TENNIS
Going One Better than Sampras
Thomas Muster won the most lucrative edition in Bucharest
The ATP Tour returns to the outdoor clay courts in Bucharest this week, even as fans get to witness what will be the 25th edition of the Romanian Open. With the Țiriac Open Foundation in charge of the organization, the ATP 250 tournament is being labeled as the Țiriac Open.
The clay court tournament was played every year between 1993 and 2016. While Goran Ivanišević won the inaugural title by beating Andrei Cherkasov, it was Spaniard Fernando Verdasco who took home the trophy in 2016, easing past Lucas Pouille in the final. Following the last edition, the tournament was sold to Budapest (Hungary).
The tournament subsequently moved bases twice. In 2021–22 it was played in Belgrade (Serbia) before a solitary edition was held in Banja Luka
(Bosnia and Herzegovina). The ATP 250 tournament returns to Bucharest for the first time in eight years.
Million dollar baby
The 2024 Țiriac Open carries a total prize money worth USD 600,000.
The prize money for the inaugural edition in 1993 was USD 500,000 and when the tournament was last played in 2016, the total prize money had got reduced to USD 463,250. For…
