This morning, two young ATP stars from the Chengdu Open main draw - American Jared Donaldson and wild card Swede Mikael Ymer - visited ‘Wangjian Lou’, one of Chengdu’s cultural attractions that roughly translates as ‘river view pavilion’.
The duo took part in a game of mini-tennis in the park before learning the ancient local art of Calligraphy from a ‘sifu’ (master).
“There are not a lot of similarities between American and Chinese culture - we don’t have bamboo and cultural places like this. It’s a really beautiful setting. I remember learning calligraphy in the 4th grade but I haven’t practiced it since - I think it did a good job though! I’m lucky to have this opportunity to visit places like these as a profession tennis player, my friends would be jealous! I love playing tennis in Asia and in China. The atmosphere is great and it’s very cool to experience all these different cultures,” said the 20-year-old ATP Next Gen star Donaldson.
It’s my first time in China and Asia, so it’s really amazing. This place is very special and I’ve never seen anything like this. The bamboo is beautiful and the master was very nice to show us how to paint the calligraphy. I’m quite amazed we managed to do it quite well. Everyone is so nice here in China, the people and the tournament staff are all amazing. It’s very well organised. To explore places like this at eighteen or nineteen is really a privilege,” said the 19-year-old Swede.
There will be free admission to qualifying round matches and court 1 and 2 matches. Tickets for the Chengdu Open main draw center court matches through to the finals will range in price from RMB 30 to RMB 400 and are available through www.damai.cn and www.piao.com.cn.
The tournament is owned by IMG and is organized by the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Municipal Government, is co-organized by Chengdu Sports Bureau, Shuangliu District Government and Chengdu Culture Tourism Group and is promoted by Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd., CCTV IMG (Beijing) Sports Management Co. Ltd. and IMG Sports Development (Shanghai) Limited.
The Chengdu Open is also very proud to have the distinguished support from ATP World Tour’s Premier Partner Emirates, the official player hotel St. Regis, Chengdu which fast became a favourite of the players, Srixon tennis balls, the Sichuan Tennis International Hotel which is conveniently located adjacent to the courts and providing efficient services to the tournament, the official sponsor Chengdu Better City, the official car Unicorn, the official apparel Erke, the official gym equipment Life Fitness, the official Chinese tea Sichuan Mengding Tea Co. Ltd., the official stringer Yonex and the official water Ice Age. The Official media partners are Iqiyi Sports, West China Metropolis, Chengdu Radio and TV Station, Chengdu Daily, CTA APP, Shenzhen Hundred-Meter Life Shares Co., Ltd., and Tennis World.
The official tournament website www.ChengduOpenTennis.com has additional information about the tournament.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Ms. Robecta Yeung, ph: +852-28940204 or +86-13760373443 or by email Robecta.Yeung@img.com.
About the 2017 Chengdu Open
Please visit: www.ChengduOpenTennis.com
About Chinese Tennis Association
Please visit: www.tennis.org.cn
About Chengdu City
Please visit: www.chengdu.gov.cn
About Chengdu Sports Bureau
Please visit: www.cdsport.gov.cn
About Shuangliu District
Please visit: www.shuangliu.gov.cn
About Chengdu Culture Tourism Group
Please visit: www.cdctg.com
About Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd.
Please visit: www.sciitc.com
About CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company
Please visit: www.cctv-img.com
About IMG
Please visit: www.img.com
About the ATP World Tour
Please visit: www.atpworldtour.com
