Let’s face it, tennis simply skipped town.
For decades, San Franciscans had been spoiled by the late Barry MacKay’s tennis fest. The Transamerica, and later the Volvo Open, were not only social happenings, they were extraordinary showcases.
Icons like McEnroe, Connors, Ashe, Borg, Lendl and Agassi were regulars. Then in 1993, the tournament packed its bags and headed down the 101 to Silicon Valley.
San Francisco’s loss was (for almost two decades) San Jose’s gain. To the shock of many, top-flight men’s tennis – or for that matter WTA tennis or the Davis Cup – never returned to Baghdad by the Bay. What a shame.
Now startup entrepreneur Mukesh Patel is changing all that. The soft-spoken tennis-loving booster is bringing the ATP’s $100,000 KPSF Open to San Francisco’s celebrated Bay Club on February 6-12. Hallelujah!
The tournament is in honor of his young, active and accomplished son Kunal. A gifted tennis player, athlete and adventurer, in 2014 he left us way too early.
At the KPSF Open in Kunal’s honor, fans will get to see the world’s top players, with rankings ranging from around 20 to 200, in an intimate club setting in the heart of the great city. The tourney includes doubles and showcase night matches and there will be a kids night. Sponsorships, box seats and a wide range of ticket options (some of which include fine dining) are available. There will be a Pro-Am and a USTA Day to honor league players.
For info about this great event go to KPSFOpen.com.
