An iconic event on the region’s tennis calendar, the championships will welcome junior and adult competitors to Shepparton to battle it out in singles and doubles matches.
Boasting a $5000 prize pool for tier one and tier two open events tournament manager Steve Longworth said a strong field was expected for the event.
“We’ve got a great entry of about 240 players,” Longworth said.
“It is about 30 less than last year, so considering what’s happened over the last 12 months we’re delighted to be able to run it again with really good entries.
“It’s unbelievable that the club has been able to get the courts ready.”
Heavily impacted by the recent Shepparton floods, Longworth was full of praise for the club and its ability to get the courts ready.
“We’re going to be missing four of the grass courts,” he said
“But it’s a magnificent effort to get 18 grass courts and the synthetic courts sorted for us because at one stage it looked as though the tournament wouldn’t go ahead.
“It’s very important that we can get the tournament on again, it’s a great boost to the Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club that we can get it on again.
“It will help them get back on their feet again I hope.
“It’s quite a good entry and we should have four busy days once again.”
With a strong mix of local and out of town talent entering the tournament action is sure to be a plenty.
Play will start at 8.30am on Sunday with matches running through until the finals on Wednesday.
There will be catering available for spectators and participants, while the bar will open in the afternoon and the barbecue will be fired up at night.
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