The state-of-the-art complex features two synthetic tennis courts and one basketball court with floodlights and changing rooms. ``Continuing its efforts to promote sports, SOA University has set up this complex to popularise tennis and basketball among around 10,000 students of the university and sports enthusiasts in the state,`` added Hota.

The twin tournament is expected to be inaugurated by former Junior Wimbledon champion and Davis Cupper Ramesh Krishnan on September 22. The AITA-OTA Under-14 Championship Series Tournament, involving around 100 boys and girls from nine states will take place from September 23 to 27. It will be followed by the AITA-OTA 50K Men`s Ranking Tournament September 30 to October 4. Both the tournaments will be preceded by qualifying rounds.

According to OTA secretary Madhusudan Padhi, more than 50 players from 17 states are expected to vie for the singles and double titles in the the men’s tournament. Suraj R Prabodh from Mysore, who is ranked 28th in the country, will be the top seed. Odisha’s challenge will be led by second seed Chinmay Pradhan (AITA rank 46) and his coach Santosh Kumar Mallik (AITA rank 123). The winner will get 20 points besides a cash prize of Rs 6,500. The runner-up will get 15 points and Rs 4,500.

Amit Beniwal of Haryana (AITA rank 35) has been given the top billing for the boys` singles event of the U-14 tournament. Eight players from Odisha have found place in the main draw with Nishant Kumar (rank 61) and Swastik Pradhan (rank 82) being seeded number two and three respectively.

In girls` singles, Karnataka’s Muskaan Rajan will start as top seed. Four girls from Odisha, including Alisha Samal (rank 92) and Rutuparna Choudhury (rank 112) have been seeded number four and five respectively for the main draw. The winners and runner-up of the U-14 tournament will be richer by 25 and 20 AITA ranking points respectively.

``During the tournaments, players will be provided good hospitality inside the university campus. The synthetic courts are offering ideal pace and bounce and playing in the tennis complex will be nice experience,`` claimed SOA University Sports Officer Ranjan Kumar Pradhan.

Continuing with the momentum, SOA University, the rapidly growing hub of professional education in Odisha, has plans to start a regular coaching programme next year. ``We would be starting the coaching programme in June with the aim of setting up of a full-fledged tennis academy subsequently. We will also provide sponsorship to budding talents to enable them play tournaments at other places of the country and abroad,`` said Dr Hota.

The contribution of SOA University has come as a much needed relief for tennis players, who have been suffering a lot because of the apathetic attitude of the state government. For instance, SOA University needed only three months to set up the two new synthetic courts, where as the State Sports Department has not been able to change the surface of four existing courts here at Kalinga Stadium from concrete to synthetic despite consuming eight months.
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TOP: OTA secretary Madhusudan Padhi and SOA University Dr Raj Kumar Hota at the press conference in Bhubaneswar on Sept 14, 2013.

RIGHT: Sports officer Ranjan Pradhan shows the new tennis courts at SOA Univesity in Bhubaneswar on Sept 14, 2013.