Tournaments sound like something other people do. Some of them are, but not all.
The Canterbury Open
It's held in December at Wilding Park, and Tennis Canterbury calls it a prestigious event on the national calendar. The page lists a "strong line-up of players" and the 2025 winners. Worth watching if you've never been. Probably not your first tournament.
Other open events
Tennis Canterbury calls its senior tournaments open events. Along with the Canterbury Open, Tennis Canterbury names the Kiwi Money Tournaments and others around Canterbury and in other regions. Entries and upcoming dates sit on the Tennis NZ tournament planner (tnz.tournamentsoftware.com), not on the Tennis Canterbury site.
If you're over 30
Masters tennis is split into five-year age groups starting at 30, so you're playing in your own age group. Tennis Canterbury Masters run a regional calendar of tournaments, representative events and social days, at Wilding Park and at local clubs. Nationally there are over 2,100 masters players across 30 clubs.
The social one
Corporate Day is teams of four from local businesses playing doubles at Wilding Park on an afternoon, then food and drink. Tennis Canterbury describes it as "a lot of fun, a bit of serious". The 2026 one was on 2 April, so the next date comes from Bevan at Tennis Canterbury (bevan@canterburytennis.co.nz). It's for teams from local businesses, so it suits an office with a couple of keen players.
Why this matters
Entering is easier once you know your level, and you only find that out by playing people at a similar standard. The social tennis nights are one way in.
That's what we're building Hitter for: finding someone close to your level who's free when you are.
More at hitter.nz.
