Wuhan plans to hold a Sports and Culture Festival during this year’s Wuhan Open tennis tournament, which will include mini-tennis matches for children and a tennis photography show. 

Organizers of the Wuhan Open have invited Dominic Thiem and Fabio Fognini, members of the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP), to play a one-off exhibition match on Sept 28.

The match is expected to provide some light entertainment before WTA players begin competing in the Wuhan Open singles and doubles later that day. 

Most of the Wuhan Open Sports and Cultural Festival activities will be hosted in Carnival Square at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center.

 Dominic Thiem, a member of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley] 

“I have heard that the Wuhan Open is one of the biggest and best women’s tournaments in the world and as a tennis fan I’m excited to come and experience it for myself. I hope Fabio and I can put on a really good show for the fans and have some fun on court,” said Dominic Thiem.

Fabio Fognini, another ATP star, is invited to the 2019 Wuhan Open [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley]

Fabio Fognini was also exited for the match. “Domi and I are good friends and we’re ready to have some fun on the court. Matches like this are about entertainment and showing a less serious side of tennis, when players are not competing for a big title but instead just want to show off our beautiful sport.” 

According to Li Quiping, director of the Wuhan Open, the organization committee wants to offer Wuhan citizens a fun, family-oriented event revolving around tennis, sports, culture, and entertainment. 

This year’s Wuhan Open will feature the best female players from around the world, who will compete for one of the season’s most important titles. This year’s line-up of players includes a number of international WTA tennis superstars, such as current World No 1 Naomi Osaka, 2019 Roland Garros winner Ashleigh Barty, and World No 3 Karolina Pliskova.

The 2019 Wuhan Open features the best female players from around the world, who will compete for one of the season’s most important titles. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley]