The first ever North Shore City Beach Tennis Bash, taking place this weekend (28 February and 1 March) on Takapuna Beach, has attracted some of New Zealand’s top hard-court tennis players for the Mixed Doubles Open section on Sunday.
Among competitors already confirmed are top North Shore and Auckland players such as Shona Lee and Kairangi Vano (who both recently made their debut at the ASB Classic, and the in the NZ Fed Cup Team), Tracey O’Conner and Niki Tippins, and in the men, Steven Downs, Dan Davies and Adam Lee.
New Zealand’s number one ranked male hard court tennis player, Rubin Statham, (who finished runner-up in the men’s singles of the 3rd Annual Australian Beach Tennis Championships in Melbourne last month) and his brother Oliver, are also expected to be in the draw.
Former NZ number one, and Davis Cup representative Mark Nielsen has been reported practising on his local North Shore beach, in preparation for the event. Other competitors are still guessing who his doubles partner will be!
This inaugural sporting event which merges tennis, badminton and beach volleyball into one energetic package, is being hosted by Tennis New Zealand in association with North Shore City and will be on popular Takapuna Beach.
The two day event features two age groups, the 12-17 year old mixed doubles fun tournament on Saturday 28 February, followed by the Open Mixed Doubles Division on the Sunday – where contestants will be vying for the prize which includes a getaway for two to New Caledonia.
If space allows, some courts will be available for Open Division teams to practise on Saturday. All equipment is supplied.
Walk-up entries will be accepted on the day of each event, between 11 and 11.45am, with play scheduled to start at about 12.15, once the draw is finalised.
The sport of Beach Tennis is on the rise, rapidly igniting beaches across the Europe, USA and more recently Australasia. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) administers a Pro Global Beach Tennis Circuit, with the World Beach Tennis Championships being held in Ravenna, Italy each year.
The sport is predominantly played as doubles using purpose-built Beach Tennis paddle racquets and a slightly depressurised tennis ball. The net stands at 1.7 metres, the court similar to beach volleyball - and of course the ball does not bounce.
For further information on the North Shore City Beach Tennis Bash visit www.tennisnz.com/beachtennis or contact beachtennis@tennisnz.com.
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