Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

The Memphis Open has been sold to a New York-based financial group operating jointly with the Jerry Solomon-owned StarGames.

The tournament, which was bought by the USTA a year ago to stop it from being bought and moved to South America, will be owned and run by a newly-formed company of which Solomon will be president. Current tournament director Erin Mazurek will stay in her position.

The name of the financial company has not yet been given but Solomon told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “The bottom line is I’ve gotten together with a financial group out of New York that has a very strong involvement in grass-roots tennis and a very big emotional attachment to tennis.”

The two were looking to have more entertainment events, he added, and “look to make tennis a key part of all that.”

The tournament still does not have a new title sponsor and has gone from a 500 event to a 250 event. “There are definitely some hurdles,” Solomon said. “We are going to look to the Memphis community to pull together.”

“I think we can do some things to make it attractive and call attention to the event,” he said, including holding the final in a bigger arena and having more top players.

StarGames holds the annual exhibition event played in to May to kick-off International Tennis Month at Madison Square Garden.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.