National tennis tour comes to Baotou

The 2017 YONEX Zheng Jie Cup came to its last stop –– Baotou, the largest city of North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 29, attracting 201 teenage tennis players, reports Baotou Daily.

The two-day event included 195 competitions and employed a single elimination system.

Zheng Jie, one of the most successful Chinese professional tennis players, initiated the teenagers’ tennis tour in 2009 and made it open to the public to call for wider participation and promote fitness awareness in 2015. The tennis tour is aimed at selecting talented teenage tennis players in China.

“Tennis has long been popular in Inner Mongolia. We are dedicated to cultivating talented tennis players and we started the event in the hope of finding some talented players,” said Zheng Jie, at the opening ceremony.

Tennis, a racket sport originating in France, is among the world’s most popular sports. Baotou now boasts more than 40 registered tennis clubs and more than 200 tennis courts. More than 12,000 Baotou residents claim to play the sport regularly.

Zheng Jie (middle), a Chinese professional tennis player, poses with other players for a group photo at the opening ceremony for a tennis event for teenagers in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 29. [Photo/internet]