Unprecedented for modern times, 3,000 tickets for the upcoming Davis Cup tennis match between Ireland and Austria were sold on Thursday within two hours of going on sale. The match will be played on February 3rd and 4th in the UL Arena, Limerick. There will be two singles on Saturday 3rd, with a doubles and two further singles being played on Sunday 4th. The winning team will progress to the World Group I of Davis Cup competition.
The enthusiastic response has led to a commitment on the part of Tennis Ireland to make more seating available early in the new year.
“We went out of our way to make the match affordable, with tickets costing only €20, and now we are also going to go out of our way to make it available to more fans,” said Tennis Ireland Chief Executive Kevin Quinn. “I will be meeting with UL to discuss capacity and I expect that in early January we will be able to confirm the installation of more seating and a further release of tickets.’
“The response has been truly phenomenal. Since the match was announced our phones have been hopping, but this morning’s quick sell-out was amazing. I think it’s evidence of two things – first of all, the traditional tennis community’s pent-up demand for a home Davis Cup fixture, but also of the growing popularity of our great sport with a whole new cohort of players’.
Former professional player, captain Conor Niland, who is from Limerick and who played in the US Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam events, also responded to news of the high demand.
“This is fantastic news for the players. They were already delighted at the prospect of competing in an arena like the one in UL. Now they know for sure they will be doing so in front of a full house. It will be huge for them and I can guarantee their total commitment to providing a stiff challenge to what will be world-class opposition.”
The Austrian team will provide Ireland with a tough match. Former world number three Dominic Thiem is likely to be in their line-up, while the other players expected to travel are Jurij Rodionov, who is ranked 111 in the world, and Dennis Novak, who is ranked 166. The match is the first home tie Ireland has hosted in 9 years.
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