
WARRNAMBOOL Lawn Tennis Club's marquee tournament is officially ranked Australia's best.
The Warrnambool Lawn Open, one of the south-west's largest sporting events, was crowned most outstanding professional tournament at the Australian Tennis Awards on Friday night.
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The tournament has 51 events and is held across the Labour Day long weekend in March. The open grade final has prizemoney to the tune of $5000 to the winner.
Warrnambool Lawn Tennis Club president Kim Tobin said the award was recognition for the countless number of volunteers who helped the event tick.
We've kind of over the last few years realised the opportunity to develop it a little bit further with some off-court activities
- Kim Tobin
"This tournament has been running for almost 72 years and it's always been a very successful tournament," she said.
"We've kind of over the last few years realised the opportunity to develop it a little bit further with some off-court activities, live music and what have you and it's made it into a real festival of tennis across that weekend.
"I think that was the thing which was the feature and perhaps why we were chosen to win the award. It was a long time in the making, it's just developing and growing with real momentum."
Tobin said 90 volunteers were integral to the tournament's success.

"The work is from food and catering, managing the tournament, keeping the venue clean and tidy, helping the curator with courts and nets each morning at 5am," she said.
"There's just a myriad of jobs that need to happen to put on an event like this and without those volunteers we just wouldn't be able to do it."
The Warrnambool Lawn Open will return from March 12 to 14 in 2022.
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Nick Ansell
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.