Earlier this summer, a number of NTS players have been busy crossing swords with other leading juniors in Asia when they took part in Comps 7 & 8 of the China National 14U Championships in Beijing, in addition to the Philippines and Malaysian legs of the ATF 14 & Under Series in Manila and Kuching respectively.

World No. 25 Jessica Yang (Tennis) was amongst the half dozen names confirmed as the winners of the 2008 HKSI Outstanding Junior Athlete Award (2nd quarter). The objective of this award scheme is to recognize as well as encourage continued sporting excellence from Hong Kong's top junior athletes in both local and international competitions.

HKTA's high performance tennis training program – the talenTGroup – will be conducting an Assessment Day for 14-year-olds or under on August 30 at Shek Kip Mei Park Tennis Courts. In addition, a Talent ID Selection Day for 11-year-olds or under is also scheduled for August 13 at Kowloon Tsai Park.

In spite of the mid-summer heat, a number of Junior NTS and TG players have been actively honing their skills in overseas competition recently. While Abigail Chiu was engaging in USTA-sanctioned tournaments in North America earlier this month, others were taking part in the National 14U & 12U Championships in China.

The annual NTS-TG 2007-08 End of Season Party took place last Saturday at the HKTA Tennis Centre in Kowloon Tsai Park. Aside from pizzas galore, there was a friendly match between TG Hong Kong and TG Kowloon and a doubles match among NTS players before HKTA General Manager, Mrs. Janet Hardisty, presented the awards to the respective winners.

At The Junior Championships, Wimbledon, second-seeded world No. 3, Arantxa Rus, advanced to the girls' singles third round at the expense of Jessica Yang (ITF 24) with a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Meanwhile, in the girls' doubles, Jessica and Thailand's Kanyapat Narattana went out in the opening round to No. 6 seeds Jessica Moore and Poloma Hercog, 6-3, 6-3.

Playing against a 15-year-old whose resume is clearly becoming more impressive by the day, Jessica Yang (ITF 22) put forth a flawless display to beat 56th-ranked Anna Orlik of Belarus, 6-2, 6-1, to set up a chancy rendezvous with second-seeded reigning Australian Open Junior Champion, Arantxa Rus (ITF 3), in round two of The Junior Championships, Wimbledon.

World No. 22 Jessica Yang has been drawn to face Anna Orlik (ITF 56) of Belarus in the opening round of the girls' singles at The Junior Championships, Wimbledon. The winner of this match will go on to face either Milana Spremo of Serbia or second-seeded reigning Australian Open Jr Champion, Arantxa Rus, of Holland in the second round.

Jessica Yang will be the territory's lone representative at this year's Junior Championships at Wimbledon where she will compete in both girls' singles and doubles. Only four of the world's Top-16 ranked players are absent from the girls' draw according to the AELTC's latest acceptance list.

World No. 23 Jessica Yang captured her fourth career girls' doubles title when she teamed up with Indonesia's Beatrice Gumulya to beat French No. 2 seeds Amadine Hesse and Kristina Mladenovic, in a third set super-tiebreak, 7-5, 3-6, [10-8], at the ITF Grade 2 Gerry Weber Junior Open in Halle, Germany.