Sports India

The national capital will host the first Asian Hopman Cup mixed team tennis championships in November, the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) announced Friday.

The ATF has allotted the six-team $70,000 tournament to the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for three years starting with this year’s edition.

The winners will get an entry into the main draw of the Hyundai Hopman Cup, which is held in Perth in December-January.

On the basis of rankings, top male and female players from India, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Uzbekistan and China have been invited to take part in the tournament. The Philippines will be the first reserve team.

The Asian Hopman Cup is likely to feature some of the best players of the continent like India’s Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, Wang Yeu-Tzuoo of Taipei, Ai Sugiyama of Japan, and Na Li of China.

The winners will receive $20,000 while the runner-up will get $12,000 in prize money.

Named after legendary Australian coach and player Harry Hopman, the Cup was instituted in 1988. Eight teams of one male and one female player each take part in the event.