In yet another boost for Indian tennis, Delhi will host the inaugural Asian Hopman Cup mixed team tennis championships in November this year.
The USD 70,000 prize money event has been allotted to the All India Tennis Association by the Asian Tennis Federation for a period of three years. The winner will be given an entry into the main draw of the Hyundai Hopman Cup.
The Asian Tennis Federation and the Hopman Cup have agreed to have the event every year before the annual Hyundai Hopman Cup, which is held in Perth, Australia in December-January, according to a press release.
The winner will take home a purse of USD 20,000 and the runner-up will be richer by USD 12,000. Top Asian nations including Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Uzbekistan and China, besides India, have been invited to participate in the prestigious event.
Philippines will be the first reserve side in the event, which is tipped to be the biggest team competition in the continent.
Asian ace Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, Ai Sugiyama of Japan, Na Li of China, besides local stars such as Leander Paes and Sania Mirza are likely to make appearances at the Asian Hopman Cup.
