Record crowds and millions of viewers celebrate tennis tournament

Nearly 50,000 fans poured in to watch world-class tennis.

The crowd gathered for the Lexus Eastbourne Open, a tournament that sold out Centre Court and Court One daily and crowned Madison Keys as a three-time champion, while Zizou Bergs took home his first ATP trophy.

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British players Toby Samuel and Jack Draper reached the semi-finals, with Samuel rising to a career-high ranking of world No. 123.

Off the court, the tournament reached even wider audiences, attracting 3.2 million BBC viewers and 38 million social media views throughout the week.

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A new addition this year was the Eastbourne Tennis History Trail.

This extended the experience beyond Devonshire Park and into the town, featuring 10 tennis legends along key visitor routes.

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Many arriving by public transport would have passed at least one installation on their way into the town centre.

Hend Moussa, Community Manager at The Beacon, said: "It was fantastic to see The Beacon become part of the excitement during tournament week.

"The fan zone created a brilliant atmosphere for visitors, shoppers and local families to enjoy the tennis together, while the Eastbourne Tennis Trail encouraged people to explore more of the town."

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