Prize money doubled for 2017 McDan Tennis Open

Kweku Zurek Sports News Apr - 10 - 2017 , 08:49

The total prize money for the 2017 McDan West African Open Tennis Championship has been doubled from the previous tournament, organisers have announced. The winners of this year's tournament will split $10,000 compared to the $5,000, they shared in 2016.

The organisers expect that the prize money will be enough to bait the finest tennis players on the African continent to come to Ghana from April 24 to 29 when the tournament takes place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

At a press briefing last Friday in Accra, the Executive Chairman of McDan Group, Dr Daniel McKorley, said he expected the Ghanaian youth who contested this year's edition to pip their Nigerian counterparts to the cash prize.

"We thank the media for supporting the McDan tournament, we are in our fourth year and every year it is becoming bigger and bigger," Dr McKorley stated.

"This year is going to be a wonderful tournament, and as you are all aware the prize money keeps increasing. This year the prize money is $10,000 and we want to see the Ghanaian youth picking the prize money ahead of the Nigerians.

"Last year, they did well but the Nigerians took all the money but this trip I want to see the Ghanaian youth and tennis players taking all the prize money away," he entreated.

According to sources, the overall men's champion will take home $3,000, a tripling of the sum ($1,000) last year's winner Nigerian Michael Moses took home, while the runner-up will pocket $1,000.

The women's champion will also see her winnings doubled from the $500 Sarah Adegoke won in 2016 to $1,000, while the losing finalist will take home $500.