England’s Katie Swan, ranked 445 in the world, serves during her second round match at the W35 Wagga Wagga International. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The action at the newly renovated Jim Elphick Tennis Centre is now in full swing, with the finals for the first week’s competition set to take place this weekend.
Thirty-two of the world’s top female players took to the new Australian Open-quality courts, as part of the first-ever international tennis tournament held at the venue, with the winner set to nab a $30,000 USD payday.
Top seed and #200-ranked player in the world, Lizette Cabrera, progressed through to the final eight after a straight set win over New Zealand’s Elyse Tse before stopping for a quick chat with Region.
The former world #119 praised the new venue, believing it to be one of the best tennis facilities that regional Australia had to offer.
“It’s an amazing centre. The courts are playing really nicely, and everyone’s so friendly here,” she said.
“It’s my first time in Wagga and I’ve been loving it. The organisers of the event have done a fantastic job, and even with the poor weather in the middle of the week, we’ve been able to get back on court and catch up on games that were missed.
“I didn’t know what to expect when coming to Wagga, but it’s been really nice. We’ve been going to some good coffee shops before my matches later in the day, and the open-air facility with the big club rooms has been great.”
Tennis NSW’s Regional Pathway Coordinator for Southern NSW, Mitch Maloon, applauded the work that went into the new facility while expressing confidence the venue could receive high-calibre professional tournaments again in the future.
“All the players have been speaking very highly about it and it’s clear there is a lot of excitement about the new venue,” he said.
“The facilities are top-notch, and the courts are some of the best I’ve seen in NSW. The conditions apart from Wednesday, with the weather, have been brilliant.
“The venue has also got plenty of space for players to warm up and for physios, stringers and many others to get around.
“Not only that, we’ve got the leisure centre next door, with the gym and pool as well, all the accommodation’s very close to the venue, which makes it easy for the players to come between their accommodation and the centre.”
Mr Maloon said the attendance for the event was solid, but he would love to see a big turnout on the weekend.
“We’ve seen a number of spectators who have come through and asked about what’s going on. They’ve commented on the quality of the tennis and heard about it through various sources.
“Hopefully, even more spectators will come through for the finals on the weekend and for week two. We would love to get the word out there, and we can really build out the event in Wagga.”
The final for week one of the Wagga International will be held on Sunday afternoon, while the first round for week two will begin on Monday 15 September. Entry is free throughout the two weeks.
