Tickets for the 2011 ASB Classic (featuring the Kia Motors Singles and Doubles), and the Heineken Open (featuring the Panasonic Singles and Doubles) go on sale at TICKETEK from Monday 1st November, 2010.  Make sure you don't miss out and phone 0800TICKETEK (0800 842 538) or click here to get your tickets.   To view stadium map and seating plans Click here. PLEASE NOTE: The ASB Tennis Centre is under construction and public are currently not permitted on the site at any time.  Due to the construction, tickets for the 2011 tournaments cannot be purchased from Tennis Auckland.  All tickets must be purchased from Ticketek.

It’s a rarity that New Zealand can accurately claim the presence of a genuine world superstar.

However the 2011 ASB Classic featuring the Kia Motors Singles and Doubles has confirmed one of the ultimate names and faces of world sport – Maria Sharapova.

Twenty three year-old Sharapova is a three-time Grand Slam winner and has 22 titles overall to her credit and is a former world No1.

She shocked the tennis world by triumphing at Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 2004 defeating Lindsay Davenport 2-6 7-6(5) 6-1 in the semifinal and then beat top seed and two-time defending champion SerenaWilliams 6-1 6-4 in final. More…

Former New Zealand Davis Cup player and the coach of former Wimbledon Men’s singles champion, Michael Stich wants to get people active. 
Now in a position as Club and Schools Manager at Tennis Auckland, Lewis is motivated to get more people, young and old taking up sport, particularly tennis. 
Many people often desire to try something new but simply don’t have the nerve or confidence to act on their ambitions.  That’s why Tennis Auckland introduced the concept of Easi-Tennis several years ago to offer a simple way for adults to try and learn a new sport.
Tennis Auckland’s Easitennis programme is a thoroughly enjoyable way for adults to learn to play the game.  Through a series of six, 90 minute group lessons over a three week condensed period, participants learn to serve, hit forehands, backhands and volleys. More…

Round two of Scarbro Caro Bowl tennis saw Kiwi Davis Cup player Rubin Statham return to tennis in New Zealand to add even more strength to his Parnell club side.  Ranked at just outside of the world’s top 300 Statham who had reached the Commonwealth Games quarterfinals beat American Paul Koenke 6-4 6-2 as his Parnell side defeated Remuera 6-0. 
Parnell are now equal first on the points table with Campbell Park on the maximum 16 points and have a significant break on the rest of the teams.
The nearest rival is Cockle Bay who have had a win and a loss and sit on eight points. More…

Grasshoppers Tennis was introduced to two more South Auckland schools this week courtesy of funding from the Four Winds Foundation. 

The Gardens School and Redoubt North School are the latest schools to benefit from the generous grant which offers four weeks of Grasshopper coaching to over 300 children at the two schools.  Lead coaches Jono Frankle and Dan Kelly put the pupils through a series of skill development exercises and it was quite amazing to watch the children improve quickly during the course of each session.  Grasshoppers is a nationwide initiative endorsed by Tennis New Zealand and promoted locally by Tennis Auckland.  The racquets used are smaller and lighter, the court is smaller, the balls bounce lower and the net is lower so that young children play in conditions designed specifically for them, rather than trying to cope with adult conditions verging on the impossible.  The world’s leading tennis nations have embraced the mini-tennis concept with open arms and Auckland is no exception.

Due to the generosity of the Four Winds Foundation grant raised by Tennis Auckland Club and Schools Manager Mark Lewis, eight schools will receive four thirty minute coaching sessions, a staff training session, a teaching manual and an equipment kit containing 30 racquets, 72 low bounce balls and two portable mini-nets.
Online resources are coming on stream shortly via the new grasshopper tennis website and this will provide interactive experiences for grasshopper kids. 
 

Tennis Auckland Club and Schools Manager Mark Lewis is delighted that thousands of kids will get a chance to play tennis because of the funding received from the Four Winds Foundation.  It all adds up to more kids, more tennis and more opportunities for youngsters in the South Auckland region who may end up playing the game for the rest of their lives.  

Grasshopper Tennis hit three Auckland primary schools in the Southwest cluster this week courtesy of generous Kiwisport funding through the Sport Auckland Regional Sports Trust. 
A total of 700 children were given the opportunity to play tennis under the direction of professional coaches Wayne Molloy (Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club), Jason Magerkoth (Mt Albert Tennis Club) and David Branks (Pt Chev Tennis Club). 
Pupils from Chaucer School, Waterview Primary and Avondale Primary enjoyed their first experience of Grasshopper Tennis and very quickly acquired new fundamental tennis skills during the thirty minute sessions. 
The substantial funding raised by Tennis Auckland Club and Schools Manager Mark Lewis provides each school with a four week coaching programme,  a Grasshopper kit including 30 small rackets,  6 dozen low bounce balls,  2 nets,  a carry bag and a teacher training manual kept permanently by the school. 
An important aspect of the programme is the 60 minute staff training session designed to encourage teachers to use the Grasshopper equipment with their classes on a year round basis.  In essence, the Grasshopper Programme is the complete tennis package for all primary schools but most importantly, thousands of primary school children will be given the opportunity to learn new skills and try a different sport. 

Thanks to Sport Auckland and KiwiSport, over 7000 children will be given a chance to play tennis at school over the next two years.   Lewis is extremely grateful for the support which gives tennis wide exposure in the southwest area of Auckland and offers schools a direct link to some of the affiliated tennis clubs for ongoing tennis opportunities.   A further six schools in the area will participate in Grasshoppers in the next eight months.

SUNDAY 14th AND SUNDAY 21st NOVEMBER, 2010 – from 12.30pm each day

Level of play - This tournament is suitable for players who have played in a regional Tennis New Zealand sanctioned tournament and who play regular competitive tennis.

Eligibility – Open to primary and intermediate school children up to and including year 8

Click here for a copy of the entry form or for online entry: http://aktennis.qsihost.co.nz/juniors/juniors-tournaments/pri-int-schools-tournament/

Entries Close: 10th Nov 5pm