Tennis’ version of rugby’s Hong Kong Sevens? New beach tournament spreads word
Fast-paced game aims for party-like atmosphere at city’s first fully fledged international tournament, in Discovery Bay
Hong Kong’s first international beach tennis tournament sanctioned by the sport’s global governing body began on Friday, with 28 nationalities represented and comparisons drawn with the spirit of the city’s world-renowned rugby sevens showpiece.
Organisers hope that the debut edition in Discovery Bay can stimulate interest in a similarly fast-paced variant on a traditional game and be a stepping stone to staging higher-level International Tennis Federation (ITF) events.
Arnault Brac de la Perriere, unofficially the city’s leading player, was responsible for making ITF Beach Tennis World Tour Hong Kong happen. He said the aim was to generate a little of the party atmosphere, and tap into the accessibility, of the shortened form of rugby, as seen days earlier during the Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium.
“I see the joy that people get, it’s really like rugby sevens,” he said. “You have the stadium, a big party and the best players in the world coming.”
Getting the event off the ground was the culmination of three years of work, and the end goal is to bring a grand slam tournament to town, said Brac de la Perriere, who hails from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion and moved to Hong Kong 20 years ago.