The Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), meeting at the Rama Gardens Hotel yesterday, decided to organise the tournament with the same format as that of the ATP's year-end Masters Cup and the WTA Championships.

Seven best-ranked Asian players on the ATP and WTA will be invited to take part in the event while the eighth spot in each category will be given to players of the host country. However, the ATF has yet to confirm the schedule for the tournament which is expected between the end of November and the beginning of December.

The eight players will be divided into two pools of four and will compete in a round-robin format. The top two finishers will advance to the knock-out stage and the eventual winner will receive US$100,000 prize money each along with the trophy of His Majesty the King.

The ATF has also re-elected Anil Kumar Khanna of India as its president for a second straight term. Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand president Suwat Liptapanlop and vice-president Chaiyapak Siriwat were appointed vice presidents.

Meanwhile Danai Udomchoke will have to hang up his racquet for two weeks to rehabilitate his left knee, which was injured during his tour in the United States last week. The Thai ace went to see a doctor at Mahidol Hospital yesterday and was advised to wear a knee brace for a fortnight besides undergoing ultrasound treatment.

"The injury is not a big deal. If I follow the doctor's advice strictly, I should recover soon," said Danai who has withdrawn from the Davis Cup tie against Japan in Osaka next month.

Lerpong Amsa-ngiam

The Nation