More than 400 tennis players from New Zealand and Victoria, Australia, and are to hit courts at five locations across Tauranga City this weekend as the national Masters teams event gets underway.

Tennis Masters Western Bay of Plenty has the honour of hosting the annual three-day event this year, with club secretary Casey Tarau saying 20 local teams will be in the mix.

“From Friday, April 18, to Sunday, April 20, 271 ties will be contested using 43 courts across five local locations – at Tauranga Lawn, Gate Pā, Mount Maunganui, Te Puke and Ōtūmoetai tennis clubs,” said Tarau.

“Tennis Masters WBOP last hosted this event in 2018. This time our club’s youngest player is 29-year-old Danielle Cook, and our eldest participant to hit the court is 83-year-old Mike Ross. And they are respectively the youngest and the oldest players to compete overall this year.”

Tarau said the club’s feels very privileged to host 2025’s event. “We last hosted it seven years ago and the numbers have increased a lot since then.”

Tennis NZ Masters Administrator Lyndsay Dick said the event brings Masters clubs from throughout Aotearoa together. “This year’s tournament has attracted 91 teams from Northland to Southland and in-between – and we have two teams from Victoria, Australia, playing as well.”

This means a total of 473 competitors will be involved in the event, aged from 30-83 years, said Dick.

“Some of the top Masters players from all regions will play, who have recently competed in the individual championships held this year in Nelson back in January.

“The visiting Victoria teams participating in the women’s 55-plus and men’s 60-plus grades boast previous ITF Masters world champions and are highly ranked for their age-group – both in Australia and on the ITF World Masters Circuit,” said Dick.

“Jill Meggs and Rosemary Everett are ranked in the top 10 and Australian-based Kiwi Peter Hampton from Canterbury has won world championships in doubles and mixed doubles competitions, as well as taking the title of TNZ Masters Player of the Year on numerous occasions.”

Dick said local clubs have supplied volunteers to help with catering and providing court controllers and referees. “A meet and greet function today, Thursday, April 17, will start off the teams event, with more than 150 players attending at the Tauranga Yacht Club.

“On Easter Sunday Baypark’s Stadium Lounge will host the prizegiving with this year’s theme ‘Beach Vibes’, where medals will be presented to winners and runners-up for each age-group.”

Tarau said spectators are welcome to watch games at all venues free of charge. “The event will go ahead despite the weather – so we’re really hoping the unfavourable forecast will blow away quickly or we get some fine breaks to keep things going.”