Hong Kong organisers eye beach tennis grand slam event and 2,000-seat arena for 2026
City’s first tournament in Discovery Bay attracts record number of competitors for an ITF event
Music pumping from the DJ, families basking under the sun and spectators enjoying cold beers while the final of the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour Hong Kong unfolded gave Discovery Bay’s Tai Pak beach a new feel on Sunday.
It was the first time Hong Kong had hosted an ITF beach tennis tournament and hundreds of people were drawn to the event, which started on Friday.
Arnault Brac de la Perriere, unofficially the city’s leading player, was responsible for bringing the BT10- and BT50-level events to the city.
The Hong Kong resident hails from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where beach tennis is the national sport and home to the Sand Series Reunion Classic Tournament, a grand slam event.
Now, Brac de la Perriere has set his sights on giving the city its own grand slam, something he said was achievable in the next few years.
“The road map is quite clear,” he said. “We need at least two years of solid BT100, BT200 and potentially BT400 events.
“There are a lot of facilities that we need but I was part of the organisation of the grand slam in Reunion, so I know what we have to do.”