Liew (left) and Chin (right) revealing the tournament details.
KUCHING: Over 100 players from 25 countries are expected to compete in the 27th Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup (I) ITF Junior Tennis Championship (Grade 1) to be held from March 22-27.
Indonesia is sending the biggest team with nine boys and 13 girls.
Competition is expected to be tough as so many countries including Australia, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, US, Great Britain, Taipei, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea are involved.
Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) president Dato Patrick Liew said Kuching and Thailand are the two hosts for the event.
“In terms of exposure, such event will put Kuching onto the world map, as such we have become one of the most preferred tournament destinations in this region.”
“Many the familiar faces that have turned professional players now playing in the grand slam have played in this tournament here before,” he told a press conference at SLTA headquarters yesterday. Also present was honorary secretary Bernard Chin.
SLTA hopes the tournament will also provide exposure to our local players while boosting the local tourism industry.
Players to watch include top seed Yibing Wu from China (ranked 26 in the world in boy’s competition) and Charlotte Robillard-Millette from Canada in the girl’s competition.
The association will also be taking the tournament as an opportunity to showcase their preparation in organising the sport for the upcoming Sukma in July.