WTA Future stars returns to Bangkok

WTA Legend and hometown hero Tamarine Tanasugarn welcomed back the WTA Future Stars in Bangkok, Thailand, today as she introduced 50 children aged 10-12 years from a local primary school, the Preedavittaya School, to tennis for the first time in a series of fun basic activities and drills.

Tanasugarn, who will be returning as a WTA Finals Legend Ambassador in Singapore this October, shared her experience with the next generation saying, “It has been great working with the WTA to promote tennis in Thailand through the WTA Future Stars programme over the last few years. Each time, we are able to reach out to a new group of children and introduce them to tennis, and I really enjoy being able to share my experience with them. It would be great to see more children take up tennis in Thailand and hopefully we will see some Thai stars in future!”

“Over the last four years, the WTA has built a strong foundation in the Asia-Pacific through the WTA Future Stars initiative, which has been an integral part of raising awareness on tennis and the WTA Finals in the region. The WTA Future Stars was launched alongside the first edition of the WTA Finals held in Singapore in 2014, and we have since gone on to conduct clinics and masterclasses in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Working closely with our WTA legends like Tamarine Tanasugarn, the WTA Future Stars outreach is aimed at highlighting how sport is great way for young boys and girls to develop beneficial life skills that will help them to achieve whatever goals they may set for themselves,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals.

Speaking after assisting Tanasugarn during the clinic, the 2017 WTA Future Stars Under-14 finalist from Thailand, Pimrada Jattavapornvanit, said, “It was a wonderful experience to be able to represent my country at the WTA Future Stars tournament in Singapore last year, and I am glad to be able to attend the clinic today to share my passion for tennis with other local children. Tamarine Tanasugarn is our role model and being able to stand next to her to encourage more children in Thailand to play our sport is a very special experience for me.”

Mr. Kitsombat Euammongkol, President of the Lawn Tennis Association Thailand (LTAT), said, “This is the second year that the WTA has worked with the LTAT to host the WTA Future Stars at our national tennis centre, and it has been a great success. We look forward to more opportunities in the future to work with the WTA to promote tennis in Thailand. I would also like to wish our 2018 WTA Future Stars representatives from Thailand all the best at the tournament in Singapore in October.”

The WTA Future Stars Clinic is part of a regional platform to promote tennis among children throughout Asia-Pacific and includes the WTA Future Stars Tournament where each country sends two representatives to compete in the U14 and U16 categories respectively.

Launched in 2014 when the WTA Finals was first hosted in Singapore, the WTA Future Stars tournament started with 12 countries, and in 2018 will bring together players from 21 markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

The WTA Finals, which is the crown-jewel of the WTA calendar, will take place in Singapore from October 21 – 28 2018 where the best in women’s tennis will compete for the year’s biggest prize purse of US$7 million. Players accumulate points throughout the season and the top eight singles players and doubles teams on the Porsche Race to Singapore Leaderboard then compete in the season finale at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

WTA Future stars attracts largest field of junior tennis players from Asia-Pacific

In its fourth edition, the 2017 WTA Future Stars initiative hits a new high with 48 qualifiers representing 21 countries across the Asia-Pacific, all gathering in Singapore to play against each other from October 17-22. Each country sends two representatives, one each in the U14 and U16 categories, with host city Singapore represented by nine participants this year.

Held in conjunction with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, the WTA Future Stars features the best of the U14 and U16 junior players from the region who will compete in Singapore at the Kallang Tennis Center. The champion matches will be played under the bright lights of the WTA Finals Center Court at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. If you're exploring tennis betting for WTA Finals, do follow up on the performances of the women players in Singapore during this period.

The WTA Future Stars platform was developed to showcase the best of Asia-Pacific’s next stars, and began with just 12 countries and 24 players in its first year. Since its inception in 2014, Singapore has welcomed more than 150 WTA Future Stars participants to compete against each other and alongside activities to breed friendship and encourage sportsmanship.

Singapore U14 and U16 Future Stars with WTA Future Stars Tournament Director, Donna Kelso and Singapore Tennis Association's President, Mr Nicholas Lim Han Kong (Source: WTA)

Participation has continued to grow year-on-year, with new countries signing up, and more players from the region continuing to build on the quality of the competition. Kazakhstan will be represented for the first time while Cambodia and Laos return after a one-year absence.

To build on the momentum, a new partnership was also formed with Eleven Sports, which delivers world-class international and domestic sports and lifestyle entertainment. Tennis fans will be able to watch the progress of the WTA Future Stars through exclusive content from behind-the-scenes access with these junior players to match highlights on the Eleven Sports platforms both in Singapore and in Chinese-Taipei.

This year, the WTA Future Stars will also be participating in the inaugural WTA Charities Community Day held on Saturday, October 21. In a clinic led by former British Fed Cup Captain Judy Murray, the WTA Future Stars will be joined by children from SportCares and the Tennis For Every Child program by SC Global, as well as members of the wheelchair tennis club in Singapore.

Winners of the WTA Future Stars tournament will receive their trophies from WTA Legends Yayuk Basuki from Indonesia and Tamarine Tanasugarn from Thailand, who have been involved in the initiative since 2016. They will be joined this year by newly-appointed WTA Finals Legend Ambassador Lindsay Davenport, who will be in Singapore and meeting with the WTA Future Stars for the first time, through a Q&A session with the young girls.

In addition, WTA Legend Martina Navratilova will be presenting the Li Na Inspiration Award to two WTA Future Stars who embody the spirit of the game both on and off the court, as well as qualities that made Li Na well-loved with fans, players and sponsors throughout her career. (Refer to Appendix A for more details)

Tanasugarn, WTA Legend and former World No.19, who hosted a tennis clinic in Bangkok as part of the WTA Future Stars regional grassroots outreach, “The WTA Future Stars is an amazing initiative by the WTA to not just introduce the sport to more young children in the region, but also to encourage those who are already playing to continue on their journey. I am very pleased to be involved in the program again and I hope we can continue to see more great talent emerge from this region.”

Thai youths shine with WTA Future Stars

Press Release

From left: Tamarine Tanasugarn, Pat Vasuratna, Melissa Pine, Nat Punnin and Yayuk Basuki at the WTA Future Stars Bangkok Clinic (Photo credit - WTA)

WTA Future Stars served up a smashing success on the first stop of the junior Race to Singapore, with WTA Finals Legend Ambassadors Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yayuk Basuki leading a clinic for 20 local juniors and 16 children from Childline Thailand Foundation (CTF), at Bangkok’s LTAT National Tennis Centre.

Tanasugarn and Basuki offered advice on a range of themes, such as the importance of teamwork, doubles match strategy and the keys to success on court. The accomplished pair also inspired the children with tales of WTA life, travelling the world. The tour veterans were then joined by two former WTA Future Stars participants – Nat Punnin, Thailand’s 2015 representative and Pat Vasuratna, a 2016 representative – to stage a doubles masterclass.

Sharing her thoughts on the clinic, Tanasugarn said, “Every time I get on the court for WTA Future Stars, I feel more passionate and excited about the future of tennis in South-East Asia. It was great to share some of my experiences and especially the importance of teamwork, and hope that they will take our advice to heart.”

The clinic gave the children from CTF a chance to learn a range of basic tennis skills, some picking up a tennis racquet for the very first time. For the 20 junior players, the clinic provided a unique opportunity to enhance their play with advice from their seniors in the WTA Future Stars programme, as well as the two WTA Legends. The WTA Legends and WTA Future Stars then paired up to demonstrate the formations, strategies and movement required in the doubles game.

Speaking after the clinic, Salakthip Ounmuang and under-14 junior player said, “My dream is to be a professional tennis player and to represent Thailand. Meeting and learning from the two WTA legends has inspired me even more, and I’m very thankful for the experience. After today, I better understand how the doubles skills will help me improve my game.”

The session was part of WTA Future Stars, a tournament that brings together players from across the Asia-Pacific region. Each country sends two representatives, one each in the U14 and U16 categories, to compete against each other during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

The WTA Future Stars regional outreach will make its next stop in India in July, before wrapping up in Indonesia in August.
Basuki, Indonesia’s highest ever ranked tennis player, said, “I am glad to see the enthusiasm and joy on the faces of these kids and I hope their passion for tennis continues to grow. I also look forward to welcoming Tamarine to Indonesia in August and having her share her stories with some of our junior players too.”

"The LTAT is pleased to welcome the WTA to Bangkok to conduct the WTA Future Stars Masterclass with one of our local heroes, Tamarine Tanasugarn, as well as Asian legend Yayuk Basuki. It is our honour to host the event at the LTAT Stadium and we are delighted that our junior players enjoyed this invaluable experience today which hopefully inspires them to pursue their passion for tennis,” said LTAT President Mr. Kitsombat Euammongkol.

Speaking after the session, Melissa Pine, Vice President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals, said, “WTA Future Stars continues to provide an opportunity to touch the lives of youth in this region. It is heartening to see how passionate the children are about learning how to become better athletes and tennis players.” “Seeing our WTA Legends inspire the next generation with their valuable expertise and wisdom is truly a heart-warming experience,” Pine added. “We are thankful for the support of WTA alumnae such as Tamarine Tanasugarn and Yayuk Basuki, and the wider tennis family for helping us engage and impact the lives of children in Asia-Pacific.”

To wrap up the day, the WTA and WTA Finals promoters Lagardère Sports will host a cocktail evening for media and stakeholders at Rajpruek Country Club to promote The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore 2017 presented by SC Global. The crown-jewel of the WTA calendar will take place in Singapore from October 22 – 29 2017 where the best in women’s tennis will compete for the year’s biggest prize purse of US$7 million. Players accumulate points throughout the saeason and the top eight singles players and doubles teams on the Porsche Race to Singapore leaderboard then compete in the season finale at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.