In a youth-focussed initiative supported by Jaguar New Zealand, New Zealand’s up and coming tennis talent had the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a crowd of thousands at the ASB Classic tournament. Two of the four Kiwi kids went on to be named the country’s best youth players and win a new accolade in tennis for New Zealand. The Jaguar Cup.

Four young Kiwi children battled it out in front of crowds of thousands at The Road to the ASB Classic – the youth-focused tennis initiative that took place at Auckland’s ASB Classic event, designed to build a solid pipeline of talent in the New Zealand sporting industry.

The initiative is well aligned with Jaguar New Zealand’s consistent support for optimal physical and mental fortitude. A philosophy that sees the brand get behind rugby, tennis, equestrian and eventing as well as mental health champion and sporting great Sir John Kirwan.

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In two nail-biting performances, that had the crowds on the edge of their seats, Liam Youn (13) and Una Misic (11) both from Auckland, have beaten all their peers from all around the country including Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland to take out the winning titles.

The new tournament for New Zealand’s junior tennis talent scouted the best young players from around the country in a series of regional tournaments that culminated in the main draw, where the up-and-coming players got to grace the same courts as international superstars like Venus Williams, Coco Gauff, Casper Ruud, Diego Schwartzman and NZ-born Cameron Norrie.

32 young players took part in the main draw over three days at the ASB Classic, each match attracting large crowds of tennis fans, giving every player a taste of what national and international competitions are like.

The Finals drew in strong crowds who watched Liam and Una crowned as the very first Road to ASB Classic winners and presented with the Jaguar Cup.

The initiative is a collaboration between tennis sponsor Jaguar and performance tennis organisation the Lavie Academy, in response to prolonged period without major international success for our domestic players. It’s been over a century since New Zealand had a tennis player in the top 10 world ranking, with the closest player, Chris Lewis, reaching #19 almost three decades ago.

Sebastian Lavie, founder and owner of Lavie Tennis Academy is proud of the high standard of tennis that has been played by the young stars.

“We’ve seen an incredible level of tennis from the young players involved in this tournament. I knew we would see a high standard but I’m very impressed with the high caliber and the sportsmanship from all the players.”

“It’s a big ask for the 32 children who had the bravery and courage to compete in the main draw, at our national tournament this week. We have such a promising generation of young players, and this tournament has given them a taste of what national and international competitions are like. We hope that this will inspire our youngsters to chase their dreams and build confidence that they can also reach top levels in tennis.”

Impressed with the dedication and skills of the players, Steve Kenchington CEO of Jaguar Land Rover added: “It’s inspiring to see such young talent performing at a high standard both physically and mentally. This group of young tennis players have trained incredibly hard, and all our Jaguar colleagues from up and down the country have been very impressed with how dedicated they have been throughout the entire process.”

“Perhaps Una Misic and Liam Youn will be the international tennis stars New Zealand unites behind in years to come,” he adds.