Peking University, Nov. 8, 2010: The 16th PKU Tennis Open, organized by Peking University Tennis Association (PTA), successfully ended at the tennis court of No.2 Stadium at Peking University (PKU) last Sunday. 80 men’s singles players and 16 women’s singles players fought for the championships over the weekend. Wang Yang from Beijing Normal University defeated Liu Jianyu from Beijing University of Chemical Technology to claim the title of men’s singles champion while on the women’s side, Wang Weihang outfought the defending champion, nicknamed “ace-girl” in the final.
In spite of earlier weather forecast of rain on Saturday, it was nice and sunny, perfect condition for outdoor tennis matches. Players were divided into groups of four and the best two of each group came through. During this first group stage, players competed for only one short set (tie-breaker at 3-3) without advantage in each game. The matches didn’t end until 9:30 p.m.
The elimination rounds followed the next morning. Players managed to give their best performances against the strong wind, which mildly affected the enjoyment of the game but excitement prevailed. Players were challenged in one normal set. Matches successfully ended in the early afternoon followed by prize awarding and photographing. Quality tennis gears such as Wilson tennis bags were awarded as prizes, thanks to PTA’s success in finding a sponsership.Wilson tennis bags were awarded as prizes, thanks to PTA’s success in finding a sponsership.
A group picture at the awarding ceremony
The PKU Tennis Open was not overshadowed by Beijing Forum 2010 which was held in PKU at the same time. Excellent publicity attracted a good many tennis amateurs of high level in Beijing, most of which were university students, even including exchange students from other countries like Korea.
One of the international tennis enthusiasts who also participated in PKU Tennis Open was Ma Weishan, currently a French language teacher at New Oriental School who was born in France and gained the citizenship of Hong Kong later. Though middle-aged, he argued that thanks to the game, he always felt like 25 years old, forever young and energetic. He gave a lot of credit for tennis in influencing his life and attitude in a positive way. He reached the semi-final this time, his personal best in PKU Tennis Open.
Ma Weishan (right) received prize from head of PTA Zhu Muyao (middle)
Zhu Muyao, Head of PTA, spoke highly of the PKU Open this semester, “It’s lucky that the weather went our way so that the Open was held as planned. The level of this semester’s Open remained relatively high in spite of its large scale. I want to say many thanks to those who contributed to the game. It would not be possible without the help of PTA staffs and referees. There is room for improvement, however, as far as the organization is concerned, which will encourage us to do better next time.”
Liang Bingyu, Chief Executive of the PKU Open, also commented on the success, “This Open outstrips the past in many such aspects as sponsorship and publicity. It’s the first time that we’ve done the registration on the internet, which is far more convenient. The applications outnumbered our expectation so we had to put a few of the players in the waiting list. We are considering expanding but it’s not quite possible due to the limits of courts and time. Still it’s hard work; we’ve done quite a lot rescheduling since players informed us with their changes of available time. Overall, I was very much satisfied.”
The PKU Tennis Open, born in November 2003 and held once each semester by PTA, enjoys growing popularity over the years. It has now become an important platform for tennis amateurs in Beijing especially those university students to compete and improve their skills together.
Reported by: Chen Long
Edited by: Zhang Chunlan
