Six Bhutanese junior tennis players are preparing for the upcoming International Tennis Federation (ITF) under-14 Asian Championship to be held in Vietnam.
Bhutan will compete in division two, which is the second tier competition, along with 16 countries. The two-week long championship begins on Sunday.
Led by head coach, Tshering Namgay, the six junior players were seen polishing their skills ahead of the championship in Ho-Chi-Minh city, Vietnam. The selection of the six players was announced after the junior national tennis championship in Phuentshogling, last month. Among the six, only one player doesn’t have international experience.
“The coach feeds us ball, sometimes we play matches between girls and boy. We are learning game tactics and techniques. I am practicing very hard to make my parents and country proud,” said one of the players, Sonam Chuki Dorji.
Other players are also practising hard. “I am preparing as hard as I can so that I can give a tough fight to my opponents. I want to represent my country well,” said Jigme Norbu.
The junior national squad has been training every week. A top two finish in this tournament will give Bhutan promotion into the division one of the under-14 championship, next year. The squad will leave for Vietnam on Saturday.
