Macao tennis camp serves local youths

With tennis gaining increasing popularity in Macao, a junior training camp put the sport's promising future in the city on display over the weekend as the final of China's domestic tour fast approaches.

Less than two months from the Chinese Tennis Association Tour's final in Macao, the camp, which opened on Saturday at the Macao Tennis Academy, has local juniors practicing fundamentals guided by coaching staff led by former national team player Zhang Yu.

The camp has attracted amateurs aged between 7 and 14 for beginner or advanced practice shots and serves overseen by Zhang, husband and former coach of retired women's Grand Slam doubles winner Zheng Jie.

The camp was jointly organized by the CTA Tour and local tennis association in Macao as a buildup prior to the final, which will take place for a second straight year in the city from Dec 5-11 at the central court of the academy.

"The organization of this training event will help significantly improve the skill level of local youth players while at the same time pushing the sport's promotion in Macao," said Pun Weng-kun, chief of the Macao sports bureau.

Since its opening in 2006, the Macao Tennis Academy has trained over 3,200 players between 6 and 14 from the beginners' level up to the advanced group. A total of 160 juniors are currently enrolled in the academy, where they take training sessions as many as four times a week.

As the year-end tournament of the domestic circuit, the CTA Tour final will see the top 16 men's and women's players compete for national titles in singles and doubles draws with a total prize pool of 2.2 million yuan ($302,940) up for grabs.