Two promising young Waikato tennis stars to play centre-court at ASB Classic

Paxton Maling, 13, from Beerescourt Tennis Club, and Shannon Yu, 12, from Lugton Park Tennis Club with Sebastian Lavie, founder and owner of Lavie Tennis Academy (left) and Matt Adams representing Jaguar in the Waikato. Photo / Barker Photography

Paxton Maling and Shannon Yu from the Waikato are two promising young tennis players who have won the opportunity to play centre-court at the ASB Classic.

The young stars are competing in a new junior tennis tournament called ‘The Road to the ASB Classic’, by Jaguar and Lavie Tennis Academy, which gives promising talent the opportunity to shine at our biggest tennis tournament and win the inaugural Jaguar Cup.

The tournament involves a series of regional draws across the country for tennis players under the age of 14 to compete for a place in the 32-player main pool, which will be played on the courts at ASB Classic in January 2023 – giving young tennis stars the experience of what it takes to compete at the top.

The initiative has been designed to improve the breadth and depth of the country’s tennis talent, as it’s been over a century since New Zealand had a tennis player in the top 10 world rankings, with the closest player, Chris Lewis, reaching #19 almost three decades ago – and last month in Cambridge, it was the Waikato’s turn to find its best local talent.

The youngsters from the Waikato who have secured their places to play at the ASB Classic include Paxton Maling, 13, from Beerescourt Tennis Club; and Shannon Yu, 12, from Lugton Park Tennis Club. Both are in Hamilton.

Pleased to have found such brilliant talent from the Waikato, Sebastian Lavie, founder and owner of Lavie Tennis Academy, says the tournament aims to inspire young players from clubs around the country, and he is looking forward to seeing how the Waikato kids perform in front of crowds in January.

“We’re delighted to give these future tennis stars an incredible opportunity to perform at ASB Classic. The Waikato players have competed well so far, with some exciting matches and great talent. It’s going to be an exciting time to see the best young talent from around the country compete, surrounded by big crowds and some of the world’s best tennis players.”

Proud to support New Zealand’s next generation of tennis professionals, Matt Adams, representing Jaguar in the Waikato, congratulated the local players, saying: “It has been amazing to see so many young talented tennis players from the local area getting involved in the Road to ASB Classic tournament. It’s exciting that two players have made it through to the main draw – I’m sure the entire community will be cheering them on, either on the sidelines or from home!”

Playing at the ASB Classic is the opportunity of a lifetime for the young players, and one that is usually only achieved with individual funding or sponsorships. Each of the 32 kids from across the country will compete in four matches during the ASB Classic, with hundreds of spectators able to watch, culminating in live finals on Centre Court ahead of the ASB Classic Men’s Final on Saturday, January 15.

Further details about the tournament can be found on the Lavie Tennis Academy’s website.

Main Draw Dates: Thursday, January 12 to Saturday, January 14, ASB Classic, Auckland.