Prize money of KPB Trust ITF Open hiked from $40,000 to $100,000
Bengaluru, Jan 2: Some of the best talents in women’s tennis from around the world are expected to descend on the Garden City for the fourth edition of the KPB Trust ITF Open that will be played from January 20-26 at the KSLTA courts here.
Besides the overseas stars, the cream of India’s players, including Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehi Chaudhari and Rutuja Bhosale, will also be in action at the upgraded event, one of the popular stops on the ITF Women’s Tour.
The W50 event has been upgraded to a W100 tournament this year, would not only be the biggest-ever ITF event in the country, but also the biggest ITF World Tennis Tour event globally during the entire first quarter of 2025. It carries an enhanced purse of $100,000 (a huge hike from last edition’s $40,000) with the winner taking home $15,239 besides the 100 WTA ranking points.
“We thank Mr. KP Balaraj of KPB Family trust for his continued support to the coveted event on the women’s circuit. There is great synergy between the Trust’s mission, and objectives of the KSLTA. The KPB Trust ITF Women’s Open not only celebrates athletic excellence, but also serves as a stepping stone for Indian players, who gain a home advantage as they compete on familiar turf. We intend making Karnataka, the desired destination for tennis in the country” said Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister of IT BT & RDPR, Govt. of Karnataka, who is also the Sr. Vice President of KSLTA who has been spearheading the organisation’s activities.
KP Balaraj, founder of KPB Trust and a former national level tennis player, said: “We are very excited to keep supporting the ITF Women’s Tennis event here in Bengaluru. This tournament is an amazing event to showcase Bengaluru and India to top women athletes from all over the world, and it helps build great sporting and tourism momentum for Bengaluru as well. I feel tournaments like this one also greatly benefit all the Indian women tennis players as they can compete with the best players at home.”
Most Indian players were happy to get a chance to play a big event at KSLTA, saying that it was a great opportunity for them to accumulate crucial ranking points at home.
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. We’ve always had 10k, 15k, 25k, 40k & 50k at the ITF level in the past apart from the WTA but it’s a 100K for the first time,” said India’s top-ranked player Ankita Raina.
“I really appreciate KSLTA for their consistent efforts at organizing international tournaments for women and men regularly,” added Ankita, who was a finalist in the second edition of the tournament in 2023.
Tournament Director Sunil Yajaman said, “We at KSLTA continue to raise the bar and provide better opportunities for the Indian players. Many of the Indian women are making their presence felt in international tennis and are on the threshold of making the jump in WTA rankings.
“This $100,000 KPB Trust Open comes at the right time and would give the chance for our players to compete against the best and raise their level and rankings to prepare better for the upcoming Grand Slam events. We expect good participation from highly ranked international players. We are excited about this event and shall make this a nice experience for all players, fans and sponsors. Bengaluru is definitely on the way to becoming the best tennis destination in the country right now.”