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Academy Sanchez Casal wins bid to host Teen World Open

The originally planned inaugural host won the bid the second time around as well. After Teen World Open 2021 was postponed due to the pandemic, original host Academy Sanchez Casal emerged from three bids to host the rescheduled inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022. That means Naples, Florida will serve as the host city of the first Teen World Open. ASC boasts more than thirty courts, of which the eight featured clay courts will host Teen World Open 2022's match play, from group stage through to the final. It has pedigree in hosting professional tournaments as well, with ITF events hosted almost weekly there in the winters.

Players will spend the week at the ASC residences normally populated by the academy's students, just a short walk from the courts. "That was a pivotal piece of the bid," Tennis Central CEO Yann Auzoux said. "We needed to work with a host who would understand the mission of removing the hurdles from these players' paths to professional tennis, and paying for lodging is one of the highest. "These apartments are right on site, and they don't look like dorms but like what you'd expect of Naples, Florida." Partner hotels will host coaches and families who make the trip to support the players, who will be arriving from at least sixteen countries. Sponsors will have plenty of space to attract fans and visitors to the sponsor village that will pop up on the grounds during the tournament, mostly around the main entrance, restaurant, and TV-featured courts 1 and 2. The University of Virginia and Baylor University also submitted bids. Their plans included indoor courts, while Baylor offered its main tennis stadium, and Virginia's tennis resort and opening ceremony plans turned heads. But in the end the original host won out, assisted by the vacation-oriented nature of pristine, affluent Naples. "We loved the prospect of outdoor tennis even in December and a city that will attract visitors for spectacle even beyond the tennis," tournament director Michael Augsberger said. Many other sites were in the initial running but did not make it to the bid stage, such as Liberty University and Wilmington University.


Teen World Open Naples 2022 begins with practice sessions on December 17 and the first matches on December 19.

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