WORLD-RANKED PLAYERS SLATED TO PLAY IN 5th ANNUAL GUAM INTERNATIONAL TENNIS OPEN
[11 April 2008, Guam] – Some of the top, internationally-ranked players in Australia, Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific region will compete for cash and prizes in a new competition format at the 5th Annual Guam International Tennis Open at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa tennis courts.
This year’s tournament, in preparation for the hosting of a professional level tournament, will feature an invitational 16-Player Males Singles Challenge and an 8-Team Doubles Draw. The goal of the Guam International Tennis Open is to become a points-earning professional level tournament.
Confirmed players for the singles challenge include Thailand’s Danai Udomchoke, currently ranked No. 197 in the world. Just a little over a year ago, Udomchoke was ranked No. 77 in the world. Udomchoke played in all four tennis grand slam events in 2007, including advancing to the 3rd round of the Australian Open losing to the 2008 champion in four sets. His doubles rank is No. 289 in the world.
2008 Japan Davis Cup team member Satoshi Iwabuchi from Japan, ranked No. 356 in the world as a singles player, also is confirmed to play in the tournament. His career high singles ranking was No. 223 in the world. His career high ranking for doubles is 125 in the world, set in September 2006, according to the ATP tennis Web site. Iwabuchi has participated in all tennis’ Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open, & US Open) in both singles and doubles.
Another confirmed new face for this tournament is Ikaika Jobe from Hawaii, whose highest ranking in the world was 787, set in November of last year. In doubles, his current world ranking is 489, although he was ranked as high as 479 just last month. His doubles partner, Brad Lum-Tucker also is confirmed to play in this year’s GITO.
The 16-Player Males Singles Challenge and 8-Team Doubles Draw Invitational is scheduled to begin May 28th. Finals, for singles and doubles events, are scheduled for June 1st. The invitational singles challenge will include other world ranked players from Australia, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. Future press releases will detail players and their biographies as they commit to the event.
Prior to the invitational portion of the tournament will be all age and skill divisions. This year, the GITO will feature two additional divisions – the 2.0 and the 5.0 division. This division will be added to the existing 3.0, 4.0 and 35+. The skill and age divisions will be played May 21st through the 25th. Each division will feature five events – men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles events. For 2008, players will compete for an $11,000 total prize purse.
In addition to premier players from the region, the tournament also has attracted several members of the media from Pacific and Asian regions. Details of previous tournaments have been displayed in a variety of international magazines and newspapers, complete with photos and results.
All tournament matches will be played at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa’s tennis courts under the direction of the Tennis Academy of Guam. The entry deadline for all divisions is May 15 with a $35 registration fee for two events. Entry forms in English and Japanese may be downloaded from the tournament website at www.guamopen.com. Forms may also be requested by calling the Hilton marketing communications office at 646-1820, ext. 5501.
We invite you to be part of the action and international competition. For more information on this tournament, log on to www.guamopen.com. Draws are posted as soon as they become available.
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For additional inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Jill Espiritu
Tournament Committee
Hilton Guam Resort & Spa
Email: MarketingCommunications.Guam@hilton.com
Telephone: 1 (671) 646 1820 extension 5501
Facsimile: 1 (671) 646 3796
Websites: Hilton.com or Hilton.co.jp
For local events visit: www.hiltonguamresort.com
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