17th annual AsiaXpress.com Tennis Tournament
August 22nd and 23rd at the Gates Tennis Center
Cost: $15 Juniors; $25 – Singles; $30 Per Doubles team
Register at www.asiaxpress.com.
Questions? Email: [email protected]
by Tod Nguyen, Tournament Director
Asiaxpress.com’s tennis tournament began 17 years ago as a way to expose the sport of tennis to Colorado’s Asian American community. There is often a public preconception that Asian Americans are not interested in sports in general and we’re out to change that misconception by creating an event for tennis enthusiasts to participate in as well as introduce the sport to kids who may never have competed in any organized sports event.
The tournament has attracted people local as well as players from other states like California, Texas and even Florida. A variety of ethnic groups participate each year, including people from the Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Laos, Cambodia, Filipinos, Indonesian, Polynesian, Mongolian communities in Colorado. One of the top tennis players was from Mongolia, which has a population of only a few hundred in Colorado!
Although this is an Asian American tennis tournament, the organizers are inclusive and encourage and welcome everyone from the broader community to compete and participate in this fun, two-day summer event. The event allows people to meet and learn about other cultures as they engage in friendly competition.
The event is non-sanctioned, which means you don’t have to belong to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to complete like most of the other tennis events in Colorado. We intentionally kept it this way to attract people with a wide range of skill levels, from beginners to advanced tennis players. The event is set up so that all skill levels can play. There are multiple divisions that a player can register so that they can engage with players that match their skills level. If you don’t know your skill level, then you’re probably a beginner.
You don’t have to participate directly in the tournament to have fun, people often attend to support friends, and enjoy food and drinks available for purchase. For many, the annual Asiasxpress.com Tennis Tournament has become a yearly reunion. This year’s tournament date is August 22nd and 23rd at the Gates Tennis Center across from Cherry Creek Mall in Denver.
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