Bengaluru, March 24 (IANS) Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) headed by its president R. Ashoka, will host the first-ever SM Krishna Memorial Tournament – ITF Men’s M25 event with prize money of USD 30,000. The tournament will be held between March 31 to April 6 at the KSLTA Stadium
The prestigious tournament will be a joint initiative by KSLTA and the Karnataka State Government and has been conceptualised as a tribute to the visionary former Chief Minister of Karnataka SM Krishna who was an avid tennis enthusiast and spearheaded KSLTA as its president between 1999 to 2020. He was also the Life President of AITA from 2015 to 2023.
“With a flair for the sport and commitment to take it to the next level, Krishna was instrumental in upgrading the current KSLTA facility which was a rundown clay court with an unkept gallery. Under his leadership, the facility went on to don a new look and transformed into a state-of-the-art tennis stadium in the lush, green, heart of the city. He was instrumental in bringing world-class events to Bengaluru including the Legends Tour, World Doubles Championships and WTA Indian Open which saw the Williams sisters – Serena and Venus enthrall the Bengaluru tennis aficionados,” the KSLTA said in a release.
“At the helm of tennis in Karnataka, Krishna ensured the sport went to tier-2 cities and other districts in Karnataka and today the ITF tournaments are held in more than 12 districts – making Karnataka the only state to go far and wide with infrastructure that can host international matches including ITF and ATP Challenger events,” it added.
“It is a very thoughtful initiative by Priyank Kharge and the KSLTA to host a Memorial Tournament in the name of late Shri SM Krishna, former Chief Minister of Karnataka who was an avid tennis lover himself. Not only did he want to grow the sport in Karnataka and develop infrastructure in more than 12 districts but he himself was a tennis player and even as a Chief Minister, despite his hectic schedule, I remember he would take some time out to play a few rounds of tennis every day. Such was his love for the sport, and enthusiasm to stay fit,” stated DK Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
“I am very happy his legacy will be carried forward by young administrators like Priyank and his team at KSLTA. The Government of Karnataka will lend all the necessary support required to run this tournament in a smooth and professional manner,” he added.
Emphasising their intent behind hosting this tournament, Priyank Kharge, Minister of IT, BT, Science & Technology & Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Govt of Karnataka and the senior vice president of KSLTA, expressed, “The former Chief Minister Late SM Krishna’s contribution to tennis in Karnataka is unparalleled. He had the vision to develop the sport and under his guidance, the KSLTA has grown from strength-to-strength and is today known to host some of the biggest ITF and ATP tournaments in the country. As a befitting tribute to him, we at KSLTA have decided to host the SM Krishna Memorial Tournament which is an ITF Men’s M25 event with a prize money of 30,000 USD. It will be an annual event and we are grateful to Government of Karnataka for their support to host this event in his honour”
The qualifying rounds for the tournament will be held on March 29 and 30 and the main rounds will begin on March 31 and the singles finals are slated for April 6.
–IANS
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