Mornington VIC 3931, Australia, 26 March 2015 | Tennis Australia

Australia’s future tennis stars will be out in force on the Mornington Peninsula next week when the inaugural Mornington Peninsula Men’s Tennis International hits town.

At least 14 of the nation’s top young tennis players will compete at the claycourt event, where they will battle it out for a share of US$15,000 in prize money and all-important world ranking points.

World No.160 Alex Bolt (SA) will enter the week-long tournament as the highest ranked competitor in the field. Bolt will be joined on court by fellow rising stars [186] Luke Saville (SA), [243] Jordan Thompson (NSW), [376] Maverick Banes (Qld) and a raft of the nation’s most exciting tennis talent.

German world No.250 Peter Torebko and Romania’s world No.426 Victor Crivoi will lead the international charge, and could be joined by contenders from as far afield as Italy, the United States and India when qualifying for the event concludes next Monday 30 March.

The elite men’s tournament follows this week’s Mornington Peninsula Women’s Tennis International at Mornington Tennis Centre, Civic Reserve, capping a blockbuster fortnight of tennis in the region.

Tennis Australia Pro Tour Manager Fiona Luscombe said the men’s event would bring together some of the nation’s best emerging tennis players.

“The men’s tournament will showcase some of the most exciting tennis talent we have in Australia and give local fans a sneak preview of players to watch in future years,” she said.

“This week’s women’s event has turned up plenty of hard-fought action and we look forward to another week of outstanding tennis ahead.

“These two great events are a fantastic opportunity to draw visitors to the Mornington Peninsula and showcase not only great tennis, but a world class tennis destination.”

Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor, Councillor Bev Colomb, said: “On behalf of the Council and our community I am so pleased to welcome this event and its players to the Mornington Peninsula.

“This event offers a fantastic opportunity for the community to see world class tennis right in our backyard, and I’m sure our local tennis and sporting fans in general can’t wait to come along and watch this free event.

“Mornington is a fantastic tennis venue and I encourage all fans to come along and share in the action.”

Qualifying for the Mornington Peninsula Men’s Tennis International gets under way this Saturday 28 March, with main draw singles and doubles action to kick off on Tuesday 31 March. The men’s doubles final will be held on Friday 3 April with the singles decider to be played on Sunday 5 April.