Guwahati, May 20: If you are still upset about Sania Mirza not having made it to the National Games, take heart. Nearly a hundred Federers and Sharapovas in the making will fight it out at the ITF World Junior Ranking Grade V Tournament in the newly built six-court Chachal Tennis Complex.

Basking in its National Games success, Guwahati has found a permanent place in the venue list of International Tennis Federation (ITF) with the world body naming the Chachal Tennis Complex the first-ever permanent venue in the Northeast for one of its annual junior tournaments

The tournament, the eighth world ranking meet in India, will be hosted by the All Assam Tennis Association (AATA) from November 26 to December 1. The tennis association has been hosting ITF Futures and Talent series meets in different parts of the state for nearly a decade.

“Since we have adequate infrastructure now, we propose to host as many national and international events here to give maximum exposure to our players who cannot afford or qualify for tournaments elsewhere,” Subhash Das, the president of the association, said today.

“Grade V is the entry point to world ranking tournaments. A new venue is awarded only with Grade V tournaments. The ITF gradually upgrades the venues to host upper grades depending on the infrastructure and organisation capacity. We will try to get Guwahati upgraded to Grade II or III tournaments within the next four to five years,” AATA secretary Raktim Saikia said.

The association has proposed to develop the infrastructure into a tennis academy by July this year, said Das. To raise funds for maintena-nce and uplift of the complex, the association has also proposed to develop a recreational clubhouse in the complex.

Das said the association would work out the details of the academy and recruit local coaches soon. “We are also looking for experts, which is difficult because it involves huge financial transactions. But we will rope in experts in due course,” he said.

He further said that once the proposed sports hostel in the masterplan comes up, it would not be a problem to accommodate the players.

The Rs 9.88-crore complex, with six international standard synthetic courts, has already caught the eyes of Globo Sport, an entertainment and management firm, as a probable venue for big events like the Sunfest Open in Calcutta or the Hyderabad WTA meet.

However, Saikia said to host such a million-dollar international event, the complex will have to be ready.

“As of now, we have completed laying the synthetic courts and readied the playing arena and spectators galleries at a cost of about Rs 4.5 crore. But, we will have to develop it into a full-fledged tennis complex to host an international invitation meet. We have submitted our proposal seeking government assistance in funding to complete the remaining work worth Rs 6 crore. Let’s hope the government will help us with the amount if not in a single year but in a couple of years,” he said.

The association’s state-of-the-art project includes provision for a gym, lodging facilities and office within the complex.

The Rs 9.88-crore complex, with six international standard synthetic courts, has already caught the eyes of India’s leading tennis organising house Globo Sport as a probable venue for big events like the Sunfest Open (Calcutta) or the Hyderabad WTA meet.

However, Saikia said to host such a million-dollar international event, the complex will first have to be fully complete.

“As of now, we have completed laying the synthetic courts and prepared the playing arena and spectators galleries at a cost of about Rs 4.5 crore. But, we will have to develop it into a full-fledged tennis complex to host an international invitation meet. We have submitted our proposal seeking government assistance in funding to complete the remaining work worth around Rs 6 crore. Let’s hope the government will help us with the amount if not in a single year but in a couple of years,” he said.

The association’s state-of-the-art project includes provisions for gym, lodging facilities and a modern office within the complex.