Sony Open director: Expand stadium or lose tourney

The Sony Open stadium
The Sony Open stadium

The director of the Sony Open says that the professional tennis tournament will be forced to leave Miami if his company’s stadium expansion plan falls through.

The annual Open in Key Biscayne has one of the county’s highest-profile sports events, and organizers maintain that the tournament brings in millions of dollars in economic benefits.

Plans call for a $50 million expansion at Crandon Park Tennis Center. If that is blocked, tournament officials will consider moving to another US city, or even to the Middle East, said IMG Tennis Executive Vice President Adam Barrett.

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“I don’t believe, without these changes, that the event will be sustainable in Miami,” Barrett told Miami Today.

The threat comes after the Crandon Park Amendment Committee voted 3-1 last week to delay a decision on the plan. [Miami Today]Christopher Cameron