The Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament 2017 was held from Saturday, February 25 to Sunday, March 5 at the Mamushidani tennis courts on Hiyoshi Campus. This tournament is part of the ATP Challenger Tour, which is accredited by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and many professional tennis players from around the world take part. It is the only ATP Challenger Tour held in Japan that is organized by a university and run by students, and this year marked the eighth time the event was held.
From Keio University, Kaito Uesugi (Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, third-year), captain of the Athletics Association’s tennis club, and doubles pair Masahiro Fukuda (Faculty of Business and Commerce, first-year) and Masamichi Imamura (Seifu High School) got through to the quarterfinals. Kaito Uesugi also partnered with Sung Min Han (Faculty of Policy Management, third-year) for the doubles event. They won the qualifier and advanced to the main draw. This opportunity allowed the members of the tennis club to realize that their skills are at the level of world-class professionals, and was an encouragement for them to work towards their goal of becoming the best in Japan.
Additionally, the Keio Challenger International Women’s Tournament was held from Sunday, March 5 to Sunday, March 12. It was the first time a women’s tournament was held at the Keio Challenger. Many Japanese male players who played at the Keio Challenger have gone on to become the world’s top 100 players, and from a strong desire to contribute to the expansion of women’s tennis, the women’s tournament was introduced.
For details and news regarding the tournament, visit the following link:
Official Keio Challenger website