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Lidovky.cz

Czech courts major tennis tournament for Prague

  9:47

The Czechs have some of the best women’s tennis players but no major tournaments; a local sports promotor wants to change that

Petra Kvitová (now the world’s no.2), after defeating Russia’s Vera Zvonareva (no.7) during the first match of the WTA tennis Championship finals in Istanbul on Tuesday (Oct. 25) foto: © ČTKČeská pozice

A Czech sports promoter is seeking to bring a top world-class women’s tennis tournament to the country, according to a report in Tuesday’s edition of the business daily, Hospodářské noviny (HN).

Peter Kovarčík, known in the past for his promotion of golf tournaments in his homeland sprinkled with a few world-class star players and rubbing shoulders with Czech celebrities, says there is a chance that a WTA tournament scheduled for May could be switched to Prague.

Hopes sprout in Brussels

May’s WTA tournament in Brussels has allegedly running into economic problems with another venue needing to be found after the main sponsor of the event, Gaz de France, pulled out. “At the moment all I want to say is that I am working on it, I won’t say anything more before Sunday,” Kovarčík told the paper.

Vladimír Houdek, the general manager of the Sport Towers Prague/In Sports Prague which organized the Prague Open tournament this year, a largely exhibition event featuring former and current stars, confirmed he is connected with Kovarčík’s project.

A crucial decision about Prague’s chances of landing a top women’s tournament will, reportedly, be the board meeting of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in Florida on Dec. 16 and 17. The WTA is the governing body of women’s tennis and sets the schedule and venues for the main tournaments.

Kovarčík previously attracted a top ATP men’s tennis event to the Czech city of Ostrava and put the Czech Republic on the map as regards golf’s professional PGA Tour.

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