Tennis South Africa and WIPHOLD Announce Two Prestigious Women’s ITF Tournaments in Tshwane with Equal Prize Money and Enhanced Opportunities”

In collaboration with title sponsor WIPHOLD and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Tennis South Africa (TSA) is gearing up to host consecutive W50 tournaments in the capital city early this year. The highly anticipated events, equivalent to ATP Challenger 50 for men, will take place at TuksTennis, University of Pretoria, from February 18 to March 2, 2024.

With substantial financial backing from WIPHOLD and the ITF, TSA is set to offer a combined prize pool of $80,000 (R1.48 million) across the two tournaments. This presents a significant platform for local female tennis talents to not only compete against international players but also earn substantial prize money and accrue valuable ranking points.

Ensuring gender equality in tennis, the ITF, with support from partners like WIPHOLD, has made considerable strides in promoting women’s tennis. This year marks a groundbreaking achievement, with the ratio of women’s ITF events to ATP Challenger men’s tournaments nearly achieving parity (185 women’s events compared to 195 ATP Challengers).

Louisa Mojela, co-founder and Executive Chairman of WIPHOLD, emphasized the company’s commitment to empowering women in South Africa. She stated, “WIPHOLD is dedicated to the empowerment of women in South Africa, especially young women and girls who have been historically disenfranchised. We remain committed to and value our partnership with Tennis South Africa.”

TSA President Gavin Crookes expressed his satisfaction with the collaboration, saying, “Our goals are very much aligned with WIPHOLD, who are committed to growing women’s tennis in South Africa. We are pleased to have such a fitting partner for these two W50 tournaments.”

Highlighting the strategic decision for two $40,000 events, Crookes noted, “We hosted $25,000 and $60,000 tournaments this year and have opted for two $40,000 events next season. This choice aims to benefit our local players in terms of the level of play, exposure, ranking points, and cash incentives. We are proud to continue fostering the growth of tennis for South African women by hosting these international tournaments.”