Peking University, Oct. 25, 2012: The Australian Open trophies for 2013 singles champions arrived at Peking University (PKU) on October 21 and were shown for the public on the tennis court of No.2 Stadium. Stephen Healy, President of Tennis Australia, with a group of staff, attended the press conference and the many activities that followed, all centered on: tennis.

The event is part of this year’s PKU International Cultural Festival, which is themed “A Better Society for All: Sharing the Global Dream.” It is nice and fitting since sports are considered universal language for people around the world and can inspire people to conceive dreams and strive for more.

PKU is just one stop of the trophy tour in China. Thanks to the great performance of a bunch of Chinese tennis players such as Li Na, China becomes a huge global market for tennis with a soaring number of fans. The trophy tour is part of Tennis Australia’s strategy to promote tennis and enlarge the influence of Australian Open in Asia/Pacific region and globally, which is the youngest of the four grand slam tournaments, despite having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. The award money of 2013 Australian Open will reach a new high level.

Here’s a group of photos to memorize this exciting day: 

The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup (left, men’s singles trophy) and The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup (right, women’s singles trophy) were carefully escorted and showcased throughout the day since they are genuine. The public can take a picture with the trophies but mustn’t touch them. A professional photographer was available and all photos taken can be retrieved online. 

An outdoor press conference was the first thing on schedule. Many students were attracted to the event. 

Three tie-breakers were played by PKU students against two Australian coaches and commentator Zhang Sheng to demonstrate to the audience how charming tennis is. Couple of wonderful shots triggered huge applause.

In the afternoon, the final of mini Davis Cup took place on the court next to where the trophies stood. The two teams made it to the final were China and Korea. The sequence of play was men’s singles, women’s singles and men’s doubles, each for one set only. Team China celebrated an overwhelming victory 6-4, 6-2, 7-6, but it was much tighter rivalry than what the score might suggest otherwise. The Australian coaches presented the winners with gifts and congratulated them on a wonderful performance. 

Later, Australian coaches taught kids from the Primary School Attached to PKU how to play tennis and played games with them. The balls used are called soft tennis balls, which are lighter, slower thus easier to manage and play. The space required for soft tennis is about one quarter of a normal tennis court, and the rackets are smaller. Tennis Australia donated six sets of soft tennis equipment to the primary school to help it promote tennis.

The event was co-organized by PKU tennis association (PKUTA). It wouldn’t have been successful without these dedicated volunteers.

Extended Reading

The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup