Pasay City, Philippines, 2014-11-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — The countdown begins as SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., the lifestyle and entertainment solutions arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is set to bring the country’s first ever tournament of tennis giants at the Mall of Asia Arena on November 28 to 30.
Hot on the heels of the Davis Cup, the International Premiere Tennis League (IPTL), a brainchild of multiple Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi, was created to fulfill the increasing demand for top-level tennis in Asia. It is the first city-based professional league in the world played across four countries including the Philippines, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
The league will feature 21 Grand Slam Champions and 14 current/former World Number Ones, with the winning team walking away with a top prize of USD 1 million. The inaugural edition will be held in the cities of Manila, Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai between 28th November and 13th December 2014.
“The Philippines was a very obvious choice because you have amazing facilities, and this is a nation that loves sports. There’s also a big drive and appeal for superstars and the last professional tournament here was more than 25 years ago,” Eric Gottschalk, Chief Operating Officer at IPTL said.
Criteria in the selection of the countries included in the IPTL play were the availability of fully equipped indoor venues that could hold a minimum capacity of 10,000, the entertainment factor and the capabilities to market this new format sporting event. Matches include Men’s singles; Women’s singles; Mixed doubles; Men’s doubles and Legend singles.
Representing the Philippines through the Manila Mavericks team in 24 matches are tennis stars Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, Carlos Moya, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Kirsten Flipkens, Daniel Nestor, and Treat Huey. Other country teams are the UAE Royales, the India Aces and the Singapore Slammers.
Huey is a Filipino tennis player who has brought pride to the Philippines by winning three Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour doubles titles and the 2012 Citi Open doubles title. Huey reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No. 20 just this March 2014.
The Manila Mavericks will go head-to-head against tennis greats Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Gael Monfils, Fabrice Santoro, and Goran Ivanisevic.
“Serena Williams is extremely excited to play in the team and play with the legends. Sharapova has never been to the Philippines. They all love the formats,” Gottschalk said.
The schedule for the tour: Manila, Philippines (28-30 November); Singapore (2-4 December); New Delhi, India (6-8 December) and Dubai, UAE (11-14 December 2014).
For tickets and inquiries, visit www.smtickets.com or call 470-222.
About SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc.
SM Lifestyle Entertainment Incorporated or SMLEI is the lifestyle and entertainment solutions company of SM Prime Holdings Inc. that offers the best in movies, events, leisure and technology. Starting with SM Cinema, the largest cinema exhibitor in the country, as its sole marque, the company grew into 12 major brands. Currently tucked under its belt are brands such as SM Cinema, Director’s Club Cinema, IMAX Theatre, WM Cinemas, SM Skating Rink, SM Bowling and Leisure Center, Exploreum, Snack Time, e-PLUS Tap to Pay, e-PLUS Digital, Mall of Asia Arena, and SM Tickets. SMLEI aims to promote bonding activities among Filipino families and friends, through entertainment and leisure facilities, while advocating the ease of use and personalized service created to complement the Filipino lifestyle.
For further information, please contact:
Stephanie Henares
PR Manager, SM Lifestyle Entertainment
stephanie.henares@smsupermalls.com
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