The first edition of the Huazhing Inter-Collegiate Challenge tennis tournament takes the spotlight from 11 to 13 August at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay, the organizing Philippine Table Tennis Federation Inc. said yesterday.

A total of 23 collegiate teams have already confirmed their participation with the tournament still open for participants. Deadline for submission of entries is on Monday.

La Salle, Ateneo, University of Santo Tomas, University of Mindanao, Central Philippine University, Far Eastern University, and Perpetual Help are among the notable teams that will see action.

"We thank our supporters for making this competition possible as this is also part of our grassroots programs," said PTTF president Ting Ledesma.

"We invite college teams who haven't registered to join as it is a perfect opportunity for them to gain experience for their mother leagues," he added.

"This is the biggest collegiate national table tennis event in the last 15 years so we are very excited to organize this event," said PTTF secretary general Pong Ducanes.