ATP, ITF events in Potchefstroom cancelled due to Coronavirus

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger 50 tournament and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Ilana’s Kloss International, which were both being played in Potchefstroom this week, were cancelled suddenly Thursday night due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The ATP event, the inaugural Potch Open, was the first event of this stature to be held in South Africa since 2013, when the Soweto Open was last held. It was being played at the new NWU tennis complex when it was cancelled just before the quarter finals.

South African and international players from, among others, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy and Zimbabwe were participating in the two events at the NWU. The ATP event had prize money of $35 000 (about R550 000) and the ITP event $25 000 (about R400 000).

Tennis South Africa endorsed the cancellation of the events, while admitting that it was disappointing for fans, players and sponsors.

Both the ATP and ITF announced Thursday that all events on their tours would be cancelled for six weeks following the Coronavirus outbreak. These include major events such as the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. A Challenger event being held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, this week was also cancelled while the event was taking place.

The ATP said on its website the decision follows the declaration of the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic and the suspension of travel between 26 European Union countries and the United States.

Many other major sporting events have been cancelled since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, including this weekend’s Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, Spanish La Liga football matches (for two weeks) and American NBA basketball matches.