Kumasi, March 6, GNA - The second Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Tennis Open Tournament with a giant Vice-Chancellor's cup at stake has commenced in Kumasi. Fifty-two participants from Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Lebanon would be contesting for honours in the men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles.

The four-day tournament has also at stake a cash prize of 11.5 million cedis to be shared among the winners of the four events. The Department of Sports and Exercise Science of KNUST in collaboration with Ashfoam are organising the tournament to be held annually.

In an opening address, Professor Kwesi Akwansah Andam, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, who initiated the tournament last year, stressed the need for the development of tennis to be taken seriously just as any other sport in the country.

He expressed satisfaction about the patronage of the public and indicated that as part of efforts to make sports one of the core programmes of the university, the authorities were working seriously to complete the university's sports centre in September this year.

In the opening competition, Edmund Quarku of Accra Golden Tulip Hotel Tennis Club accounted for Nii Kwei of Accra Tennis Club 9-3 to advance to the quarter- finals in the men's singles whilst Clement Takey of Accra Tennis Club also beat Quarku 9-4 to also advance to the quarter - finals.

Daniel Sasu of Accra GNTC Tennis Club who beat Louis Addo of Ashanti Tennis Club 9-2 also advanced to the quarter - finals. In the women's singles, Mariam Ibrahim of Ashanti Tennis Club beat Kadeja Bamba, a Burkinabe by 7-2 to qualify for the quarter - finals whilst Janet Ampofo of Accra Sports Stadium Tennis Club also beat Mabel Allotey of the same club 7-0.

Also qualifying for the quarter finals are Rosemary Enyonam of Ashanti Tennis Club who beat Nana Esi Amoah of KNUST 7-2 whilst Kate Coleman, a member of the national women's tennis team and the number one seed of the tournament also had a walk over when Anneke Wieman, a Beninois, failed to turn up for their match to advance to the quarter finals.