Pretoria set to host Africa’s first ITF W60 tournament | ITF
Article 16 Feb 2022

Pretoria set to host Africa’s first ITF W60 tournament

Jamie Renton

16 Feb 2022

Pretoria will host the first $60,000 level tournament in Africa next month as part of Tennis South Africa’s commitment to stage more elite women’s events.

W60 Pretoria, which will be held in South Africa’s administrative capital on 28 March – 3 April, will be the first of back-to-back ITF women’s tournaments in the country in 2022.

It will the largest ITF women's tournament held in South Africa in over a decade and precedes the third staging of a W25 tournament named after former South African No. 1 and social activist Ilana Kloss, which has been moved from Potchefstroom to Tshwane this year.

Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Kloss, who is well-known for her work with long-time partner Billie Jean King in advocating for gender equality, inclusivity and diversity, said she was delighted by the news.

“Representing South Africa was one of the highlights of my career and I am excited to see increased opportunities for South African players on our home soil,” said Kloss. 

“The addition of a women’s ITF $60,000 level tournament to the annual calendar is a big step to growing tennis in South Africa and throughout the region and it is exciting to have this new event and the tournament in Tshwane that carries my name as part of the ITF World Tennis Tour.”

South Africa hosted five women’s tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour last year - all at W25 level across Johannesburg, Pretoria and Potchefstroom – rising from two in 2019 and 2020.

The new W60 category tournament will be the most significant ITF tournament held in South Africa since the 2011 $100,000+H Johannesburg event, and represents another milestone step for tennis in the nation.

“The Federation continues to work hard to bring more international tennis events to our country and we are very appreciative for the financial support from the ITF to be able to host an ITF $60,000 World Tour event for the very first time,” said Andre Homan, CEO of Tennis South Africa. “This is a real boost for women’s tennis in the country.”