TENNIS TOURNAMENT OSTRA GROUP OPEN 2024 BY PURPOSIA BEGINS MONDAY

“The traditional tennis tournament of the category ATP Challenger will be happening at our courts. The preparations are in full motion, the players will be arriving progressively and we’re also noticing an increased interest from sports fans. We’re very thankful to our loyal partners, who ensure that we can organize this event for the twenty-first time. We believe that our new titular partner will enjoy this event and will stay with us in the years to follow, as well,” says the manager of the tournament, Tomáš Ostárek.

The tournament is subsidized by 80 000 USD and will be played in the traditional site of the OSTRA Sport Center in Komenského Sady. In the main section of the tournament, 32 players will compete, 24 players in qualification and 16 in doubles. “This year too will Ostrava host interesting names of rising young tennis players – Dino Prižmić, winner of the Rolland Garros Juniors 2023, Benjamin Bonzi, winner of the Ostrava tournament in 2021, or Damir Dzumhur, winner of the challenger in Barletta,” comments the president of the tournament, Václav Roubíček.

Due to the recent events occurring at the Czech Tennis Association, speculations rose whether this tournament will even occur. “The organization and the connection with partners is in the full competence of the tournament organizers. I am excited that we’re able to ensure the continuity of this tournament in Ostrava, and on top of that, with a new titular partner, which is a strong company from this region – Purposia Group. Our holding OSTRA GROUP is a titular partner since 2021,” comments the financial situation of the tournament Tomáš Vrátný, the head of the board of directors of OSTRA GROUP. “Ostrava deserves a tennis tournament of this type. The OSTRA Sport Center, which is where this tournament occurs, was acquired in 2021. On these courts Ivan Lendl learned to play tennis, and this is also why we feel the need to keep this sport going in Ostrava. This tournament is also a great chance for all inhabitants of Ostrava to witness tennis of the highest quality not far from the center of the city,” adds Tomáš Vrátný.

The significance of this event is also why the municipal government annually supports the tournament. “As in the previous years, the Statutory City of Ostrava is again one of the main partners of the tournament. It excites me as the mayor, inhabitant and sports fan. The famous tennis star John McEnroe compared tennis to ballet. It is noteworthy that the hot-blooded destroyer of tennis racquets found the elegance and nobility of ballet in this sport. That says a lot about tennis. I wish the players competing in the tournament luck on the courts in Ostrava and to us, the fans, an unforgettable experience in this unique atmosphere. At the end of the day, we are a part of it and we contribute to it,” says the mayor of Ostrava, Jan Dohnal.

A traditional supporter of the tournament is also the Moravian-Silesian Region. “We are excited for the biggest and most prestigious tournament in the region, which is a part of the ATP Challenger Tour, which is the second highest level of men’s tennis tournaments. I am very excited that throughout the entire week, fans will witness performances of tennis players from the entire world on the clay in Ostrava,” comments the special sports event Stanislav Folwarczny, deputy governor of the region for education, youth and sport.

The tournament this year experienced a change in the titular partner from Moneta Money Bank to Purposia Group. “It is a great pleasure to be the titular partner of a prestigious international tennis tournament. In the past years, the Ostrava challenger was a place of great victories for many tennis stars. Just like them, who began to write their story on these courts, we began to write our holding history last year, when Purposia Group officially emerged around our construction company HSF System and now unites more than thirty successful companies. We created a group which deals with the entire life-cycle of construction projects, and even though we are active in several countries of Europe, it is still Ostrava where we began our business more than twenty years ago,” introduces the holding Jan Hasík, the head of the board of directors. “That is why the support of sport, especially in this region, is so important for us. Next to tennis, we are also supporters of cycling. Our support is also directed towards charity and cultural events,” adds Jan Hasík.

The first round of the main competition starts on Monday, 22nd. of April. The first round of qualifications is played already on Sunday, 21st. of April. The semi-finals will be played on Saturday, 27th. of April. The singles finals will be played on the 28th. of April. The draw of the players will occur before the tournament. All of the matches will be available to watch live online. The link to the livestream will be available at the website www.ostragroupopen.cz. The finals match will be broadcasted live by ČT Sport.

Day pass costs 50 CZK, finals match 80 CZK, the tickets are only available for purchase at the site, OSTRA Sport Centrum, Budečská 3214/4, Ostrava, tel.: 724 233 626