Cooks to host international tennis

Thanks to the international standard tennis courts at the Nikao tennis centre, the Cook Islands has won the bid to host the International Tennis Federation Junior East Pacific Tournament from July 5-9.

Cook Islands Tennis president Damien Beddoes and minister of youth and sports Apii Piho announced this week that the Cook Islands will host the prestigious junior tennis tournament.

A tournament that a number of local elite junior tennis players are familiar with having travelled to Samoa, Tonga and American Samoa where the event is normally staged.

But this time the number of Cook Islands players in the tournament will not be limited by travel expenses and 32 local junior tennis players are expected to compete in the tournament.

The news was welcomed by Piho who said that the tournament would mark a new era in Cook Islands tennis.

“This tennis court was built to international standard and the gates are now open for more international tournaments here in the future. This is the beginning of a new era for tennis,” Piho said.

The minister said that money spent on building the tennis courts for the Pacific Mini Games in November 2009 was money well spent.

The tennis centre has enjoyed consistent use since it was completed and first used for the mini games and the centre has also enjoyed a growth in members.

Beddoes said that the confirmation of the international junior tournament was also a confirmation on the return on investment into the tennis facility.

The minister was so thrilled with the news of the junior tournament and the growing number of members, that he signed his family up to the club and put his tennis skills to the test.