Previous Story
Oceania Tennis announces changes in 2005 calendar
|
Posted on Jan 05 2005
The Oceania Tennis Federation has upgraded one tournament and added two new ones for its calendar of junior tennis events this year.
The Australian summer circuit, which includes the Australian Open Juniors, will now have two Grade 1 tournaments as lead-in events with the Victorian Hardcourt being upgraded to Grade 1.
The OTF said the moves were made to encourage top international juniors to come to Australia for the early part of the circuit.
In addition to the two Grade 1 tournaments, the summer circuit will now feature four events—three in New Zealand and two in Australia—in 2005. The new event, in Wellington, would be the third in the New Zealand series and is immediately before the Australian March tournaments.
The year will also see the second International Tennis Federation junior circuit event in the Pacific get underway.
OTF and Ligue de Tennis Nouvelle Caledonie have also been working together to develop greater ties and more opportunities for young players in the region and in 2005 an ITF Grade 5 event will be played in Noumea for the first time.
It would immediately be followed by the South Pacific ITF tournament, which will be held in Fiji at the end of June.
The rest of the Oceania winter circuit will be reversed with Darwin’s two tournaments being played before Auckland. OTF said this would mean the four tournaments under the sun in the summer would all follow each other before the indoor winter event in Auckland. (Mark Rabago)
