Tumon Bay, Guam — The most competitive tennis action in Guam will be featured at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa tennis courts during the upcoming USTA-sanctioned 4th Annual Guam International Tennis Open.
With the number of new and returning participants from around the region, tennis aficionados can expect to see even higher caliber matches as compared to last year’s tournament, said Dan Tinsay, Tournament Director.
.”The GITO provides an opportunity for spectators to see world-class tennis up close on Guam for free,” Tinsay said. “Unless one goes to an actual (off-island) tournament or other international competition like the Davis Cup or the Pacific Games, one might not have that opportunity.”
“The GITO also shows that Guam can be a viable sports destination in the Western Pacific,” he added.
The non-Open divisions are scheduled for May 3 to 6 and the Open division is scheduled for May 16 to 20.
Confirmed in the Open division draw are a slew of highly ranked players from different countries, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Defending champions from the Philippines, Johnny Arcilla and Czarina Arevalo, Men’s and Women’s Open singles champions respectively, will face a tough draw which includes South Korea’s Dong-Hyun Kim, who has been ranked as high as 327 in the world and newcomer to the GITO, Thi Kim Loi Tran of Vietnam, currently ranked third in her country and as high as 783 in the world. Arevalo reached her highest Sony Ericsson WTA ranking of 582 in 2006.
Other ranked players include Japan’s Hiroyasu Sato, two-time GITO champion and last year’s finalist John James of Australia, South Korea’s Min-Hyeok Cho, Dong-Whee Choi, Seong-Yoon Chung, and Philippines’ Adelo Abadia. Country-ranked female players include Japan’s Chiho Kobayashi and Sakiko Namba and South Korea’s Seo-Kyung Kang and Hye-Min Lee. Additionally, USTA-Hawaii will send their sectional winner to Guam for the tournament.
Although the highlight of the tournament is the Open division draw, players of all skill levels are welcome to compete in the tournament. The entry deadline for all events is Monday, April 16.
Local competitors will go up against some of the Asia-Pacific region’s up-and-coming premier and past professionally-ranked players for a chance to win more than $15,000 in cash and prizes.
Entry forms are available on the tournament’s Web site, http://www.guamopen.com. Call 646-1820, ext. 5501 for more information.