Eight South Africans have received wildcard entries for the Soweto Open men's and women's tennis tournaments which start on Monday, 12 April. No South Africans had made it into the direct draw for either event.

The two tournaments, each carrying prize money of R750 000, take place at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium in South Africa's most famous township. The finals will be played on Saturday, 17 April.

In handing out wildcards, the South African Tennis Association (Sata) stayed loyal to the country's Davis Cup players in the men's event, with Rik de Voest, Izak van der Merwe, Raven Klaasen and Nikala Scholtz being the recipients of places in the main draw.

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