International tennis returns to Wellington

23/06/2010 9:54:32 a.m.
A new major event has been announced for Wellington with Tennis New Zealand to host a US$40,000 ITF Pro Circuit in November in the capital thanks to a sponsor - Configure Express, the Gym for Women coming on board to support the sport and the events.

A US$25,000 Women’s ITF Tournament combined with a US$15,000 Men’s Futures, to be held at the Renouf Tennis Centre in Wellington, 13 – 21 November 2010.

It’s the second largest tournament for women ever to be held in New Zealand after the Women’s WTA Tournament in January – the ASB Classic.

The tournaments, which mark the return of top-level professional tennis to the city, have been made possible by the circuit sponsor, Configure Express, New Zealand’s leading network of gyms for women.

The events will be part of a wider Australia-New Zealand series of ITF-sanctioned events at this level with Tennis Australia holding tournaments before and after our event. Around 90 international players, along with their coaches and supporters, are expected to come to Wellington for the Wellington events.

Greg Peters, Managing Director of Configure Express said he was proud to be able to help provide this valuable opportunity for emerging and established Kiwi professionals to compete at high level, on their own soil.

New Zealand’s top female player Sacha Jones is the ambassador for the Configure Express Pro Tournament . Other leading Kiwi women Marina Erakovic, Ellen Barry, and Dianne Hollands could also be playing, along with top juniors who will be vying for wildcards.

The support from Configure Express - the Gym for Women for the events reflects the fact that tennis is played by more than 300,000 adults in New Zealand – half of them women. Tennis is the most gender-even of participation sports in this country – and the world.

Members of the New Zealand Davis Cup team are also likely to enter the men’s tournament, including top-ranked NZ players, Rubin Statham, Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell (who claimed the doubles title at the Heineken Open in January 2010), along with New Zealand number one Dan King-Turner.