Hengqin International Tennis Center

Hengqin International Tennis Center (Chinese: 横琴国际网球中心) is a tennis stadium complex in Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. It is operated by Huafa Sports, part of the Zhuhai Huafa Group.[1] It currently hosts three international competitions: the WTA Elite Trophy, the Zhuhai Open and the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff for the Australian Open.[1]

Huafa Center Court
Hengqin Tenis Center, Zhuhai
横琴国际网球中心
Location China Hengqin New Area, Zhuhai
OwnerHuafa Group
Capacity5,000 (center court )
1,500 (Court 1)
Record attendance45600 (2017)
SurfacePlexicushion (tennis)
Construction
Broke ground2014
Built2014
OpenedSeptember 2015 (2015-09)
Main contractorsPopulous
Tenants
WTA Elite Trophy
Zhuhai Championships
Zhuhai Open
Zhuhai ITF Women's Pro Circuit
Zhuhai Challenger
Website
Venue Website
Hengqin International Tennis Center
Simplified Chinese横琴国际网球中心
Traditional Chinese橫琴國際網球中心

The center covers a floor area of approximately 117,000 square meters. Its first phase, which was completed in 2015, is 68,000 square meters in area. It consists of a center court with a capacity for 5,000 spectators, one court accommodating 1,500 people, four smaller match courts, and twelve practice courts.[2] It was purpose built for the WTA Elite Trophy, which was inaugurated in 2015. It was designed by the sporting architectural company Populous, which was also behind the Wimbledon Centre Court and the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne Park.[3] The first phase was begun only a year before the center opened, and involved draining and reclamation of the site before construction could begin.[3] Because the WTA Elite Trophy is classified as an outdoor competition, the specifications included a requirement that all courts, indoor and outdoor, have the same climatic conditions in terms of temperature and humidity. Populous achieved this by designing a covered center court with two roofs: a cantilevered outer roof covering the stands, and a central roof covering the court, which allows natural light and ventilation while protecting players and spectators from direct sunlight and rain.[4] The grounds were landscaped as a park, which is open to the public while tournaments are not taking place.[4] The center opened in September 2015, two months before the 2015 WTA Elite Trophy, and hosted the $50,000 Zhuhai ITF Women's Pro Circuit, which subsequently combined with a men's tournament to become the Zhuhai Open. The Women's Tennis Association website reported that "players and fans loved the new stadium, which offered excellent vantage points from every seat."[5]

The center is in the central section of Henqin New Area.[2] The Henqin New Area was developed, beginning in 2009, as an area of cooperation between the prefecture of Zhuhai and the special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong, under China's "one country, two systems" policy. Henqin and Macau are separated by only 200 meters, and there is a bridge between the two.[6] Between August and December 2018, the Hengqin Tennis Center offered the use of its training facilities for free to all residents of Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Hengqin International Tennis Center". Hengqin Record. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  2. "WTA Elite Trophy inaugurates new Hengqin Tennis Center". Macau Daily Times. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  3. Newcomb, Tim (4 November 2015). "How Zhuhai's new center was created for the inaugural WTA Elite Trophy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. "Zhuhai Tennis Centre". Achello. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  5. "Zhuhai Gears Up For WTA Elite Trophy". Women's Tennis Association. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  6. "Welcome to Hengqin". Instituto de Promoção do Comércio e do Investimento de Macau (IPIM). Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  7. Song, Wendi (10 August 2018). "Hengqin International Tennis Center open for use by residents of Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong". Hengqin Record. Retrieved 5 November 2018.

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