▀ THE MAURITIUS Tennis federation’s purpose-built centre at Petit Camp, Phoenix, which will be home to the Open for the next ten days, has undergone a transformation over the past few weeks.

Dozens of workers have been hard at it erecting grandstands, laying down pathways for spectators, putting up gantries for television crews and generally ensuring that the venue will be ready to stage this major international tournament.

Car parks have been earmarked, and security set up to guarantee an incident-free event. Remember, qualifying for the Open is on Saturday, November 27 (starts at10 am), and Sunday, November 28 (noon). Both days are FREE for the public. So make sure you get to Petit Camp early if you want a seat.

▀ THE Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, which has given its full backing to the Mauritius Open, has provided facilities for five international journalists to cover the event.

Said an MTPA official: "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to show these media people what a wonderful place Mauritius is. While they are here specifically to write stories about the Open, we will also be able to take them around the island, and explain to them that there is more to our country than sun, sand and sea.

"After being here for a week or ten days, these journalists will be able to write stories about what the island has to offer. It is a really positive development for us. And as they say, any publicity is good publicity."