Toowoomba, Australia, 7 September 2013 | Tennis Australia

The first ever combined men’s and women’s Pro Tour event will begin in Toowoomba on Saturday, with draws showcasing players from a variety of countries as well as many leading Australians.

The Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International begins with qualifying on 7 September 2013, with the main draw commencing on Tuesday 10 September. The singles finals will be played on Sunday 15 September.

Six Queensland men will compete in the men’s main draw at Toowoomba, including former junior world No.1 Luke Saville.

Young Queenslanders Akira Santillan, Oliver Anderson and Andrew Corbitt have been awarded wildcards into the singles event and will be looking to impress the local spectators.

The women’s main draw presented by Tilly’s Crawler Parts will include young Queenslander Lizette Cabrera while Isabella Holland, Priscilla Hon and Olivia Tjandramulia will be looking to improve their WTA rankings.

They will come up against fellow Australian players Azra Hadzic, Jessica Moore and Sally Peers.

“The Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International is quickly establishing itself as a prominent event on the Australian Pro Tour calendar,” said tournament director Matt Richards.

“It’s fantastic to see the local community support the event so heavily in its second year and they have been awarded with the inclusion of the women’s event in 2013,” he added.

“It will certainly be an exciting week of tennis and I encourage the south east Queensland tennis community to get along and watch Australia’s emerging players in action.”

This year, as well as the top-class tennis on court, the Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International will include a free AO Blitz event, a Tennis Come And Try day for Indigenous children, MLC Tennis Hot Shots in Schools visits, tennis family fun day and the Hutchies Corporate Challenge, providing something for everyone who comes along.