Featuring two back-to-back events, the tournament will award a total monetary prize of US$50,000.

Between February 5 and 19, Vila Real de Santo António’s (VRSA) Sports Complex is hosting its 1st and 2nd International Tennis Open. The two-week competition is included in the International Tennis Federation (ITF World Tennis Tour) calendar.

The event is co-organised by the VRSA Tennis Club, the VRSA City Council and the Portuguese Tennis Federation – with a wide range of sponsors – and is the first of its kind to be held in the municipality.

The debut edition features two back-to-back tournaments. The prize at stake – of 50 thousand dollars – will be divided between the two competitions.

The games, which will be played between 09:00 and 18:00, are free of admission and will be broadcasted on television. The 1st tournament takes place between February 5 and 12, and the 2nd tournament between February 13 and 19.

The event will bring together some 500 people – including athletes and technical teams – and feature players from Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Oceania. Participants from more than 30 countries are expected, namely Argentina, Brazil, the United States of America, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and Ukraine.

The initiative counts towards the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) world ranking. The men’s doubles are played in the senior category (over 15 years old), with the participation of 16 players. The men’s singles main draw will include 32 professionals, including Portuguese highlight Gonçalo Oliveira. The qualifying round will consist of 48 players, including Portuguese players Duarte Vale, Fábio Coelho, Gonçalo Falcão, Pedro Araújo and Tiago Pereira.

Among other confirmed players are French player Valentin Vacherot, number one in his category, and Czech national Dominik Kellovsky, number 10 on the Juniors’ world ranking and one of the great promises of tennis.

The International Tennis Open is one of the events included in VRSA’s tourism and sports promotion strategy. It will be supported by the Municipal Tourist Tax, taking into account its positive economic impact on the hotel sector and local commerce.

The choice of venue for this competition is also a sign of recognition of the quality and promotion of the Vila Real de Santo António Sports Complex, a structure that has already attracted dozens of events of media interest.