TournamenT noTes as of February 27, 2013 GAINESVILLE WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL TENNIS CLASSIC GAINESVILLE, FL • MARCH 3-10 USTA PRO CIRCUIT COMES TO GAINESVILLE TournamenT InFormaTIon The Gainesville Women’s Professional Tennis Classic returns to Gainesville in 2013, moving up on the calendar after taking place Site: Jonesville Tennis Center – Gainesville, Fla. in October last year. The USTA Pro Circuit Dave Kenas Websites: www.jonesvilletennis.com also held a women’s event in Gainesville in procircuit.usta.com 1980 and 2002. This is one of eight USTA Pro Circuit women’s events held in Florida— Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, March 3 the most of any state. Gainesville is the first Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, March 5 of three consecutive clay-court women’s events being played this winter on the Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles USTA Pro Circuit. In conjunction with USTA Surface: Clay / Outdoors Player Development, the USTA Pro Circuit continues to emphasize the importance of Prize Money: $10,000 increased training for younger players on clay, this year adding four additional clay- Tournament Director: court tournaments to the calendar. Dave Porter, (352) 262-4905 [email protected] Those players competing in the main draw Tournament Press Contact: include: Brianna Plant, (904) 377-1249 [email protected] Allie Kiick, 17, of Fort Lauderdale, who Seventeen-year-old Allie Kiick, from Fort is ranked by the ITF as one of the Top 25 Lauderdale, is ranked by the ITF as one of the USTA Public Relations Contact: juniors in the world. Kiick, who once trained Top 25 juniors in the world. She reached the Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 at the USTA Training Center Headquarters singles quarterfinals of the 2012 junior French [email protected] Open and is the daughter of Jim Kiick, a former in Boca Raton, Fla., is a former USTA Miami Dolphins running back. International Spring Championships and PrIze money / PoInTs Orange Bowl girls’ 16s champion. In 2012, she reached the singles quarterfinals of the Three-time University of Florida All- SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points junior French Open and the round of 16 at American Alexis King. King reached two Winner $1,568 12 the junior US Open and junior Wimbledon. USTA Pro Circuit semifinals in summer Runner-up $980 8 Kiick is the top-ranked American in 2012, and she has won three USTA Pro Semifinalist $490 6 Gainesville. Her father is Jim Kiick, who Circuit singles titles in her career. At Florida, Quarterfinalist $245 4 played running back for the Miami Dolphins. she helped lead the Gators to an NCAA Round of 16 $196 1 national title in 2003. King also is a mother Round of 32 $98 - of two; her kids are often seen travelling with her and her husband/coach, Michael. DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Alexandra Mueller, who won the US Open Winner $637 Mary Cockrill National Playoffs women’s singles titles in Runner-up $343 2010 and in 2012, earning a wild card into Semifinalist $196 the US Open Qualifying Tournament on each Quarterfinalist $98 occasion. She holds three USTA Pro Circuit Round of 16 $49 singles titles (two at the $10,000 event in Hilton Head Island, S.C., and one at the $10,000 event in Landisville, Pa.) and has won five doubles titles. Three-time University of Florida All-American Alexis King helped lead the Gators to an NCAA national title in 2003. She has won three career USTA Pro Circuit singles titles. *Player field subject to change TournamenT noTes Jan Abaza, 17, who ended 2012 ranked in the Top 500—her highest Tennessee, who reached the semifinals of the NCAA doubles ranking. Abaza won her first pro title in doubles at the $10,000 tournament three times—the first Lady Vol to do so. Pluskota won USTA Pro Circuit event in Sumter, S.C., in 2012. She also qualified two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles in 2012, at the $75,000 event for five USTA Pro Circuit singles events at the $50,000 level or above in Phoenix and at the $25,000 event in Rock Hill, S.C.—both with at the end of the year. Abaza won the USTA Florida US Open National Jacqueline Cako—and won an additional doubles title in 2011 at the Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournament in 2010 at age 15. $10,000 event in Atlanta. Pluskota won the 2012 US Open National Playoffs USTA Southern Sectional Qualifying Tournament in Georgia. Natalie Pluskota, a four-time All-American at the University of She has a twin brother, Nicholas. *Player field subject to change GAINESVILLE PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2012 Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) Maria-Fernanda Alves (BRA) 2012 Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) – Angelina Gabueva (RUS) 2003-2011 Tournament not held 2003-2011 Tournament not held 2002 Vanessa Webb (CAN) Tiffany Dabek (USA) 2002 Petra Rampre (SLO) – Vanessa Webb (CAN) 1981-2001 Tournament not held 1981-2001 Tournament not held 1980 Bonnie Gadusek (USA) Renee Richards (USA) 1980 Jane Preyer (USA) – Lisa Doherty (USA) TournamenT noTes USTA PRO CIRCUIT 10 AND UNDER TENNIS With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from Tennis is now scaled to a child’s age and size, using lower- $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its bouncing and slower-moving balls, lighter and shorter Pro Circuit 34 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it racquets, and smaller courts. The modified equipment and has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million smaller courts will allow kids to rally and play the game in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Mardy Fish, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Querrey, Victoria early on, increasing the likelihood that kids will return to the Azarenka and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. court and continue to improve all while having fun! For more information, visit www.10andundertennis.com More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit helped launch the careers of two young Americans—Jack Sock and Grace Min. Grace Min Sock began 2012 by winning the singles Tim Hartis Tim title and reaching the doubles final at the NJTL $10,000 Futures in Plantation, Fla. He then reached the quarterfinals of the $50,000 Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, the USTA/National Junior Tennis Challenger in Honolulu. With his strong USTA & Learning (NJTL) network is a nation-wide group of more than Pro Circuit results, Sock received wild cards 660 non-profit youth development organizations that provide free into numerous Emirates Airline US Open Series events in the summer, reaching the or low cost tennis, education and life skills programming to more quarterfinals in Atlanta. Sock then achieved than 300,000 children each year, ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the best result of his pro career by reaching the USTA’s largest community-based offerings. the third round of the 2012 US Open as a wild card. Sock followed up his US Open results by winning his first career USTA Pro Circuit Challenger title at the $100,000 event US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoffS in Tiburon, Calif., in the fall and finished 2012 ranked a career-high No. 150 in the The USTA launched the US Open world. After winning the 2011 US Open girls’ National Playoffs in 2010, making singles title, Min moved to the USTA Pro the US Open “open” to anyone age Circuit to develop her game. She opened the year by winning the first women’s tournament of 2012 at the $25,000 event in Innisbrook, Fla. Later in 14+ and of all skill levels. Last year, the spring, she won back-to-back tournaments at the $50,000 event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., and more than 1,200 players competed in the $25,000 tournament in Raleigh, N.C. She competed in qualifying in Emirates Airline US Open Series 13 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments events throughout the summer and qualified in Stanford, Calif. Min, who trains at the USTA Training Center nationwide for a 2012 US Open Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., entered the Top 200 for the first time in her career in 2012, climbing Qualifying Tournament wild card. A nearly 250 spots in the rankings by year’s end. mixed doubles element also was held, with the winning team earning a main draw mixed doubles wild PLAYER DEVELOPMENT card. Clement Reix, a 28-year-old Frenchman living in Reno, Nev., won the US Open National Playoffs men’s title and USTA Pro Circuit The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions regular Alexandra Mueller, 24, of Abington, PA, won the women’s by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need wild card for the second time in three years. Nicole Melichar and to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center Brian Battistone won the mixed doubles tournament. Information Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as for the 2013 US Open National Playoffs will be released in the well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States.