2011 Sarasota Open scheduled

The Sarasota Open tennis tournament will return to The Tennis Gardens at Longboat Key Club Bayside on Longboat Key in 2011, but it will be played two weeks earlier and will offer more prize money.

Tournament director Tony Driscoll announced Wednesday that the men’s USTA pro circuit event is being moved to the week of April 23 through May 1, instead of last year’s May 8-15. He also said that there are plans to increase the tournament prize from a $50,000 to $75,000 or $100,000, depending on the sponsorship.

The financial increase is the next step toward moving the event to an ATP tournament in the future, according to Driscoll. Becoming an ATP event would probably require the tournament to increase to the $400,000 range, says Driscoll. The 2011 tournament will start on Easter weekend, during tourist season.