50 athletes to participate in Santiago NEC Wheelchair tournament

SANTIAGO.- More than 50 disabled athletes from around the world will participate in the 12th NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour/ Bank of Chile Cup tournament scheduled to take place from April 15-19.

The championship is part of the NEC Tour, which is the equivalent of the ATP Tour, and will be played at both the professional and semi-professional levels, with men and women competing in singles and doubles matches.

The group of players this year includes Chilean nationals Robinson Méndez (19 in the circuit) and Francisco Cayulef (72), as well as Slovakian national Josef Felix (24th in the world) and Swedish player Niclas Larsson (57).

Meanwhile, the list of female athletes includes Francisca Mardones (36) and María Antonieta Ortiz (42), as well as 18 year-old German player Katherina Kruger, who is 14th in the world.

The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour/ Bank of Chile Cup tournament was the first to be held in South America and offers points that count towards the world ranking. The championship has served as a milestone for the participation of disabled athletes in sporting events and will, for the first time, feature the quadriplegic players this year as well.