World Tennis Tour dates confirmed for Timaru fixture

Friday, 27 September 2024

Timaru’s big moment on the international tennis circuit has been locked in, with some of the world’s most promising players headed to the town in February.

Tennis New Zealand’s commercial and marketing manager, Gareth Archer, was in town to officially launch the tour on Thursday and urged the community to get behind the event.

“This is the event where the stars of the future are going to be … This is the development tier of the world tour.”

Archer said the players competing in Timaru, from February 10-16, would move on to bigger stages within a year or two, so the quality of play would be excellent.

“You’re going to be blown away by the speed of the action and just how amazing top-level tennis is up close.

“There’s a real buzz around tennis. We’ve obviously had some recent success – Lulu Sun at Wimbledon was amazing.

“But one of the things that is probably missing is more professional tennis in New Zealand.

“The opportunity to bring the World Tennis Tour to a place like Timaru and this beautiful facility is something we couldn’t turn down.”

Timaru will host the World Tennis Tour from February 10-16 next year. In attendance at the official announcement on Thursday are, from left, mayor Nigel Bowen, Mark Atkins of Tennis NZ, Tennis South Canterbury board member Ferg Hazlett, Venture Timaru chief executive Nigel Davenport, Tennis South Canterbury chairperson Greg Coutts, general manager Peter Burt and administrator Anna Telfer, and Tennis NZ’s Gareth Archer.

He said the week-long tournament at Timaru’s Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre would see some of the “best up-and-coming players in the world” compete and put on a show for sports fans.

Archer hoped the tour would draw a lot of interest.

“It’s a great event. We are going to make it free for locals to come down and watch … We just want to fill the park and put on something really special and help grow tennis in the area.”

He said the aim was to fill the Timaru facility, which he described as the best in the country, year-round.

Mayor Nigel Bowen, who also attended the launch, said it was fantastic to be able to host a top-level event at Timaru’s “world class” tennis facility.

Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen, left, and Tennis NZ commercial and marketing manager Gareth Archer hit some balls at the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre on Thursday.

“We’ve got such an amazing facility here … To be able to use that and to be able to host a tournament of this calibre – it’s just wonderful for Timaru.”

Bowen said the time of year was perfect to showcase the town to the world, and he warned any potential visitors to book early.

“It’s the best time in Timaru … It’s such a beautiful place overlooking Caroline Bay.”

It was also a great opportunity to provide a pathway for the region’s rising talent and a chance for them to see some big names in action, he said.

“If you have those names it attracts people to the sport, and it’s just such a great way to grow the code both locally and nationally.”

The International Tennis Federation-sanctioned fixture was confirmed last month, with Archer describing Timaru’s facilities then as the best in the country.

The Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre at Māori Park, overlooking Caroline Bay.

At the time, he said Tennis NZ had been working with Tennis South Canterbury on the tournament for a while, and it was the support of the district’s Major Events Support Fund that had sealed the deal.

“We’re very grateful for the support of Venture Timaru and Timaru District Council,” he said at the time.

The fund, which is administered by Venture Timaru on behalf of the Timaru District Council, supported 14 events including the World Tennis Tour in its latest round of funding.

In confirming the funding, Venture Timaru chief executive Nigel Davenport said there were strict criteria for events to gain funding, and one of the key factors was economic benefit to the region.

The World Tennis Tour was expected to gain national and international exposure for Timaru and attract visitors from the wider region and further afield, he said.

What is the World Tennis Tour?

Gareth Archer at the Trust Aoraki Tennis Centre on Thursday.

Expected to draw some of the world’s best rising tennis stars to Timaru, the World Tennis Tour is an entry-level event for the professional tennis circuit.

Archer said players earn ranking points, ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s), and there would be prizemoney on offer.

“It’s the same points structure as the ASB Classic and the Australian Open, and all of those big events.”

The Timaru tournament will be one of 300 to 400 worldwide and has the potential to grow over time.

The total prize money was likely to be US$60,000 (about NZ$95,000), split between the men’s and women’s competitions, he said.

A similar event, held in Tauranga, attracted players from about 20 countries.

Organisers expect the Timaru fixture to attract 10 to 15 of the best up-and-coming New Zealand players as well as players from further afield.

“The idea is to create a real world-class atmosphere. There will be music, there will be entertainment, there will be good food … It will be a real entertainment hub for people throughout the week,” Archer said.