Huguang Netshadow: "Tennis fever" has reached a new height in Huzhou

From the long history, to the frequent emergence of talents, and then to the holding of various tournaments over the years, tennis is radiating unprecedented vitality in the hot land of Huzhou, and the rich and colorful tennis activity system has given birth to a deep tennis cultural soil. It is reported that Huzhou has built 159 professional tennis courts, with more than 30,000 tennis enthusiasts, and the penetration rate of primary and secondary school tennis projects is 80%, with a relatively solid mass foundation. In recent years, Huzhou has successively hosted a number of high-level amateur tennis tournaments and built a diversified mass event system.

In October 2023, the 2nd China Public Tennis League Zhejiang Provincial League and "Wuxing New Youth City Cup" Double Ball Invitational Tournament was held at Huzhou Tennis Center, which is currently the highest level tennis tournament in Zhejiang Province and the largest and highest-level mass tennis event held in Wuxing District.

Sponsored by the Tennis Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Tennis Association, and hosted by the Huzhou Sports Bureau and the People's Government of Wuxing District, the amateur tennis event attracted 22 teams and nearly 300 athletes from 6 cities in the province. The China Volkswagen Tennis League is a national-level IP event newly launched by the Tennis Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of China in 2022, and it is also the national-level public tennis tournament with the highest level, the largest participation scale and the most extensive influence in China.

The Australian Open China Amateur Challenge, the top amateur tennis tournament in China, is also an important banner of Huzhou tennis, and since the event was first held in 2019, it has been held in Huzhou for five consecutive times (except 2020), which is undoubtedly an affirmation of the strength of urban tennis.

The Australian Open is one of the world's top four Grand Slam tournaments, and with its rare Grand Slam IP, more than 100 years of long tournament history and huge tournament influence, this amateur tournament has gained a large number of tennis fans in Huzhou. The FAST 4 classic tournament system, high-standard competition system configuration standards and ceremonial event arrangements in line with international standards have attracted tennis elites from all walks of life in Huzhou to gather together, providing local tennis enthusiasts with a pure cultural experience of the Australian Open, and the style of Huzhou amateur tennis has also been transmitted to the world through the event.

In April 2024, the first Yangtze River Delta Regional Tennis Team Invitational Tournament was held in Huzhou Xiaomeigang Sports Park, where 12 teams from Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang gathered together to share this tennis feast. This competition has built an excellent stage for the mass tennis fans in the Yangtze River Delta region to show themselves, exchange and learn, and at the same time promote sports and cultural exchanges between Huzhou and other cities in the Yangtze River Delta. It is worth mentioning that during the event, Huzhou carefully planned the activity of "Traveling to Huzhou with Tennis", inviting contestants to experience the landscape and culture of Huzhou in depth outside the venue, making sports an important factor in the city's attractiveness.

In mid-March this year, Huzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Changzhou in Jiangsu Province jointly established the "Rim Taihu Tennis League", which will create the IP of tennis competitions in the Yangtze River Delta by holding events such as the "Rim Taihu City Tennis Invitational Tournament" and "Rim Taihu Lake Open" in the future.

With the official completion of the Huzhou International Clay Tennis Center this spring, clay tennis is expected to become a key step for Huzhou sports to enter the international stage, helping Huzhou gradually become an important town on the Chinese tennis map. In the future, this venue will introduce more national and international professional tennis events, so that the popularity CTA1000 of tennis in Huzhou will continue to rise, and the event system will be improved day by day, filling the gap of China's undertaking of international high-level clay events. By continuing to create a cultural business card of "clay tennis", Huzhou is exploring a unique sports development path.