The LIONS HK National Jr Tennis Championships began last weekend at Victoria Park Tennis Courts with close to some 700 entries vying for supremacy in their respective age-groups. Defending champions Darren Ng (B18) and Wu Ho Ching (G18) are amongst the competitors this year but are both unseeded. Just who shall be crowned champions this time round?
[Draws & Order of Play] [Roll of Honour] (2002-2007)
The top four seeded players for the B18 singles are Dino Dell'Orto, Ryan Ho, Justin To, and Lam Wing Lun; while Ki Yan Tung, Shene Pui Yee, Feng Yi-Di, and Tiffany Tang are the seeded competitors for the girls' equivalent.
Last year, No. 2 seed Darren Ng beat defending champion Kevin Kung, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4, to claim the B18 singles title, while second-seeded Wu Ho Ching upset top seed Sher Chun Wing, 6-4, 6-4, to win the G18 crown.
After bagging the G14 singles last year, twelve year-old Katherine Ip is more than halfway from completing an entire set of age group titles, as she has already captured the G12 in 2005 in addition to back-to-back G10 titles from 2004-2005. This year, she is collaborating with Wu Ho Ching in the G18 doubles but has opted to concentrate on the G16 and G14 singles, as opposed to challenging for honours three age groups above her in the G18 singles.
Katherine Ip finished year 2007 as the No.-1 ranked player in the G16 age group and the No. 5-ranked player in the G18 age group in Hong Kong.
Kevin Wong, winner of last year's B12 singles title, has had a tremendous twelve months in 2007. He captured the B12 singles and doubles (w/ Brian Yeung) titles at the China Nike Junior Tour Grand Masters event in Beijing and then ended the year by going on a six-match run at the Junior Orange Bowl B12 consolations during which he upended three seeded players in succession.
He is the No. 2 seed in this year's B14 singles.
For over ten years, the Nike Junior Tour has been one of the world's most popular tennis tournaments for both Boys and Girls of age groups 14U and 12U. Last year, China, Japan, and Korea were the Asian representatives at the NJT International Masters staged at the La Manga Club in Spain from October 30 to November 3.
The idea behind the original design was to give young players the experience of international competition before they embark on a professional tennis career. The International Masters is the culmination of a series of local and national competitions, with the national winners being selected to represent their country at the international tournament.
The most notable past participant of the Nike Junior Tour was Rafael Nadal, who won the International Masters three times in four years. The Spaniard, of course, went on to turn professional at age 15 and became only the ninth player in the Open Era to win an ATP match before his 16th birthday when he beat Ramon Delgado at the ATP Majorca at the age of 15 years and 10 months.
Subvented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and organised by the Hong Kong Tennis Association, the Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships is the most widely participated annual junior tennis tournament in the territory, providing age group competitions for youngsters from the 10 & under to the 18 & under divisions.
The event provides a great opportunity for junior players to compete against one another under a tournament setting, making it possible for them to garner more match-play experience and to gain substantial local ranking points that could bolster their pecking order within each age category. High-ranking juniors may also have the opportunity to be selected to represent Hong Kong in major international competitions such as the Junior Davis Cup, Junior Fed Cup, and World Junior Tennis Competition.
Notable past Boys' champions include Ling Fong, Kenneth Tsui, Charles Chang, Kelvin Ng, Colin Grant, Kester Ng, Pang Lui, Ray Ng, Fredrik Bach, Sven Koehler, John Hui, Jason Sankey, Wayne Wong, Jack Hui, Brian Hung, Martin Sayer, and Michael Lai; while Girls' winners include Winnie Ip, Patricia Hy, Paulette Moreno, Pang Sheung, Willy Chan, Jackie Fu, Tong Ka Po, plus Venise Chan.
In case of inclement weather, please call the TOURNAMENT HOTLINE: 2504 3336 to confirm possible alterations to the originally posted play schedule.
For further information regarding the LIONS Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships 2008, please contact Cindy Tam on 2504 8266 or email her cindytam@tennishk.org.