Although the three-day event is sure to produce some cracking rivalries on court, the host club has one clear goal — to have fun.
Club president Mark McDonald said the event was open to players of all ages and skill levels.
“Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy themselves,” McDonald said.
“We do have the higher grades for more competitive tennis, but it's really just about having some fun and promoting the sport.”
With the event usually contested during Melbourne Cup weekend, the 2020 event had been postponed until now.
Even though there could be less entries than in previous years due to COVID-19 restrictions, McDonald said the committee was still expecting upwards of 60 players from regional and metro areas to thrash it out for the silverware.
“It’s a beautiful time of year and people love our grass courts,” he said.
“We do get people up from Melbourne, but also Shepparton, Euroa, Wangaratta, Myrtleford and, of course, Benalla.
“Some people play all three events, but some people might just want to play on the Saturday or the Sunday.”
Festivities will begin on Friday morning with a community event for juniors aged 4 to 12, before things heat up in the afternoon with mixed doubles matches.
With all events sporting a round-robin draw, the men’s and women’s doubles will headline Saturday, along with junior doubles, before the senior and junior singles fixtures close out the tournament on Sunday.
With sporting events across the region falling from the calendar in 2020, McDonald said the tournament would provide a huge boost for Benalla, not just spiritually, but economically.
“It’s something we want to do and we’re hoping Benalla gets something out of it, too,” McDonald said.
“It seems to be the right time of year to have it.
“We’ve got plenty of attractions for people to come here.
“We can promote the street art and silo art and there is Lake Benalla and our restaurants and cafes.”
With a variety of COVID-19 restrictions in place, the club will be abiding by all guidelines set out by Tennis Australia.
Camping is also available on site.
● Late entries are welcome. For an entry form, head to https://play.tennis.com.au/benallalawntennisclub/Eventsbenallalawntennistournament@outlook.com or email
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