Junior athletes from across the globe are gathered in Oak Bay this week!
The Oak Bay Recreation Centre is currently hosting the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Tennis Tournament.
It kicked off on Monday, October 16th and will run until Saturday, October 21st—featuring both singles and doubles events for players traveling from across Canada, the US, China, Romania, Iran, Sweden, Australia, India, and Ukraine.
Around 100 junior players are taking part in the tournament with their coaches and cheerleading families!
The ITF World Tennis Junior Tour has been described as the perfect opportunity for players 18 and under to develop their talent while traveling to tournaments across the world.
“Not only does this tournament feature top tennis talent, but it will also help inspire youth in our Oak Bay Recreation tennis programs,” said Simon Vickers, Tennis and Pickleball Program Supervisor at Oak Bay Recreation.
“It’s also a chance for residents to watch high-quality tennis in their own community.”
If you’re hoping to catch a game, the tournament is open to the public with main draws taking place until Friday and the finals on Saturday. There’s no charge for people to watch.
For stats and schedule information, visit their website!
“Tennis is an integral part of Oak Bay’s active community, and it’s exciting to have this caliber of tournament come to our community,” said Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch.
“Along with bringing players and families from across the world to Oak Bay, it will energize a sport for all ages in our community.”
According to the release, this is the first of two ITF tournaments coming to Oak Bay Recreation, with an ITF Masters tournament scheduled for November 8th to 12th—so, stay tuned!
 Junior Tennis Tournament.){kind=link}