China's tennis fans await Masters Cup in Shanghai
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-04 09:10

The arrival of the Tennis Masters Cup, the culminating end-of-season men's tennis event, is expected to further fuel the development of tennis in China, where the sport has been attracting growing public enthusiasm in recent years, said an official with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Shanghai will host the prized Masters Cup for three years running, starting next year. [newsphoto/file]

The ATP officially announced yesterday that Shanghai will be the host city for the Tennis Masters Cup from 2005 to 2007.

"We can all be confident that the Tennis Masters Cup during that time will build upon the platform of interest in tennis in China," said ATP Executive Vice-President Brad Drewett.

Prospects for junior tennis development following the tournament, enthusiasm among local residents for top-class tennis events, the city's remarkable facilities as well as its experience in hosting such events are the major factors that helped Shanghai win the bid, he said.

Shanghai beat a number of tough rivals like Portugal's Lisbon to acquire the right to host the tournament.

It will be the second time for Shanghai to host the tournament. In 2000, the city witnessed some thrilling tennis with Lleyton Hewitt defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero to take away the title and world No 1 crown that year.

For the 2005-2007 period, the tournament will be staged at the city's yet-to-be-completed Qizhong Tennis Centre, which will be one of the biggest tennis facilities in Asia with a total investment of over 2.4 billion yuan (US$290 million).

Due to be completed in May 2005, the facility is being built on 80 acres in the local Minhang District, about 27 kilometres southwest of the city. It will feature a dual-purpose indoor-outdoor 15,000-seat centre court as well as 40 indoor and outdoor courts, city sports officials said.

The total prize money for the upcoming Shanghai event will be US$3.7 million for the singles event, and US$750,000 on the doubles side.

Organizers wouldn't disclose how much Shanghai paid to win the hosting right.

The city spent about US$13 million to hold the tournament in 2002, including about US$7.6 million as prize money plus hosting fees, and organizers managed to break even on the final balance sheet through direct earnings like strong sponsorship, ticket sales and TV broadcasting rights, according to media reports.

The 2004 Tennis Masters Cup is to be held for the second year in the United States in Houston. The previous cities to host the event include the inaugural event in Lisbon in 2000 and Sydney in 2001.

Since 1998, Shanghai has also hosted the Heineken Open, a favourite stop on the circuit for many professional players.

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