Strand hosts Wheelchair Tennis Open Tournament

The tournament is sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation and is part of the NEC World Wheelchair Tennis Tour.

The ACSA Strand Open is one of three entry level international events hosted in South Africa. Around 84 players are expected to participate in event, with the majority of players being from the regional programmes. The focus for this event, being a future level event, is to give as many players as possible the opportunity to gain world ranking points and experience. It is the perfect environment to introduce new talent to international competitions, and provide them with valuable competitive experience.

Players to watch

The Open Men's Draw is set to offer exciting tennis. Evans Maripa, SA's No.1 and Nyasha Mharakurwa, Zimbabwe's No. 1 player have just returned from the 2012 Paralympics where they both won their first rounds and lost to players ranked in the top 15 in the world. Other South African players to watch are Marshall Marsh and Leon Els.

In the women's division SA's No. 2 Rose van der Meer is a firm favourite for the title. She has won the last two international events in South Africa in 2012 - the ACSA Polokwane Open and the ACSA Soweto Open. The junior division will certainly be one of the most competitive draws with players such as Gift Lekhanyane, Mabel Mankgele, Thato Tsomole and Sean de Hilster in action.