Tour de force serves up path to glory

Success of fledgling domestic circuit helps nation's young tennis hopefuls plot route to global stage

With a youth-focused domestic tour gaining momentum, the Chinese Tennis Association is stepping up its talent development efforts with a view to producing future Grand Slam success.

As the world's top professionals, including China's best, battle it out at Wimbledon, the country's young hopefuls have served notice of their intentions to join the major stage too, highlighted by some solid performances at last week's Changsha leg of the 2022 CTA Tour.

The eight-day tournament got the tour's third season off to a flying start on Sunday, raising the curtain on the seven-leg domestic circuit at a time when elite-level international events remain suspended in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.