The Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament 2018 was held from Saturday, February 24 to Sunday, March 4 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 brings together many professional tennis players from around the world. 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 ninth time the event was held.
From Keio University, Masamichi Imamura (Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, first-year), of the university’s Tennis Club, got through to the qualifying rounds. The tournament saw many spectators assemble in excess of last year’s numbers, and the venue was witness to scenes of great excitement.
Additionally, the Keio Challenger International Women’s Tournament was held from Sunday, March 4 to Sunday, March 11. With so many Japanese male players who played at the Keio Challenger going on to be ranked in the world’s top 100 players, there was a strong desire to contribute to the expansion of women's tennis. The women's tournament was newly established last year and this was the second time it was held.
A junior tennis school for kids and wheelchair tennis games were also held in parallel with the tournament. In addition to allowing them to compete with the world’s top class professional tennis players, this was an opportunity to learn various invaluable lessons through the experience of running an international tournament for the Keio University Tennis Club.
For details and results of the tournament, visit the following link:
Official Keio Challenger website