Taking talent to next level

It's a dream come true for Su Yutang to win a tennis training trip to Melbourne as the 12-year-old has long wanted to visit the place where his idol Li Na won the 2014 Australian Open.

"I can't wait to see the famous Melbourne Park and practice with foreign trainers," the primary student from Zhejiang province said at the 2015 Mercedez-Benz 'Weekend With the Stars' training camp in Beijing on Sunday.

Thanks to the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) youth development program, 16 juniors selected from preliminary phases held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu earlier this year were offered the chance to practice and communicate with senior players, including stars Peng Shuai and Zhang Ze, during the three-day camp, in conjunction with the China Open.

Su is one of four outstanding participants to be offered fully-funded trips to Melbourne in December.

During Sunday's session, Peng, a semifinalist at the 2014 US Open, presented camp participants with certificates and encouraged them to continue chasing their tennis dreams.

"Watching them really brings back the memories of when I was a kid," said Peng. "They showed great potential. I believe a future Grand Slam champion is among them as long as they keep working hard with such great support."

The CTA youth development program has benefited more than 25,000 juniors with advanced training and overseas trips since it was launched in 2008 in a bid to create China's tennis stars of the future.

The program is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz China and has been promoted by the Beijing International Group since 2008.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn