Up To 250 Spectators Allowed to Watch Semi-Finals and Finals of 2021 Singapore Tennis Open

Like watching two people smack a ball across a net on a court with rackets?

Yes, that may apply to many, many sports, but in particular, if you’re a fan of live, intense tennis matches…

Well, you’re in for a treat.

This pandemic, treat yourself to a spectacular experience of the grandiose Singapore Tennis Open as apparently…

Spectators will be able to view the semi-finals and finals matches… live in person!

Though like anything else, there’s a slight catch.

Up To 250 Spectators Allowed to Watch Semi-Finals and Finals of 2021 Singapore Tennis Open

According to TODAYonline, 250 individuals will be allowed to enter the tennis arena for the semi-final and finals matches of the Singapore Tennis Open this weekend.

Scheduled for 27 to 28 Feb 2021, tickets are reportedly priced at S$61 each and will “allow fans to watch all matches of the selected day”.

Note: As of this writing, all tickets have since been sold out – just sixteen hours after they first went on sale.

According to the news report, spectators will have to go through a compulsory pre-event Antigen Rapid Test (ART) – which is accounted for in the ticket price.

They are required to undergo the test before entering the arena. Results will be churned out in around 30 minutes.

“Ticket holders are advised to plan to get to the venue ahead of time for their Antigen Rapid Test,” they said.

If spectators receive a negative ART result, they can head on down to the entrance for temperature checks and TraceTogether-enabled SafeEntry check-in.

Apart from the routine safety measures, spectators are also urged to avoid changing seats or interacting with differing groups of people.

They are also barred from bringing outside food and drinks, with bottles of water set to be given out at the event.

Cheering is strictly disallowed. Should spectators wish to express support, it is highly recommended that they do it through applauding. For obvious reasons.

Why The Allowance?

Considering how these are tumultuous times, large-scale events have understandably been avoided to prevent careless spread.

So why allow this at such a juncture?

According to the news report, organisers expressed last week that live viewing of the matches could occur if there is no reported case at the tourney, and if Singapore’s pandemic situation remains in control.

Since both criteria have been fulfilled, the live viewing was eventually given the go-ahead.

The tennis fraternity, as well as local partners, have also expressed “tremendous support”.

“We are pleased to release limited seats to the Finals Weekend of the tournament,” said the organising chairman Lim Teck Yin.

“The safety of all event participants continues to be our top priority and we are committed to bringing live action of the world-class sporting event in a safe and secure environment with robust safe management measures.”

No Tickets? Worry Not

Meanwhile, fans who missed out on the tickets can still catch live coverage of the tennis event on Mediacorp’s streaming site meWatch.

The finals will also be aired live on 28 Feb on Channel 5.

So in a sense, you will still be in on all that ball-whacking action that’ll be sure to keep you on the balls of your feet.

Incidentally, the 2021 rendition of the Singapore Tennis Open features the likes of Adrian Mannarino, Yoshihito Nishioka, Radu Albot and other seeded tennis players.

Just yesterday (24 Feb), it was reported that Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot have broken into the quarter finals, and are set to face wild cards Jamie Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin for a place in the semi-finals.

Fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith, on the other hand, will face Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson in another quarter-final tie.

For a more detailed line-up of Singapore Tennis Open 2021 participants, you can click here.

The winner for the Singles will win $24,770 in prize money, while the Doubles champions will win $8,630.

So, ready to spend your weekend watching an upgraded version of Wii Tennis? Then be sure to catch the 2021 Singapore Tennis Open!

Feature Image: macashop / Shutterstock.com