Ashe's dream become a reality after 25 years

After 25 years of trials and tribulations, the dream of the legendary Arthur Ashe to establish a tennis stronghold in Soweto becomes a reality on Monday with the start of the Soweto Open at the Arthur Ashe Centre in Jabavu.

Although only a Challenger event on the international ATP circuit, the first major tennis tournament in the sprawling township on the outskirts of Johannesburg boasts R1-million in prize money and has attracted players of the calibre of the world's 52nd-ranked Fabrice Santoro and 67th-ranked Gilles Muller for what is a notably impressive entry at this level of competition.

This might not be the awesome Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows where the United States Open is staged, but if such things are indeed possible, the late American tennis icon will indeed be smiling in his grave right now over the fruition of something he envisaged with a degree of deep passion when he first visited South Africa to participate in the South African Open.

And it has not been a trouble-free exercise to establish what is now a commendable venue, with the courts vandalised on more than one occasion in the past and the entire project tottering on the verge of extinction.

Sponsorship from the Johannesburg City Council has now resulted in Soweto obtaining a fairytale tennis tournament of some stature, an eye-catching venue and hopefully cementing what will be a meaningful development project in the area.

And the chance for South Africans to view the mercurial, unorthodox Santoro, which evaporated when the Tahiti-born, French tennis magician withdrew from the recent South African Open at the Montecasino gaming and entertainment centre, has been revived in altogether different surroundings.

The winner of six singles titles on the main ATP circuit and 24 doubles events, the 36 year-old Santoro has bemused some of the best players in the world with his deft, unpredictable strokemaking.

But the power play and stinging serves of Luxembourg's second-seeded Muller and others of his ilk could worry "The Magician" at the Highveld's attitude and paves the way for this being an open event in the true sense of the word.

South Africa's hopes will rest, in the main, on Davis Cup stalwart Rik De Voest, ironically born in Milan, Italy, whose form has been conspicuously of a high level this year and with the advantage of playing at home, so to speak, he must be rated a legitimate dark horse.

In addition to De Voest, other possible South African Davis Cup participants in the key tie against Belarus next month at the Arthur Ashe Centre like Izak van der Merwe and Raven Klaasen, will benefit from the experience of participating in Soweto.

First-round action at the Arthur Ashe Centre starts at 10am on Monday, with the finals next Sunday and admission free in order to cultivate the growth of interest in tennis in the area. - Sapa