Baotou holds the Baotou leg of the 2024 International Tennis Federation Men's World Tennis Tour. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The Baotou leg of the ongoing 2024 International Tennis Federation Men's World Tennis Tour started on May 26 at the Baotou Sports Center Tennis Hall – located in Baotou city, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Over 100 players from more than 10 countries and regions – including the US, Germany and Australia – will compete over the course of eight days under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation, or ITF, bringing a world-class tussle of tennis to Baotou tennis fans.

The event marked another high-level international tennis competition hosted by Baotou, following the 2018 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, the 2019 ATP Men's Tennis Challenger and the 2023 ITF Men's World Tennis Tour.

With a prize pool of $25,000, this is the highest prize level event in the ITF Men's Professional Tennis Tour.

In recent years, Baotou has responded to the national strategies of National Fitness and Healthy China. By promoting tennis events and hosting large-scale tennis events, the city is said to have significantly boosted the popularity of tennis among its residents.

The event is expected to enable Baotou residents to witness world-class tennis competitions and it further promotes in-depth exchanges between the city's tennis scene and global tennis.