The Club Tennis Urgell will host the Catalonia Open-Ara Lleida from 7 to 14 November, marking the fifth consecutive year that the venue has been part of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour. This tournament will showcase promising players in the under-16 category, with 10 representatives from Lleida.
The event was announced during a presentation at the Diputación de Lleida, attended by notable figures including the club president, Oscar Villaverde; the second vice president of the Diputación de Lleida, Sandra Castro; the fourth deputy mayor and councillor for Good Governance and Feminist Policies, Carme Valls; the president of the Catalan Tennis Federation, Jordi Tamayo; tournament director Jaume Lluís Fontanet; and sports director Víctor Palomar.
Villaverde expressed gratitude for the support from public institutions, including the Diputación de Lleida, Paeria, the Generalitat's Sports Department, and the Catalan Tennis Federation, as well as private sponsors such as Grupo Optimotor, Sansi Hotels, and Vichy Catalán. He highlighted that the club joined the circuit in 2022 as a second category venue, thanks to the excellent organisation and efforts of the club's staff. Villaverde also invited the public to visit the club and enjoy the tournament, which will be free to attend.
The Catalonia Open-Ara Lleida will take place in two phases: the preliminary rounds on 7 and 8 November will feature a men's draw of 32 players and a women's draw of 32 players. The final phase, running from 9 to 14 November, will include a men's draw of 48 players and a women's draw of 32 players, with the finals scheduled for Saturday, 14 November, starting at 10:30 AM. Additionally, there will be doubles competitions with two large draws of 24 and 16 pairs, respectively.
Participants will represent around 30 countries, including the United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada. The local contingent will consist of five male and five female players who will enter directly into the final phase: Daniel Culleré, Amadeu Piqué, Carlos León, and Biel Cequier (CT Lleida), along with Marc Marín (CT Urgell) for the boys; and Zenaida Ruiz and Clara Font (CT Lleida), Sandra Manresa and Ares Garcia (Natación Lleida), and Astrid Rogés (Real Club Tennis Barcelona) for the girls.
The organisation of this tournament aligns with Tennis Urgell's commitment to grassroots tennis, complementing other significant events such as the Trofeo Semana Santa-Albert Costa, the Catalonia Under-23 Championship, and the 2024 Spanish Alevín Championship. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Tennis Europe Junior Tour has visited Lleida, consistently held at Tennis Urgell and featuring the under-16 category, the highest age group in the circuit (which also includes under-12 and under-14 categories). The Tennis Europe Junior Tour, established in 1990, is a key platform for emerging tennis talent, hosting over 400 tournaments annually across 50 countries and involving more than 12,000 players worldwide. Spain hosts around 30 of these tournaments each year.
