As the Malta Tennis Federation (MTF) gears up for a busy 2015, the country’s top players are vying to lay down an early marker by winning the BOV Malta Men’s Masters Tournament at the Marsa Sports Club.
Top seed Matthew Asciak, who has dominated local tennis for much of the past decade, spearheads Group One which also comprises Bradley Callus, Miguel Galea and Matthew Cassar Torreggiani.
Group Two is made up of Denzil Agius, the no.2 seed, Mark Gatt, Raphael Sammut and Matthew Booker, a late replacement for Bernard Cassar Torreggiani, who was forced to pull out of the tournament due to illness.
The opening matches from the group phase, on a round-robin basis, were played yesterday. The top two players in each pool advance to the semi-finals on January 3 with the final scheduled for the following day (Jan. 4) on Court One.
David Farrugia Sacco, the president of the MTF, said the Masters Tournament is an opportunity for the participants to test themselves against each other while also enabling the local tennis body and national coach Marco Cappello to assess the form of the leading players ahead of upcoming international commitments.
“This is the fifth edition of this annual tournament,” Dr Farrugia Sacco told reporters at the event’s launch yesterday.
“The objective is to have the best eight players over the past 12 months taking part in the last competition of the year.
“This tournament is an opportunity for us to gauge their progress and a platform for the players to compete against each other.
“There are several important tournaments next year and this competition allows us to monitor the players’ condition.
“In 2015, we will be taking part in the Davis Cup and the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE).”
The top eight players in the MTF ranking chart qualify for the end-of-season Masters Tournament.
“The players are well-prepared,” Dr Farrugia Sacco added.
“They have come through a series of events to book their place in the Masters which ranks as the most prestigious competition in the MTF calendar alongside the Malta Open.
“We have high hopes that the tournament will offer a good level of tennis and I’m sure that the players will give their best.
“Malta being an island, our players face logistical problems to participate in overseas competitions on a regular basis.
“The pool is somewhat restricted but we do appreciate the players’ efforts and sacrifices.”
Mark Camilleri, the vice-president of the MTF who oversees the national teams, announced that the women’s masters tournament, featuring the six top-ranked players, is to be held in the coming months.
A training camp involving Maltese and Italian players is also on the MTF’s 2015 agenda.
“As David Farrugia Sacco has strong ties with the Italian tennis federation, we are in talks to organise a training camp for our players,” Camilleri said.
“The training camp will be held either in Malta or Italy.”
2015 will see Malta’s top tennis players compete in the Davis Cup (Europe Zone Group III) tournament in May and the GSSE in Iceland, starting on June 1. Malta is expected to field four players - two male and two female - in the GSSE tennis events.
In April, the MTF will send a four-strong women’s team for the Fed Cup Europe-Africa Group III.
For his part, John Paul Abela, manager media and community relations at BOV, said the bank’s backing of the Masters Tournament was in keeping with its commitment to support sport, one of the pillars of the society.
Results
M. Asciak bt M. Cassar Torreggiani 6-1, 6-0; M. Gatt bt R. Sammut 6-2, 6-1; B. Callus bt M. Galea 6-2, 6-2.