Liew (centre), organising secretary Bernard Chin (right) and organising committee member Apin Pauzan showing the list of the players for the 29th Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup (I) ITF Junior Circuit (Grade 1) tennis championship yesterday.
KUCHING: The 29th Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup (I) ITF Junior Circuit (Grade 1) tennis championship has attracted 37 players who are in the top ITF 100 rankings.
They are among 220 players including 113 girls from 39 countries who have signed up for the competition at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Tennis Centre along Jalan Crookshank.
“The top ranked player in the boys main draw is Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine of France who is ITF No. 22 while the top ranked girl is Ayumi Miyamoto from Japan who is ITF No. 21,” organising chairman Dato Patrick Liew told a press conference at SLTA Tennis Centre yesterday.
The countries are Australia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United States and Vietnam.
Japan are sending a 30-member team, followed by host Malaysia (21) and India (20).
The qualifying matches will start from Mar 12-13 while the main draw will be played from Mar 14-19.
“We are expecting some late withdrawals due to one reason or another but we should have at least 60 to 70 players in the boys competition and 80 in the girls competition.
“As this is a Grade 1 event, the competition will be very stiff as the players especially the foreigners are eyeing to collect valuable ranking points for them to qualify for the Junior Grand Slam.
“For them to qualify for the Junior Grand Slam, they must be among the top 100-150 ranked players. The winner of the Junior Grand Slam will then be given a wild card entry to play in the Grand Slam events.
“When the players get to play in the Grand Slam, they stand to earn about RM80,000 even if they lose in the first round,” said Liew, who is also SLTA president.
The event will be the curtain-raiser to SLTA’s calendar of events for 2017.
SLTA organised the first Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup ITF Junior Circuit in 2001.
“We have received almost zero complaints in previous years and the players and coaches were happy with the facilities and hospitality provided,” Liew added.
He also commended the local media for their coverage of the international tennis competitions over the years.
“The reports have also helped some of the players to get sponsorships in their respective countries,” he pointed out.
SLTA is getting a grant of RM80,000 from the State government for the event and the organising committee will be visiting the Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg next Wednesday for the handing over of the Chief Minister Challenge Trophy.