The Mauritius Open tennis tournament, organised by Africa Tennis Tournaments, is set to pump about Rs90 million worth of publicity into the image of Mauritius overseas.

With TV coverage to be broadcast in Africa, Europe and the United States, plus thousands of words planned for the European and Africa media, marketing experts here reckon the tennis spectacular, due to start at Petit Camp, Phoenix on November 27, may be worth about US$3 million in overseas exposure.

?It?s always pretty difficult to gauge these things,? said one local expert. ?But if you have a look at the spread of coverage, the viewership involved, and the amount of exposure Mauritius can expect, it would have to be a major boost for the country.?

Mercedes, the German auto manufacturer which supports the ATP Masters series throughout the world, is the main sponsor of the Mauritian Open, which will be the biggest tennis event of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.

Local Mercedes dealer Iframac, which is part of the British American Investment group, has no doubt about the positive benefits of holding such a major international sporting event on the island.

Said Dominic Dupont, Executive Sales Manager of Iframac : ?We believe that as part of a large, diversified group, we have a responsibility to help Mauritius be a player on the international stage.?

The investment in this type of international event ? the Mauritius Open ? can only be positive for the country and, of course, for our group.

?The inaugural Mauritius Open is shaping up to be a major event on the international tennis map, so we can be sure that Mauritius will benefit. And once the event becomes known throughout the world, we are convinced it can only get bigger and bigger each year. It should be a focal point and one which the country can exploit commercially in terms of international exposure,? he added.

<B>News

TWO</B> technicians from Arena Seating in the UK, and a team of Mauritian workers, have erected special grandstand seating imported from the UK. The seating, which arrived by ship in Port Louis last week, will be an added bonus for spectators. The company which supplied them has been involved in major sporting events throughout the world, including Wimbledon and Roland Garros.

<B> THE PHONE</B> lines between Moscow and Port Louis were running hot this week as a top-flight Russian player made a final plea to be invited to the Mauritius Open. He even offered to pay his own air fare and hotel accommodation. But the unfortunate Russian will still be shivering in Moscow as the Open gets underway. ?The problem is that registration for the tournament closed before he was able to put his name down,? an insider told us. ?While we would have really liked to invite him, there are simply no slots left. The response internationally to this new event has been fantastic ?Maybe next year??

Mauritian Davis Cup captain Kamil Patel, who is Director of Africa Tennis Tournaments reckons that playing tennis was a piece of cake when compared to putting together an event of this magnitude. ?I was on the international circuit for some years, and sure it was tough, what with all the travelling and the actual stress of the competitions themselves.

?But I have to tell you, I have been working on the organisation of the Mauritius Open for months now, and it is like going five sets with Roger Federer. As a player, it is more or less just turning up for a tournament and doing your best. But putting the whole thing together is another matter all together. Never mind finding the venue, rounding up all the players, putting on transport, arranging travel. It never seems to end,? said Patel, whose friendship with some of the world?s leading tennis players has helped make this a very strong field for the inaugural Mauritius Open.

<B>STRANGEST</B> question of the week for the organisers of the tournament from a member of the media calling from Europe : ?Does the venue of the Mauritius Open have a sea view?? Eh, well, we guess if you stood on someone?s shoulders at the top of a six-storey building you might just be able to catch a brief glimpse of the briny from Petit Camp in Phoenix?