Tennis

The opening ceremony of the ITF Asia 14 & Under Development Championships 2024 Regional Qualifying on January 7 in Bắc Ninh Province. Photo of VTF

BẮC NINH The International Tennis Federation (ITF) Asia 14 & Under Development Championships 2024 Regional Qualifying has begun in Bắc Ninh Province.

The opening ceremony was attended by officials of the ITF, Việt Nam Tennis Federation, local authorities and athletes from seven countries -  Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Cambodia, Brunei and the hosts.

The young players will compete in boys' and girls' singles and doubles events over two stages. The first is from January 8-12 and the second is from January 14-18 at the Hanaka Paris Ocean Park Tennis Courts.

Việt Nam has five athletes at the tournament. Lê Tiến Anh and Vũ Tuấn Phong take part in the boys' categories while Tô Bình Nhiên, Huỳnh Ngọc Khánh and Nguyễn Ngọc Đông Nhi are girl representatives.

Tiến Anh is a rising star of Việt Nam as he just won a title at the National Junior and Cadet Tennis Championship last October.

He is No 1 seed of the ITF boys' class.

In the opening match on January 8, Vietnamese Tuấn Phong beat Mika Mohamed Kaleem of Maldives 6-1, 6-0.

Four teams with the best results will qualify for the championship finals in India from April 8-17. 

According to Việt Nam Tennis Federation General Secretary Nguyễn Hồng Sơn, this is a tournament where athletes would gain points for international rankings. They would have opportunities to collect experience, sharpen their skills and improve their world places.

Việt Nam is one of he favourites to reach the finals. VNS