NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters 2016 Begins
- Top players compete in year-end championship of wheelchair tennis -
London, 29 November 2016 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) is sponsoring the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) year-end singles championship, where 22 of the world's top ranked wheelchair tennis players will compete from 30 November - 4 December 2016 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
The prestigious tournament, being hosted by the Tennis Foundation in London from 2015-2017, sees players compete in three divisions - men, women and quads - over a period of five days, with the men's, women's and singles finals all on Sunday, 4 December.
The ITF has invited eight men, eight women and six quad players based on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Ranking of 10 October, after the completion of the US Open USTA Championships, the last Super Series event of the season. The Wheelchair Tennis Masters was originally established in 1994 and has been sponsored by NEC since its inception.
Alongside the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, each day of the tournament will also feature opportunities for schools and community groups to take part in a variety of tennis activities and to meet some of the players taking part in the tournament, as well watching them in action.
David Haggerty, ITF President, said, "As the ITF's year-end wheelchair singles championship, the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters is arguably the most competitive tournament of the year as the top ranked players face their biggest rivals over five days of intense competition to decide the titles. At the end of another memorable Paralympic year we are, once again, delighted to return to the venue that hosted the London 2012 Paralympic Tennis Event."
Wheelchair tennis traces its beginnings to California, USA, in 1976 and has since spread across the globe. In 1992, the ITF created a tour for players, the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, and ran 21 tournaments in 13 countries. In 1994, the ITF launched the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters as the most prestigious event on the Tour. Today, NEC remains an Official Partner of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, which included more than 150 tournaments in over 40 countries this year, as well as title sponsor of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters.
The daily schedule for the 2016 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters is as follows:
Wednesday 30th to Saturday 3rd December:
11am Play starts
Sunday 4th December:
9.00am Play starts for playoff matches (subject to change)
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