CLTA to host 3 international tourneys next year

Chandigarh, Aug 9 (UNI) The Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association will conduct three international tournaments besides introducing national series for boys and girls under-14 and under-16, in 2009.

This was decided in the annual General Body meeting held at the CLTA Stadium here on Friday night.

CLTA chairman Rajan Kashyap said that the $ 10,000 International Tennis Federation Men's Futures would be held in March in 2009 at the CLTA Stadium. The ITF Junior Grade 3 will be hosted in January 2009 and the ITF Asian Under-14 is slated for November.

Former Punjab Chief Secretary Kashyap said "after a successful year, the CLTA now have plans to widen the tournament structure and get all other affiliated units and tennis centres invited in running a structured tournament schedule." He said that the CLTA have plans to start a state ranking system within Chandigarh. The targeted groups are Under-10, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-18. All players will get an opportunity to play six to eight matches in a week. Top ten in each group will compete for Masters Cup and a state ranking would be determined for the year.

All affiliated units as well as other tennis centres in Chandigarh will be invited to take up at least two such tournaments in one year. Each tournament will start with a two-day camp at the respective centres. The camps will be run by coaches from the centre as well coaches from the CLTA.

Mr Kashyap said that the High Performance Tennis Programme, launched on April 1, 2008, "is now quite success." The programme focuses on tournament level players and preparing them for peak performance. Players from different parts of India as well as neighbouring Asian countries have participated in this programme which is looked after by Director (coaching) Gary O'Brien, Roman Singh, Tushar Sharma and Rishi Sachdeva.

Vijayant Malik, who is at present training at Altur/Alvarino Tennis Centre in Spain, Shiva Sangwan, Parul Verma, Mandeep Singh Gill, Digvijay Singh, Digvijay Naruka, Jatinder Singh, Ajay Yadav, Navneet Kumar, Jaanesh Kaur, Noor Paul and Hassan Dhanoa are among the players enrolled under the CLTA High performanc Tennis Programme.

These players have done considerably well at national and international level tournaments.

The programme is being patronised by players from Patiala, Jalandhar, Delhi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Kolkata, Assam, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Seven players from Pakistan got training under CLTA HPTP programme in April and one Pakistan player visited in June for training. A group of seven players from Pakistan will train here in August-September. A 17-year-old Ifthinaan Shaeen from Maldives visited CLTA for two-month training under the CLTA-Commonwealth Youth Programme.

Mr Kashyap said that the CLTA now have plans to rope in players from Thailand, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Philippines.

Among those who attended the AGM were Jai Singh Gill (CLTA president), Rajan Kashyap (chairman), Vishwajeet Khanna, Justice SS Sodhi, Sarabjit Singh, PS Chaudhary and Reet Mohinder Singh.

The following is the tournament schedule: ITF Juniors Boys and Girls U-18 from January 7, 2009. AITA Talent Series Boys and Girls Under-12 and 14 from Feb 11, 2009. AITA Super Series Boys and Girls Under-16 and 18 from April 7, 2009. AITA Talent Series Boys and Girls Under-12 and 16 from May 19, 2009. AITA Talent Series Boys and Girls Under-12 and 16 from June 16, 2009. AITA Talent Series Boys and Girls Under-12 and 16 from July 14.2009. AITA Talent Series Boys and Girls Under-14 and 18 from August 11, 2009. AITA Championship Series boys and girls U-14 and 18 from Sept 22, 2009.

ITF Asian Juniors boys and girls Under-14 from November 3, 2009.

AITA Super Series boys and girls U-14 and 18 from December 22, 2009.

$ 10,000 ITF Men's Futures March 2009.

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