VietNamNet Bridge – Looking to capitalize on the popularity of Asian superstar tennis players like the recently-retired Li Na on the women’s side and world number five Kei Nishikori on the men’s side, the Women’s Tennis Federation is organizing a WTA Future Stars Tournament in conjunction with the WTA Finals at the end of October 2015.

Illustrative image –Photo: wtafinals.com

The Future Stars Tournament will showcase the top ranked Under-14 and Under-16 junior girls’ players in the Asia-Pacific region from a total of 18 invited federations, expanded from 12 in its augural tournament last year. Vietnam will participate in the 2015 event along with countries like New Zealand, China, Japan and Thailand.

“The WTA Future Stars initiative had a phenomenal kickoff in 2014, with a fantastic turnout of young and talented girls throughout the region,” said Melissa Pine, tournament director of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. “This expansion across 18 countries in Asia-Pacific shows our commitment to give back to the community through tennis, and present the stars of tomorrow on a global stage. We are excited to be able to showcase the passion and talents of these young athletes through WTA Future Stars.”

Each country who wishes to participate will host a “Junior Road to Singapore” qualifying event in two age categories – Girls’ U14s and Girls’ U16s ― to determine who will be represented in Singapore at the WTA Future Stars tournament.

While in Singapore, the WTA Future Stars will take part in various off-court activities including a Welcome Dinner, the WTA Finals Draw, Opening Ceremonies, the WTA Fan Zone and a community service activity in addition to learning about high-level athlete development, life in the public eye, media responsibilities and empowerment through tennis.

Last year’s winners – Thailand’s Thasaporn Naklo (U14) and India’s Karman Kaur Thandi (U16) – were presented with trophies and medals by WTA Legend and two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na in a special on-court ceremony. Li then met all 24 WTA Future Stars in an informal gathering after the event, introducing the greatest Asian player of all time to the next generation of Asian-Pacific athletes.

U16’s Champion Karman Kaur Thandi, who received Li Na’s ceremonial opening serve of the WTA Finals 2014, said: “WTA Future Stars was an amazing experience as we got to share the stage with the world’s top eight women tennis players. Winning the tournament made me so proud, and the best moment was receiving the trophy from Li Na, who is an inspiration for young players in Asia.”

Vietnam’s “Junior Road to Singapore” qualifying event will be held from August 2 to 9, 2015 in Nha Trang at 20-8 Khanh Hoa Tennis Club, 75C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. For more information, visit www.vtf.org.vn.