2018 CBN Open: Will Organisers Increase The Prize Money To Celebrate 40th Anniversary?

Every Nigerian tennis player will be expecting to hear some kind of ‘good news’ from the organizers of the annual Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Open when the press conference to usher in the 20th anniversary of the tournament holds in Abuja, today.

It is believed that the players generally favour an increase in the prize money for the championship this year.

The tournament which has been beneficial to the players and national team ahead of the Davis Cup for the past four decades, presently offers over N11million in prize money to the winners, something the players always look forward to anytime the date for the competition is announced.

The Men and Women’s Singles winners pocket N700,000 each while the runner up in each of the categories smiles to the bank with N500,000.

Abdulmumin Babalola is the defending champion of the CBN Open.

Nigerian Tennis Live gathered that the press conference for the CBN Open is scheduled to take place inside the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja, by 10am on Tuesday, 19 June, and tongues have started wagging on what to expect.

While some of the players will be expecting something spectacular to celebrate this year’s tournament – a milestone in the company’s history, many others will hope for an increase in the prize money, which will also further motivate them.

Abdulmumin Babalola (who is presently representing Nigeria – as captain – at the ongoing Davis Cup tournament in Kenya) and Sarah Adegoke are the defending champions in the Men and Women’s Singles categories respectively.

They will be hoping to defend their titles when hostilities (in the main draw) commence on Monday, 25 June, 2018.

Nigerian Tennis Live will keep tabs on events in Abuja and keep our teeming audience posted on latest developments in the nation’s capital.