City Trials for Kia India Ballkids Program at AO27 Kick Off in Delhi on 26–27 September

New Delhi, India, 26 September 2026: Kia India, one of the country's leading mass-premium automakers and a longstanding partner of the Australian Open, is set to kick off the City Trials for the Kia India Ballkids Program at AO27 with the Delhi leg on 26–27 September 2026. The trials mark the next stage of the selection journey for young tennis enthusiasts aspiring to become Official Australian Open Ballkids.

Following the close of registrations for Delhi on 23 September 2026, shortlisted boys and girls aged 12–15 years will participate in the two-day City Trials. With no prior tennis experience required, participants will take part in a series of activities designed to assess skills and qualities relevant to the Ballkid role, including agility, coordination, focus, communication and teamwork. Participants will be required to attend the trials with a parent or legal guardian.

The two-day trials will provide participants with an opportunity to understand the role of a Ballkid and the skills involved in supporting the smooth conduct of a professional tennis match. Through a range of on-court and activity-based exercises, participants will get a closer understanding of the focus, responsiveness, coordination and teamwork required to perform the role.

For young participants in Delhi, the trials will offer an opportunity to engage with tennis in a different way and experience the discipline, focus and teamwork involved in being a Ballkid at an international sporting event.

Following the Delhi City Trials, 20 participants will be shortlisted to advance to the National Trials later this year. The City Trials will subsequently move to Mumbai on 3–4 October and Bengaluru on 10–11 October 2026, with 20 participants from each city progressing to the National Trials. Four winners will ultimately be selected to become Official Australian Open Ballkids and represent India at the Australian Open 2027 in Melbourne.

The Kia India Ballkids Program at AO27 builds on Kia's 24+ year association with the Australian Open and its longstanding engagement with young tennis enthusiasts through the tournament's Ballkids programme. Through the initiative, Kia India continues its endeavour to provide the next generation with opportunities to engage with tennis and experience the sport at an international level.

About Kia India

In April 2017, Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, to build a new manufacturing facility at Anantapur District. Kia commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an installed annual production capacity of 400,000 units. In April 2021, Kia India reimagined itself in line with its new brand identity, “Movement that Inspires,” aimed at offering customers meaningful experiences backed by innovative products and services. Under the new brand identity, Kia has set out to find ways to achieve new benchmarks and inspire consumers to be more and do more. Till date, Kia India has launched nine vehicles for the Indian market – the Seltos, the Syros, the Sonet, the Carens, the Carnival, the EV6, the EV9, the Carens Clavis, and the Carens Clavis EV. Kia India has completed almost 1.9 million vehicle dispatches from its Anantapur plant, including over 1.5 million domestic sales and over 3.67 lakh exports. With more than 5 lakh connected cars on Indian roads, it is among the connected Car leaders in the country. The brand has a widespread network of 892 touchpoints across 407 cities and is focused on strengthening its footprint across the country.

Company :-Value360 Communications

User :- Tanya Kumari

Email :-tanya@value360india.com