Keio University has commemorated its 150th anniversary in 2008; as part of commemorative events, Keio University will host the “Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament 2009”: international men’s tennis tournament. The tournament, which will be officially recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) as a Challenger Series event, will attractup-and-coming tennis professionals from around the world, who will vie to gain tournament
points on their way to the top of their profession. Match results in this tournament will also affect world rankings. This year again, many top Japanese and international players will participate. The tournament, which has been the long-cherished desire of the Japanese tennis world, is expected to nurture talented tennis players and add major impetus to the growth of university tennis in this country.
1. Event Details
- Tournament name Keio University 150th Anniversary Commemorative Event
“Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament 2009”
- Schedule Qualifiers: Saturday, Nov. 14 – Sunday Nov. 15, 2009
Singles – 32 players
- Main Draw: Monday, Nov. 16 – Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009
Singles – 32 players, Doubles – 16 pairs
- Venue Mamushidani Tennis Court (hard court), Hiyoshi Campus, Keio University
(4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
10 minutes on foot from Hiyoshi Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line)
- Free Admission
- Total prize money US$50,000
- Website http://www.keio-challenger.com/en/index.html
- Secretariat c/o The Keio University Tennis Club, 4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku,
Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 〒223-8521 E-mail: [email protected]
Tel/Fax: 045-562-2989
2. Main Feature of Event
-Strong Candidates Japanese Players: Go Soeda (ATP 149th place: JOP 1st place), Tatsuma Ito (ATP 253rd place: JOP 3rd place), Yuichi Sugita (ATP 282nd place: JOP 5th place)
Foreign Players: Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE: ATP 118th place), Daniel Brands
(GER: ATP 125th place) etc.
※ATP ranking is as of Oct. 26, 2009, and JOP ranking is as of Sep. 28,
2009.
- Organized by Students
Keio Challenger is organized by the university; students who are mainly
the members of Keio Tennis Club take the initiative to run the event.
- Keio Challenger Tennis Clinics
Tennis Clinics by the Keio University Tennis Club members
Date: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 8:00am-9:30am
Venue: Mamushidani Tennis Court (hard court), Hiyoshi Campus, Keio University
For elementary school students only; up to 40 students.
[Challenger Series]
Selected tournaments that are ranked below Official Tour-level tournaments and offer total prize money ranging from US$25,000 to US$125,000. They are held in more than 40 countries and are contested by players ranked between approximately 100 and 300 in the world. There are three Challenger Series in 2009: All-Japan Indoor Tennis Tournament (Kyoto Challenger), Keio challenger and Dunlop World Challenge. Keio Challenger is the only tournament organized by a Japanese university.
- Grand Slam
Consists of four tournaments: the Australian Open,French Open, US Open and Wimbledon. Regulated by the ITF.
- Masters Series
Only eight players in the final ranking (eight doubles pairs) can participate.
- Masters ATP Wor ld Tour 1000
Nine tournaments in 2009（Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, BNP Paribas Open, Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Sony Ericsson Open, Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Rogers Cup, BNP Paribas Masters, Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Shanghai ATP Masters 1000）
- ATP World Tour 500
Eleven tournaments held worldwide in 2009. Japan Open in this category.
- ATP World Tour 250
Forty tournaments held worldwide in 2009.
- Challenger Series
Selected tournaments that are ranked below ATP-level tournaments and offer total prize money ranging from $25,000 to $125,000.
- Futures Ser ies
Selected tournaments with total prize money ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. Regulated by the ITF. ATP points can be gained at each tournament. In Japan, twelve of these were held in 2006. In 2007 and 2008, Waseda University and Asia University held tournaments in this category.
3. Comment by Tournament Director Toshiaki Sakai (Chief Coach, Keio University Tennis Club)
This year again, thanks to the support of our sponsors, Keio University will host the “Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament 2009”. We believe that Keio Challenger Tournament is of great significance in that it provides opportunities for Japanese players to step up for the top of the world, makes university tennis more appealing for promising student players, and creates an environment that produces lots of young players strong enough to participate in big tournaments abroad. International tennis tournaments hosted by universities, including Keio Challenger International Tennis Tournament, will be held three times, and this will provide promising student players with opportunities to obtain ATP points and experience high international level and thus will greatly contribute not just to university
tennis but to the entire tennis world in Japan. Keio Challenger also has a significant meaning in terms of producing Japanese players who can compete at an international level from Japanese universities. Sela of Israel, winner of 2007 tournament, is now ranked 30th in the world, and national team member and the vice champion of 2007 tournament Go Soeda is close to be ranked 100th. Through this tournament, which will be held in Japan, I hope more players will grab the chance to go onto the world stage to be ranked within No. 100. I also hope that this tournament will result in the growth of student tennis, tennis in Japan as well as tennis in Asia. For the students of Keio University, meanwhile, being involved in running an event like this will surely be a valuable experience that will result in the growth of Japanese student tennis.
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Inquiries:
Mr. Kashiwagi (Manager) or Mr. Hasegawa (Vice Manager), The Keio University Tennis Club
TEL: ＋81-45-562-2989 FAX: ＋81-45-562-2989
E-mail: [email protected] http://www.keio-tennis.com
Mr. Kodama or Ms. Fujito, Office of Communications and Public Relations, Keio University
TEL: ＋81-3-5427-1541 FAX: ＋81-3-5441-7640
E-mail: [email protected] http://www.keio.ac.jp/
