Heineken Challenger, an annual tennis tournament in Ho Chi Minh City recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), has come to an end. Heineken Beer producer Vietnam Brewery Ltd. has decided to stop its sponsorship.
The Heineken Challenger was first held in 1997 and was the only ATP-recognized tournament in Viet Nam until March 2005, taking place eight times with the participation of players ranking from 100th to 300th on the ATP rally. Then, the brewery shifted its sponsorship to Viet Nam Open, a bigger-sized ATP tournament held for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City in October 2005.
“Sponsoring Viet Nam Open, Heineken no longer sponsors Heineken Challenger,” said Nguyen Xuan Lap, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tennis Federation.
Nguyen Hong, head of the Sports Department at Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV), said HTV is working to organize a tennis tournament like Heineken Challenger in the city in March 2006. The event will be renamed HTV Cup.
In the past years, Heineken Challenger was staged in late February or early March at the Lan Anh Country Club in District 10. The new cup is due to take place at the same time, same venue.
