R Ashoka, President, Priyank M Kharge, Senior Vice President KSLTA unveil trophy of S M Krishna Memorial open ITF Men’s world tennis tour M25 event by Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association at S M Krishna Tennis stadium in Bengaluru
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) renamed its stadium as S M Krishna Tennis Stadium here on Friday.
The announcement was made in the presence of MLA and President of KSLTA R Ashoka, Prema, wife of late Krishna, their daughters Malavika and Shambhavi, IT-BT Minister and Senior Vice-president of the association Priyank Kharge and former doubles world No.1 Rohan Bopanna.
“I was 19-years-old when the World Doubles was held in Bangalore, and as a young boy to watch so many international players come into the stadium here was a huge inspiration to me. Today, to be here seeing all the development and growth, and to have this iconic stadium named after him is a befitting tribute,” Rohan Bopanna said at the gathering.
In addition to the stadium’s name change, the KSLTA also provided scholarships of worth Rs 12 lakh in Krishna’s name for young and upcoming tennis talents from Karnataka.
The newly-renamed stadium will host the SM Krishna Memorial Tournament, an ITF men’s event, where athletes from 14 countries will take part. The trophy for the event was also unveiled on the occasion.
The qualifying rounds of the tournament will be held on March 30 and 31, while the main draw kicks off from April 1. The final will be played on April 6.