HONG KONG, Dec 16: The cream of Asian tennis has gathered at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to battle for the $60,000 Asian Championship title on December 17-23 and the chance to secure a potentially lucrative wild card entry into the Australian Open.

The first running of the tournament since 1997 offers no ranking points, despite being sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation and the Asian Tennis Federation.

However, the chance for the men’s and women’s singles champions to secure a back-door entry to the first Grand Slam event of 2002, via a wild card offered by the Australian Tennis Association, is too big a prize to pass up.

South Korea’s Lee Hyung-Taik, ranked 99 in the Champions Race and the region’s undisputed number one, starts as tournament favourite to take the winner’s cheque of $4,000, and more importantly secure his place in the Australian Open.

Lee captured the imagination of the tennis public with a gutsy display in the 2000 US Open before succumbing in straight sets to American veteran Pete Sampras.

Asian number two and world number 112 Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand is expected to give the Korean his stiffest competition.

Japanese doubles specialist Ai Sugiyama leads the race for the women’s title, although Indonesian number one Wynne Prakusya and China’s Liu Nan Nan will also provide stern competition.

With a world ranking of 30, Sugiyama is the top-ranked Women’s Tennis Association player on show.

She reached the third round on the famed grass courts of Wimbledon this year and also made the doubles final of the same event in tandem with Belgium’s French Open finalist Kim Clijsters.

The championship will also see a men and women’s doubles event and mixed doubles.—AFP