Oil city Karamay serves up tennis dreams

"Soccer is a team sport. It tests cooperation and brings different people together," said the 36-year-old. "But nothing can surpass tennis in my heart."

As oil workers from across China settled in the Gobi city, they brought with them their lifestyles and hobbies. Since the 1980s, tennis has gradually taken root in Karamay, growing from a pastime among a small group of enthusiasts into a sport embraced by the wider community.

At 12, Alipjan Awut got his first taste of tennis when a PE teacher spotted his athleticism and invited him to pick up a racket for Karamay's first citywide school tennis competition.

"At that time, we didn't even have our own rackets. The school provided them. I just thought it was fun," Alipjan Awut said.

After just over a month of training, he finished fifth in the city competition, turning his initial curiosity into a lifelong passion.

With few professional coaches available, Alipjan Awut found his own ways to improve. Whenever a tennis tournament was broadcast on television, he would sit in front of the screen, studying every detail of the players' movements, footwork and technique.