"WTA Future Stars" Junior Tennis Tournament to Launch Across Asia-Pacific

SINGAPORE, August 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

• WTA Future Stars will showcase top female junior talent 
• Nine countries participating in the Future Stars program, with more expressing interest 
• Finals to be played at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global 

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is to launch a "WTA Future Stars" Road to Singapore tournament series running from August through September 2014, with players fighting for a spot to compete in Singapore from October 17-20. The WTA Future Stars will be featuring competitions for young girls across Asia-Pacific with a vision to promote high-level athlete development, health, fitness, and empowerment of women through the sport of tennis.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140811/700750 )

Each regional WTA Future Stars event will include competition in two categories: Girls' 14 and Under and Girls' 16 and Under. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Laos have since signed up to participate, with more countries expressing interest. Top regional qualifiers will compete at the Kallang Tennis Centre on October 17-19, in conjunction with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, with the finals being played on Center Court at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Monday, October 20. Players will gain a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet some of this year's WTA Finals players and legends, as well as getting an all-access look into one of the most highly anticipated sporting events in Asia-Pacific.

"The introduction of the WTA Future Stars junior tournament series is aimed to encourage young girls throughout the Asia-Pacific region to become active through tennis," said WTA Finals Tournament Director, Melissa Pine. "For more than four decades, WTA players have served as role models and inspiration for the future generation of young girls worldwide. We look forward to introducing the future stars to the stars of today and tomorrow at the WTA Finals in Singapore."

WTA Future Stars is produced by Sport Singapore. Visit Twitter (@WTAFinalsSG) or Facebook (Facebook.com/WTAFinalsSG) to join the action on BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

Staged at the state-of-the-art $1.3 billion Singapore Sports Hub from October 17-26, 2014, the WTA Finals is a 10-day sports entertainment experience of competition, exhibitions and activities for tennis fans in Singapore and around the world. This is the first time Singapore, an Asia-Pacific city, has played host.

For more information, please contact futurestars@wtatennis.com.