By Jonty Ralphsmith
Bunyip Tennis Club is set to host the inaugural Ace Classic from 26-28 January.
Professional Australian players Joshua Charlton and Corey Gaal headline the field, with that pair among 24 who will battle it out in the open field.
The matches will see players compete in a best-of-three set match, with the third set to be a 10-point tiebreaker.
Club secretary Vanessa Kent said hosting the event is significant for the club.
“We’re a relatively small club in little Bunyip so we’ve hardly done anything like this before,” she said.
“It would be great to get it off the ground and make it an annual thing.
“We want it to be all about the players.
“We want to give them the opportunity to come out and bring a tournament with decent prize money to the suburbs.
“It’s also good for the local community to have high quality tennis on their doorstep.”
Weather pending, the final will be a standalone fixture on Sunday, with the earlier rounds to take place across Friday and Saturday.
Across the tournament, there will be a barbecue, games for kids and the Australian Open televised on the big screens at the club.
Kent was also complimentary of the local community for getting behind the event, offering sponsorship and services for players.
Gaal, aged 25, is currently ranked 22nd in the ITF rankings and has been as high as 10th, with a 29-26 win-loss record across his ITF career.
The 24-year-old Charlton is on the doorstep of his career-high ITF ranking at 413.
