Territory lose out on ATP riches
The absence of an indoor stadium robbed Hong Kong of snaring its second, and what would have been its richest, ATP tournament, it was revealed yesterday. Michael Duff, executive vice-president of the ATP, said yesterday that organisers of October's annual Marlboro Championships last year made a bid to replace the now-defunct Sydney Indoor tournament. But the only factor that stood in the way of Hong Kong staging an event with up to US$800,000 in prize money and a guaranteed field of top-class players was the lack of a quality indoor venue.
The Championship Series event, which falls smack in the middle of the indoor season, was instead given to Vienna. Said Duff: 'We had talks with [Marlboro tournament director] Brian Catton, but they wanted to have the tournament at Victoria Park instead of indoors. 'If there was a good indoor venue, then Hong Kong would have got it.' The US$328,000 Salem Hong Kong Open is currently the territory's only ATP-sanctioned event where players can earn world ranking points. The Marlboro Championships is an exhibition event and the territory's richest tennis tournament, offering double the prize money of Salem. It was a rare chance for the Marlboro tournament to jump on the professional circuit, as Duff said the territory is unlikely to be high on the priority list should an empty week on the calendar suddenly crop up.
'The demand for tournaments is high and most bids will be looked at before Hong Kong,' said Duff, who is in Hong Kong for the Salem Open. 'There are other places in Asia which want to be part of the tour. Thailand are keen and the Philippines have some solid tennis players. 'If Thailand and the Philippines are not ready, and there is an opportunity, it's possible Hong Kong could get a second tournament. 'But there are other places we would look at before Hong Kong.' Duff's revelations will intensify calls for a quality indoor stadium in the territory, not only for holding top events but as a safeguard against the weather. The Salem Open and the Marlboro Championships, both held at Victoria Park's outdoor stadium, have been dogged by rain over the years, with this year's Salem having lost almost an entire day to bad weather. It is understood that the Urban Council has been talking with the Hong Kong Tennis Association on the possibility of building an indoor venue, although nothing has been confirmed. There were plans to revamp the whole Victoria Park tennis complex to include either an indoor venue or a stadium with a retractable roof.
Hong Kong's neighbour Macau was also ruing the loss of a major tennis tournament, although it has an excellent indoor stadium. Duff said the ATP had negotiations with the Macau government to stage this year's World Doubles Championship in the Portuguese enclave. However, because it would have clashed with the Macau Grand Prix, the world's Formula Three championship, those plans were scrapped.
The tournament will now be held in Hartford, Connecticut starting the week of November 11. The Macau Grand Prix is scheduled for the weekend of November 16 and 17, the last two days of the World Doubles event. 'We thought Macau was a good site for the event,' said Duff. 'It has a good facility and we had support from the Macau government. 'The biggest problem was the Macau Grand Prix.'