After an 11-year absence the Palm Hills International Tennis Challenger returned to Egypt, reports Ghada Abdel-Kader Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic won the single's title and the team of Martin Slanar of Spain and Simone Vagnozzi of Italy took the doubles at the Palm Hills International Tennis Challenger. Minar received $5,000 and collected 80 ATP points, while Slanar and Vagnozzi took home $2,200 and 80 points. The championship, held at the Palm Hills Tennis Academy from 3-9 May included Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Russia, Romania, Croatia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Jamaica, Poland, Germany, Italy, FranceSpain, Serbia and Egypt, the host country. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour. Since 1983 the tournament, played on outdoor red clay courts, has been played in Cairo. But it hadn't been held in Egypt in 11 years. The last time it was staged in Egypt was in 1999 at Al-Gezira Sporting Club. The ATP reapproved the Challenger event in Egypt, the Challenger's tournament supervisor Rogerio Santos told Al-Ahram Weekly, because according to ATP regulations you need to have five or six courts to organise the event. Here, you have nine courts. You also need to have floodlights if you want to play at night. All these things that we need are found in Palm Hills." The tournament had 70 players from 17 countries. Four players were ranked less than 180 in the world, which, according to Santos "is very good for the first time. Overall, it was a very well organised championship. There must be good infrastructure to hold this kind of event." Director of the Tennis Academy in Palm Hills Hassan El-Aroussi said the tournament marked the opening of a new centre court, the second centre court in Egypt to be internationally approved after one in Al-Gezira. "The most important thing in this tournament is the ATP Challenger world ranking. Each player is trying to improve his seeding," director of the championship Hani Nasser said. Minar defeated Vagnozzi 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the singles. In the semi-finals, Vagnozzi had defeated Spain's Guillermo Olaso 6(4)-7, 6- 4, 6-1. Minar beat Christopher Rochus, the world's No 132, 6-2, 6-3. Rochus was in Egypt 10 years ago. "I was really happy to come back. It's really a nice place to play tennis. I didn't play very well but I reached the semi-finals which is not too bad." In the quarter-finals, Olaso defeated German Bastian Knittel 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.Vagnozzi beat Spain's Gabriel Trujillo 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Minar upended Egypt's Sherif Sabri 6-2, 6-4. Rochus topped France's world No 204 Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3. In the second round, Olaso defeated Jamaica's world No 140 Dustin Brown 6-3, 6-2. Knittel defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Trujill beat Argentinean Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6- 4, 6-2. Vagnozzi won 6-4, 6-2 over the German's world's No 193 Andre Begemann. Sabri beat Belgium's world's no 180 Niels Desein 6-4, 6-3 and downed Spain's Carlos Poch 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 In the first round, Egyptians were swept cleanly. Brown defeated Egyptian Omar Hedayet 6-1, 6-4. Olaso edged Egypt's Karim Maamoun 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. Vagnozzi ousted Egypt's Mohamed Safwat 6-2, 7-5, and Petru Luncanu of Romania beat Egypt's Mahmoud Ezz 6-1, 6-2. Despite the sweep, the best Egyptian players, Santos judged, were Maamoun, Sabri and Ezz. Safwat reached the second round, notching up three points in the ATP world ranking. In the quarter-finals, Hedayet was replaced by Santiago Gutierrez-Ferrol after Gutierrez-Ferrol failed to show up. "Hedayet was the lucky loser," Nasser said. "The performance of the Egyptian players in the quarter-final was very good. Getting 80 points is as if you win two future events," added Santos. In doubles, Slanar and Vagnozzi beat world No 361 Begemann and Jamaican Brown 6-3, 6- 4 in the final. In the semi-finals, Slanar and Vagnozzi defeated Chile's Jorge Aguilar, seeded 568 in the world, and Spain's Gabriel Trujillo 6-1, 6- 2. Begemann and Brown, No 444 globally, defeated Serbia's Nikola Mektic and Goran Tosic of Montenegro 6-1, 6-3. Total prize money was $35,000. In the single events, the finalist took $3,000 and 48 points. The semi-finalist ended up with $1,755 and 29 points. The quarter-finalist earned $1,020 and 15 points. In the second round a player would realise $600 and six points while in the first round $365 was made, as was zero points. The prize money and points garnered per team was divided as follows: the finalist took $1,250 and 48 points. The semi-finalist collected $760 and 29 points. The quarter-finalist pocketed $450 and 15 points. Victory in the first round was worth $250 but zero points.
