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If Christopher Rungkat and Ayu Fani Damayanti want to continue their Garuda Indonesia Tennis Series dominance, they will have to do so against tougher competition than just their compatriots.

With local players struggling to make headway in international competition, the Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) announced on Wednesday it would solve the problem by bringing better international players to Indonesia.

“It has been our longtime dream to bring more international tournaments to the country. The tournaments will help our players earn international points and improve their ranks so it’ll be easier for them to compete outside the country,” Pelti secretary general Subronto Laras said on Wednesday.

The Garuda Series begins in Padang, West Sumatra, on March 22-28. The first international series is the Tarakan Women’s Circuit on May 3-9.

The third year of the series will feature nine events, with six of them — three $10,000 men’s futures and three $10,000 women’s circuit tournaments — open to international players. However, the Semen Padang Series, Jakarta Governor Cup and season-ending $50,000 Masters Series, will still be national series.

Money, Subronto said, is still the biggest issue keeping Indonesians from playing abroad. That, in turn, has hampered the country’s tennis development and players’ International Tennis Federation ranking.

“This is our chance to grab as many international points as we can in front of our home fans,” last season’s Garuda Series men’s singles champion Christopher Rungkat said.

Christopher, the world No. 1,248, said his goal is to win the national series in Padang and Jakarta before adjusting his schedule for the futures tournaments.

The first futures event is scheduled for May 30-June 6 at a venue yet to be determined.

“After Semen Padang, I will compete in Vietnam. Then I will be back to join in the Governor Cup before leaving for an invitational tournament in India in May,” said Christopher, who competed in 12 futures tournaments and a challenger event last year.

The three future tournaments, he continued, would also support the Indonesian Davis Cup team in its preparations before facing Thailand in Asia/Oceania Zone Group II semifinals on July 9-11.

Tournament director Teddy Tanjung said foreign players must register directly with the International Tennis Federation. Tennis