This year’s tournament marks the 98th running of the event, and with more than 500 players set to descend on Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club during the weekend, organisers are bracing for one of the biggest tournaments yet.
Tournament director Malcolm Thiel said preparations were going swimmingly.
“Everything is coming along quite well, we closed the entries a week ago when we reached capacity and now have a pretty healthy waiting list which is fantastic,” Thiel said.
“With Easter being later things are going to operate a bit differently this year, we have lost daylight savings, so it will get dark earlier and there will be dew on the court in the morning, so there are a few more challenges.
“But overall, we just cannot wait to get into next week and welcome all our participants for what is set to be a hotly contested competition.”
Running from Good Friday (April 15) to Easter Monday (April 18), the event features a variety of different competitions, including open men’s and women’s singles and doubles, mixed doubles, A, B, C and D-grade singles, doubles and mixed doubles, veteran singles and doubles and a number of underage events.
Thiel said fans would be treated to an incredibly high level of tennis, with a host of accomplished players set to grace the Shepparton Lawn courts.
“The tournament itself offers events for all people and players of all abilities, but the highlight I suppose will be the Open Men’s and Women’s competitions,” he said.
“We have got some really strong competitors across both events, with 44 players set to battle it out for the men’s and 12 in the Open Women’s, which will be fantastic.
“Both title winners from last year have entered again, in the women’s we have our own Eliza Long who will be going for a record fifth title, but some of the competitors coming from Melbourne this year are really talented, so it is going to be tough for her.
“In the Men’s we have Daniel Ferretti returning, but there is a host of strong players coming from Melbourne and coaches as well, so expect a really even competition this year.”
With COVID-19 hampering the region’s visitor economy severely during the past two years, he said the Easter Tournament would deliver a host of benefits for the Greater Shepparton community.
“This year certainly has a feel of rebounding out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we can’t wait to welcome so many people to the area,” he said.
“We have really built a strong agenda of social activities over the weekend, we have entertainment planned, some live music on the Saturday night and on the Sunday night we have our annual dinner which is hosted by the Shepparton Club.
“Throw in our fastest serve competition and clinics for the kids and it is really shaping up to be a great weekend.”
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