Kia Partners With The December Showdown

Kia has partnered with the annual December Showdown, Australia’s biggest junior tennis series, running from the end of November to December 15.

The December Showdown sees more than 400 of Australia’s top junior athletes from every state and territory compete in the national hardcourt championship, also hosting players from Asia-Pacific.

Players compete for national titles across the u12, u14, u16 and u18 age groups, with Australian Open junior wildcards up for grabs in the u16 group, as well as the opportunity to earn a wildcard into the Australian Open Play-off for the u18 girl’s winner.

The partnership with Kia will see eight junior players at the Showdown be nominated for a ‘Kia’s Most Driven Award’, which will be based on the values of commit, compete and respect.

One junior girl and boy will then be selected from those eight to earn the ultimate Australian Open experience for them and a guardian.

Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, said the Australian Open is thrilled to welcome Kia on board to support the December Showdown and help improve the outcomes for young tennis players.

“The annual December Showdown is a great opportunity for junior athletes from around Australia to compete, enjoy and connect at the home of the Australian Open and we are excited to extend our partnership with Kia Motors to this great event,” Tiley said.

“All of our top players including Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur have competed in the December Showdown and it’s a fantastic event to foster junior talent and support our emerging Australian players,” he said.

Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer, Damien Meredith, said this is a great opportunity for Kia to extend on their 18-year partnership with the Australian Open to support young Australians.

“As major partner of the Australian Open for the past 18 years, we wanted to extend our reach to support the next generation of Australian tennis,” Meredith said.

“These events help talented, young and ambitious Australian kids reach their potential and Kia would like to be a part of that journey,” he said.

The December Showdown, which started on November 30, kicks of the Australian summer of tennis as an exciting opportunity for young athletes to get a chance to compete at the top.