Bendigo, Australia, 13 September 2013 | tennis.com.au

The Bendigo Festival of Tennis was given a boost yesterday with the Victorian Government announcing a $10,000 funding injection.

Victorian sports minister Hugh Delahunty was on hand at the festival’s launch on Thursday in Bendigo, where he announced that the funding would come through the state’s significant sporting events program.

The $10,000 will go towards ensuring the continued success of the back-to-back William Loud Bendigo International Pro Tour events, running from 20 October to 5 November and offering a combined $100,000 in prize money.

These Pro Tour events have attracted some of the biggest names in Australian tennis – including top women Casey Dellacqua, Ash Barty, Jarmila Gajdosova and Olivia Rogowska – as well an impressive roster of international competitors.

The back-to-back Pro Tour events form the centrepiece of the Bendigo Festival of Tennis, which this year also features an Australian Money Tournament and junior event.