Sydney, 28 February 2011 | tennis.com.au

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Olivia Rogowska (St Kilda, Vic) is set to lead a host of rising stars at the Homebush Women’s International, to be held at Sydney Olympic Park from Monday 28 February.

The emerging Australian will be joined by international players from Great Britain, Portugal and Japan as they compete for $25,000 in prize money at the home of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Tournament Director Mark Handley said the tournament was an opportunity for national talent to gain valuable match experience against international players as they climb the world’s rankings.

“To have players from abroad play alongside our future tennis stars like Olivia is fantastic for the tournament and the Australian Pro Tour,” Handley said.

Handley also praised the City of Sydney and Sydney Olympic Park for their ongoing support and encouraged the community to support the future of Australian tennis at the event.

“We hope Sydneysiders can once again head down to watch our national talent take their next step onto the global tennis stage at this free community event.

“Last year’s winner Jarmila Groth (Melbourne, Vic) has since enjoyed success at Wimbledon and the French Open, made her debut for Australia in the Fed Cup and is now closing in on the world’s top 30.”

This year’s draw will feature Rogowska, reigning Optus 18s National champion Isabella Holland (St Lucia, Qld) and City of Ipswich International runner-up Sophie Letcher (Bonogin, Qld), along with world No. 216 Kumiko Iijima, Korea’s No.3 ranked player Ye-Ra Lee and former British No.1 Katie O’Brien.