McDan Tennis Open starts April 20

Daily Graphic Sports News Mar - 11 - 2015 , 02:40

The second edition of the McDan Open Tennis Tournament comes off from April 20 to 25 at the Accra Sports Stadium with indications pointing towards a renewal of the rivalry between top players.

The defending men's champion, Japheth Bagerbaseh, who defeated George Darko to win the maiden edition last year, is sure to get a tough challenge on his way to retaining the title.

The two met in the Ghana Tennis Professionals final in May last year and George Darko was able to stage a revenge by defeating Bagerbaseh to clinch the ultimate.

The buildup to this year's event will begin with the best four players from last year's tournament taking a two-week trip to Spain as part of the prize package promised by the McDan Group.

In an interview, Philipina Frimpong, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Tennis Federation (GTF), said the success recorded at the maiden edition had generated massive interest among the players.

"Players from all over the country have been calling the GTF office to make enquiries about registration and participation.

“The McDan Open, after only one edition, has established itself as the biggest and most anticipated tournament on our calendar. This is surely a good sign for the revival of the sport in the country, " she said.

This year's McDan Open Tournament is expected to attract about 100 players from across the country, which will be an almost 50 per cent rise in the total participation from last year’s event. There will be more attractive prizes at this year’s event according to Mr Daniel McKorley, Executive Chairman of the McDan Group, headline sponsor of the tournament.