Junior tennis tour aimed at producing the next Li Na

As China awaits the next Li Na to emerge, a junior tennis tour organized by the China Open sets the path for future Grand Slam stars.

With about five months to go before this year's China Open tennis tournament, the event's venue, the National Tennis Center, will host 64 youth tennis players competing at the Beijing leg of the 2016 China Open Junior Tour on Saturday.

The event is scheduled to visit at least 10 cities nationwide from May to September. It was jointly organized by the China Open and the Tsinghua International School. Its mission is to provide junior tennis players under the age of 12 a professional platform to hone their skills.

The opening leg in Beijing provided 64 spots in the male and female singles draw. The tour final will be held in Beijing during the China Open in October. The winners will be awarded training trips overseas offered by the China Open organizing company.

With China's first Grand Slam singles champion Li Na retired in 2014, China Open has been actively promoting the game at the grassroots level by hosting youth clinics and introducing training programs in local schools.

Supported by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, China Open's campus tennis promotion initiative will have reached 14 primary and secondary schools in Beijing by this spring semester. It will put more than 2,600 students in optional tennis courses.

Wu Peihua, chairwoman of Beijing China Open Promotions Limited, said by introducing high-quality training resources and working closely with education institutions such as the Tsinghua International School the company is putting more efforts into enhancing the game's influence among Chinese youth.