Eastbourne tennis tournament to go ahead despite vandalised courts

The Lexus Eastbourne Open tennis tournament will still go ahead despite its tennis courts being vandalised, the Lawn Tennis Association has said.

Council teams arrived early at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne on Friday to continue preparations for the grass court championships which are to begin on June 20, only to discover extensive damage across several tennis courts.

Despite the vandalism, the LTA said on Saturday there will be “no impact” on the tournament.

A spokesperson for the association said: “Devonshire Park is owned and operated by Eastbourne Borough Council and we are being kept updated about the incident and security on site.

“Ground staff are already working hard to repair the damage to the grass and there will be no impact on the Lexus Eastbourne Open.”

Stephen Holt, leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said on Friday: “This is an outrageous act of mindless vandalism that shows total disregard for our town, our residents, and the global sporting event we are proud to host each year.

“Devonshire Park is one of Eastbourne’s greatest assets, and the council’s dedicated team have been working tirelessly to prepare the courts for the international tournament.

“For anyone to deliberately sabotage that work is utterly disgraceful.”

The outdoor tournament is considered a warm-up for the Wimbledon Championships which start a week later.

Players will include Madison Keys, from the US, the 2025 Australian Open winner, and home favourite Sonay Kartal.

Keys, who won the title in 2014 and 2023, is returning to the south coast in a bid to complete a hat-trick of titles at Eastbourne.

Mr Holt said on Friday that they were working closely with Sussex Police and CCTV footage from the site and surrounding area was being scoured.

He described the damage as a “setback” adding that efforts were being made to ensure the venue was ready in time to stage the tournament.

{{news}}