as a pre-selection for international competitions.
The player who lifts the Harare Open is guaranteed to earn 250 points while the losing finalist will get 150 points with players who reach the semi-finals earning 100 points each while those reaching the last eight are guaranteed 50 points.
Tennis Zimbabwe (Harare Province) president Barnabas Chipindu said entries have since been opened for the tournament, which is set to become one of the major events on the TZ calendar.
“We are going to host the Harare Open Tennis Tournament for the seniors.
“This tournament will attract all the top players in Zimbabwe and can even attract some players from the region.
“So we expect the who is who, because there are TZ points to be earned and it’s also a platform for selecting players for international events,” said Chipundu.
The Harare Open, Chipundu said, will be run parallel to the Harare Masters.
“The Senior Open is for anyone who feels he can play while the Masters Open is for players above 40 years.
“We are hoping to host all the tournaments at Harare Sports Club but we can spill to Old Hararians if we get an overwhelming response,” said Chipindu.
Chipundu said entries and registration for the event had already begun.
“Right now registration is going on and we hope to close just a day before we start.
“A draw will be held, depending on the numbers of entries and then the competition will run from April 15 to 18,” said Chipindu.
The Harare Open has gone over a transformation over the years, starting off as the Mashonaland Open and then it was christened the Caltex Open until 2005.
“Caltex have since stopped their sponsorship but as Harare Province, we have been running it on our own.
“At the moment we do not have a title sponsor but we are negotiating with certain corporates.
“We hope something will come up but if it doesn’t, then we can use the registration fees to pay for prizes.
“There will also be certificates,” said Chipindu.
Admire Mushonga won the Senior Men’s Open last year after beating Liberty Nzula 6-1, 6-2 while Denise Artzinger overcame Lorraine Mandingwa 6-1, 6-2 in the women’s singles final. There will also be a draw for the doubles with the organisers expecting at least 80 players for the main Harare Open.
But before the Harare Open, some of the top junior players will warm up with the Midlands Junior Open at Bata Shoe Courts and Thornhill Airbase from April 12 to 14.
Tennis action will then move to Bulawayo Sports Club for the Bulawayo Junior Open before some of the players descend for the high profile Harare Open.
Chipindu hopes the Harare Open will serve as a warm up tournament to the NetOne Zimbabwe Open coming in August.
“As Harare Province Tennis, it is our aim of host at least one tournament every month and give a platform for players. Tournaments are we can develop the sport and we feel Harare should once again dominate tennis,” said Chipindu.