The most important event on Portugal’s international tennis calendar – the Millennium Estoril Open – is back at the Estoril Tennis Club between April 28 and May 6.

With a stronger lineup of world- class players than ever before, the week-long event will pay out an impressive €501,345 prize-money to the player who wins the tournament. A total of 28 players from 13 different nationalities will be competing for the top spot.

“This year’s edition is all about art, both art in its purest expression and tennis as a sporting art form,” says João Stilwell Zilhão, director of Millennium Estoril Open who guarantees that “the art of tennis is back”.

“This is the most important tennis event in Portugal, but it is not only an event in terms of the sport. It is also one of the biggest get-togethers on the social and business calendar in the country, important for public relations, B2B negotiations, networking and connecting with corporate clients,” he says, adding that interest this year has been immense with all spectator boxes reserved.

 

The tournament, which nets €3.2 million in campaign publicity, has certainly grown since its inception in 2015, with 31,000 TV spectators worldwide that year rising to 37,000 the following year and 41,000 in 2017. Thanks to the year-on-year growth, the number of sponsors has increased too, with a staggering €130 million in global sponsor- ship since 2015.

We’re delighted that international Spanish Pro Pablo Carreño Busta will be joining us for the fourth consecutive year, after winning the title in 2017 by beating Luxemburg’s Gilles Muller in the final,” says João Stilwell Zilhão. Portugal is pinning its hopes on João Sousa, the country’s number one tennis player, who will fight for the first round of the tournament. Classified as 80 in the world league tables, the seasoned player will join 19 others with the right to direct entry into the Estoril Open’s main team, according to the Professional Tennis Players Association.

This year’s event also counts on South African player Kevin Anderson, number 8 in the hierarchy and the only player in the World Top 10. Participating, too, is Australian Nick Kyrgios (20th in the world), Spanish players Albert Ramos Viñolas (24th) and David Ferrer (35th), the UK’s Kyle Edmund (26th) and Luxemburg’s Gilles Muller (28th). Host broadcaster this year is TVI while the sponsors are Millennium bcp, Cascais City Hall, Emirates Airline, Peugeot, Portugal Telecom Empresas and Placard, among others.

The venue, considered one of the best on the Iberian Peninsula for tennis, with six courts and the 3,500 seat Millennium stadium with 89 boxes, this year boasts the new Premium Bar which allows premium ticket-users to get a ringside view of the artists. There will also be an arts and tennis exhibition, as well as a number of activities for youngsters involving 2,300 students.