In an exciting step forward for the sport, Tennis South Africa (TSA) will host three high-profile junior international tournaments in July and August, including the first-ever ITF Grade 1 event to be held in the country.

The junior series will open with an ITF Grade 2 tournament at Curro Hillcrest in Durban, followed by an ITF Grade 1 event at the same venue, with both competitions made possible with the support of Curro Holdings.

The second competition will be the first-ever ITF Grade 1 event to be held in South Africa.

The ITF tournaments are the Gold Standard in junior and professional tennis. These events put South Africa on the map and provide an opportunity for the country’s local juniors to be exposed to top talent, which not only improves their game but also their ranking, should they win.

In another breakthrough for local junior tennis, the third and final tournament of the series will be the Samaai Junior Open, an elite ITF Grade A event to be held at TuksTennis, University of Pretoria. The event will return for the third year but has been moved from Cape Town to Pretoria.

The Samaai Junior Open, named after South African tennis legend David Samaai, will be held in partnership with TuksSport. This tournament is one of only six junior Grade A tournaments on the international circuit –- the others are held in the United States, Japan, Mexico, Italy, and Brazil.

Outside of the four Junior Grand Slams, Grade A tournaments are the most prestigious events on the ITF Junior Tour and carry the highest-ranking points, which will not only attract some of the world’s best young players to the capital city but will also give young South African prospects a chance to rake in points on home soil.

Showcasing junior talent from across South Africa and around the world, the finals of all three tournaments will be broadcast live on SABC Sport.

“These events provide a great platform for some of our rising junior stars to test themselves against the world’s best, without having to travel outside South Africa,” said TSA CEO, Andre Homan.

Schedule, 2022 ITF junior tournaments:

• 23 – 30 July 2022 – Curro ITF Grade 2 (Curro Hillcrest, Durban)
• 30 July – 6 August 2022 – Curro ITF Grade 1 (Curro Hillcrest, Durban)
• 6 -13 August – ITF Grade A (TuksTennis, University of Pretoria)

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram