Tennis: Kiwi rising star Vivian Yang plots course for ASB Classic spot

Vivian Yang. Photo / Supplied

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New Zealand’s top under-18s women’s tennis star is plotting a course to secure wildcard entry to the ASB Classic.

Vivian Yang, who has just been crowned New Zealand’s No 1 under-18 singles and doubles player, is using the Wellington Open (8-11 December) to launch into a “stacked” season. One week after the Wellington tournament — where $25,000 in prize money is up for grabs — she will enter the ASB Classic Wildcard Playoffs.

“I am very confident with myself. I know I have the ability to receive the wildcard — and now I want to prove to myself that I deserve to be there.”

The Wellington tournament is returning after a year’s hiatus due to Covid-19, and will be the first of back-to-back competitions for many Kiwi players. It was brought forward a week from its usual dates, with the ASB Wildcard Playoffs also squeezed into this month’s calendar.

The schedule shift came after Tennis NZ and the ASB Classic announced they would work closer this summer to provide better opportunities for Kiwis to qualify for the only WTA and ATP events this country hosts.

Yang said she was grateful for the new wildcard format, saying it’s the most reasonable way for every Kiwi player to get a chance to qualify. At the Wildcard Playoffs tournament, there’s only one ASB Classic main draw wildcard up for grabs. While the playoff runner-up will get one last shot with a wildcard into the tournament qualifiers.

“Everyone that made it to the playoff has worked very hard and deserves to be there,” Yang said.

“This year, the Wellington Open early on will be good matches for me. It’s a good opportunity for me to start the season off with good up-and-down matches. I just like the home crowd ... a lot of people watching and I love big stages.

“I love being able to show them that my tennis is worth watching.”

Wellington Open tournament director Flo Perret said the tournament gave Kiwi players the chance to feature in a large event.

“It’s an opportunity for them to play in front of a 500-600 crowd which they don’t get basically ever,“ Perret said. “It’s also exciting to see youngsters play against more senior players who’ve already had an experience that the juniors dream of.”

Perret said he’s excited about the future for tennis in Aotearoa.

“I think right now Tennis NZ is very lucky because we have some great boys and girls performing not only on the domestic stage but internationally and it’s very promising.”

After falling short the last time the tournament was played in 2020, Yang was clear about her goal for Wellington: “My goal is to win it. Get the revenge back for the title.

“I’m quite ambitious to win it because I was obviously pretty close [in 2020].”

The 17-year-old who is seeded second in the Wellington singles would be on track to meet doubles partner Valentina Ivanov in the semifinal.

“Stoked” to play alongside Ivanov, Yang says it will be a good hit out before the ITF the following week where they’ll partner again.

Ranked No 5 in the country, Yang has two Wellington Open doubles titles, and in 2020 was runner-up to the New Zealand number one, Paige Hourigan, at the New Zealand Champs.

The Wellington Open qualifying rounds get underway on Thursday, with the main draw ramping up on Friday through to the finals on Sunday.