Johannesburg - Tennis SA (TSA) president Bongani Zondi applauded the government's decision to assist in staging the Soweto Open Challenger Tour event in April.
The tournament was launched in 2009 and continued for three years before it was dropped from the calendar in 2012 due to a lack of funding.
It has now returned to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Soweto, where a group of men and women will battle it out for a share of one-million rands in prize money.
“I am very grateful to the minister and his department for investing in the Soweto Open and holding hands with TSA in their vision for the growth and development of the game in Soweto,” said Zondi on Wednesday.
“The Arthur Ashe Tennis Complex has been a resounding success, hosted many international events and been the breeding ground for a lot of talented tennis players.”
The men would take to the court from April 29 to May 4 while the women's tournament would be played from May 6 to 11.
“In previous years the two tournaments were played concurrently, but this time the decision was taken to separate the events,” announced TSA.
Both tournaments have been sanctioned by the respective men's and women's international governing bodies and will carry international ranking points.
Sapa