DUSHANBE, October 7, 2010, Asia-Plus — Tajik tennis player Dilshod Sharifi has qualified for the Australian Open Tennis Championships 2011, Ibod Sharifi, Vice-President of Tajikistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), said.
According to him, Dilshod participated in two qualifying competitions in Florida, the United States in September and early October.
“In November, Dilshod plans to participate in three ITF tournaments “Futures USA,” Ibod Sharifi added.
Futures tournaments are tennis tournaments held by the ITF Men”s Circuit. They allow for players to win career titles and improve their rankings. Futures are held in both singles and doubles, and last only one week. They contain qualifying rounds so that players who are not ranked can gain ATP ranking points. Several hundred Futures events are held each year.
The 2011 Australian Open is a tennis tournament that will take place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from January 17 to January 30. It will be the 99th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year.
