Tennis Cambodia formally opened its northwest regional office and the country’s first exclusive pro shop at the federation’s newest partner’s Angkor Palace Resort and Spa on Saturday to broad base the game in Siem Reap and other adjoining provinces.

Representatives from the Siem Reap Regional Office of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports; principals of several leading schools; and leaders of community education organisations were among high-profile guests who attended the inaugural function and witnessed a short play session involving local players in the ongoing grassroots tennis programs.

In his opening remarks, secretary general of Tennis Camboida Tep Rithivit said that the opening of the federation’s first office outside of Phnom Penh truly reflected the progress made in Siem Reap over the last year, and also marked the beginning of a grand initiative to spread the game in the northwest of the country.

“Australian coach Scott Windus, who assumed charge of our grassroots project less than two years ago, has brought about a remarkable transformation. Not only has he strengthened our program, he has also trained two excellent coaches Run Dun, popularly known as Som, and Zachary Kim,’’ said Tep Rithivit.

“We are extremely privileged to have on board our new partners Angkor Palace, who have given us office space and also access to their two tennis courts. I am confident that this alliance will get a lot stronger in the future.” he said.

The executive assistant manager of Angkor Palace Resort and Spa, Sie Panyathon, indicated the possibility of adding more courts in the future under an expansion plan.

Administrator of the northwest office and head coach Scott Windus presented a synopsis of the past 12 months and outlined the visions and goals that have been set for the short- to medium-term future, namely the development of a multi-court international standard tennis complex in Siem Reap capable of hosting world tour events.

“While these discussions are in the very early stages the vision is clear and the intent of the various stakeholders involved is strong, so we look forward to seeing these plans develop over the coming year,” Scott Windus said.

During a short video presentation on the activities of the federation the head of junior development, Phalkun Mam, highlighted the federation’s two signature programs, the Schools Tennis Initiative and the more-advanced Junior Tennis Initiative.