Lexus Eastbourne Open To Go Ahead Despite Court Vandalism

(c) Eastbourne Borough Council

The Lexus Eastbourne Open will still go ahead despite extensive vandalism to several grass courts at Devonshire Park, organisers have confirmed.

Council teams arrived at the Eastbourne venue on Friday morning to continue preparations for the annual tournament, only to discover significant damage had been caused across a number of courts.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said there will be “no impact” on the tournament, which is due to begin on 20 June.

Eastbourne Borough Council says it is working closely with Sussex Police, with CCTV footage from the site and surrounding area currently being reviewed.

Council leader Stephen Holt described the incident as an “outrageous act of mindless vandalism”.

He said:

“This is an outrageous act of mindless vandalism that shows total disregard for our town, our residents and the global sporting event we are proud to host each year.

“Devonshire Park is one of Eastbourne’s greatest assets and the council’s dedicated team have been working tirelessly to prepare the courts for the international tournament.

“For anyone to deliberately sabotage that work is utterly disgraceful.”

The Eastbourne tournament is regarded as one of the key warm-up events ahead of Wimbledon, which begins the following week.

Among the players expected to feature are 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Sussex-born British player Sonay Kartal.

Keys, a two-time Eastbourne champion, is returning to the south coast aiming to secure a third title at the tournament.

An LTA spokesperson said ground staff are already repairing the damaged grass courts and reiterated that the event will proceed as planned.