Four of Australia’s top 10 men will headline the field at the Canberra International ATP Challenger event at Canberra Tennis Centre next month.
Australians John Millman (Qld), Matthew Ebden (WA), Jordan Thompson (NSW) and Luke Saville (SA) will join some of the world’s best tennis players in the nation’s capital, where US$50,000 in prize money and world ranking points will be on the line.
The Aussie quartet will be joined by former world No.39 Marinko Matosevic (Vic), rising star Omar Jasika (Vic) – who last year became the first player in 28 years to win both the US Open boys’ singles and doubles titles in one season – and countrymen Maverick Banes (Qld), Matthew Barton (NSW), Alex Bolt (SA), Greg Jones (NSW), Ben Mitchell (Qld), Matt Reid (NSW) and Gavin van Peperzeel (Qld) in the draw.
The international charge will be led by America’s Connor Smith and Chinese talent Zhe Li, as well as challengers from Great Britain, Italy, India, Indonesia and New Zealand.
In a blockbuster week of tennis in the Territory 32 of the world’s top female tennis players will also battle it out on court, with an additional US$50,000 and women’s rankings points up for grabs in the ITF event.
World No.136 Alexa Glatch (USA) and world No.179 Riko Sawayanagi (JPN) will start early favourites for the title, but will be forced to overcome Canberra’s own Alison Bai and fellow local hopes Jessica Moore (WA), Arina Rodionova (Vic), and Storm Sanders (WA) in the field.
Bai collected her first professional singles title at the ITF-sanctioned Mildura Grand Tennis International this season, and will have the support of her home crowd in Canberra next month.
The men’s and women’s Canberra International events form part of the Australian Pro Tour, which provides local and international players the ideal lead-in to the domestic summer of tennis. The tournaments were announced in May as part of the Tennis ACT calendar of events secured through the redevelopment of the Canberra Tennis Centre. The redeveloped centre features 28 tennis courts – including synthetic grass, European clay and hardcourt surfaces – as well as four ANZ Tennis Hot Shots courts. The venue will also host back-to-back Pro Tour events in March and April next year, to be contested on clay.
Tennis Australia Pro Tour Manager Fiona Luscombe said the week-long Canberra International would bring world class tennis to Canberra. “The men’s and women’s Canberra International events will attract more than 100 of the world’s top tennis players to the ACT,” she said. “We’re thrilled with the strength of the fields we have assembled for both tournaments and excited to welcome some of the best Australian and international rising stars to the Territory.
“The outstanding new Canberra Tennis Centre is an ideal venue to host elite-level tournaments, and I encourage all local tennis fans to come along and experience international tennis right in their own backyard.” Qualifying for the Canberra International men’s event gets under way at Canberra Tennis Centre on Saturday 31 October, with women’s qualifying commencing Sunday 1 November. Main draw action is scheduled to commence on Monday 2 November.
For further details on the Canberra International click here
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