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Home , 2014 US Open (tennis), 2015 French Open, 2015 German Open, Akiko Morigami, Alina Jidkova, Alla Kudryavtseva

TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of April 15, 2015

HARDEE’S PRO CLASSIC DOTHAN, AL • APRIL 19-26

USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S RETURNS TO DOTHAN, KICKS OFF HAR-TRU USTA PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGE The Hardee’s Pro Classic will take place in

Dothan for the 15th consecutive year. It is USTA one of two USTA Pro Circuit events held in TOURNAMENT Alabama, joining a $25,000 women’s event INFORMATION in Pelham held last week. In conjunction Site: Westgate Tennis Center – Dothan, Ala. with USTA Player Development, the USTA Pro Circuit continues to emphasize the Websites: www.hardeesproclassic.org importance of increased training for younger procircuit.usta.com players on clay. Wild Card Challenge Twitter: #HarTruWildCard Dothan is also one of three consecutive Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, April 19 women’s clay-court tournaments (joining $50,000 events in Charlottesville, Va., and Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, April 21 Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) that are part Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles of the Har-Tru Wild Card Challenge, which will award a men’s and a women’s wild card Surface: Clay / Outdoors into the 2015 . Along with Prize Money: $50,000 these three women’s tournaments, the men’s Dothan defending champion and former tournaments in the challenge are the 2015 US Open girls’ singles winner earned a career-high ranking of No. 97 in the Tournament Director: Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Fla., the week of Kim Meeker, (334) 615-3700, [email protected] world last month. In 2014, she advanced to April 13; the St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah her first WTA semifinal at the tour event in Bad Tournament Press Contact: Challenger in Savannah, Ga., the week of Gastein, . Cricket Lee, (334) 797-7208 April 20; and the USTA Tallahassee Tennis [email protected] Challenger in Tallahassee, Fla., the week of April 27. French Open, which runs Sunday, May 24, USTA Communications Contact: to Sunday, June 7. Only players who do not Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] The American man and American woman receive direct entry into the French Open are PRIZE MONEY / POINTS who earn the most ATP and WTA ranking eligible for the wild cards. The USTA and the points at two of the three USTA Pro Circuit French Tennis Federation have a reciprocal SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points clay-court events will receive USTA wild agreement in which wild cards into the Winner $7,600 70 cards to compete in the main draws of the and 2015 US Open are Runner-up $4,053 50 exchanged. Semifinalist $2,216 32 Quarterfinalist $1,267 18 The Hardee’s Pro Classic will be streamed Round of 16 $760 10 live on www.procircuit.usta.com. Round of 32 $444 1

DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Al Bello/Getty Images To follow the tournament, download the USTA Winner $2,786 Pro Circuit’s new phone app by searching Runner-up $1,393 “procircuit” in the app store. Semifinalist $696 Quarterfinalist $380 Notable players competing in the main draw Round of 16 $254 include:

COMMUNITY EVENTS Grace Min, Dothan’s top seed and Sunday, April 19 – Family Day defending singles champion, who rose to Monday, April 20 – Pro-Am, 4:30 p.m. at a career-high No. 97 in the world last Tuesday, April 21 – Schools Visit

Wednesday, April 22 – Schools Visit qualified for the 2015 Australian Thursday, April 23 – Montgomery-Dothan Challenge Open and reached the second round. She peaked at No. 50 in the world in singles in October 2012 Friday, April 24 – Hardee’s Night and No. 59 in doubles in May 2012. Saturday, April 25 – 10 and Under Tennis Jamboree, 10:30 a.m. *Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES

month after reaching the second round of the WTA’s Rio Open and the main draws of the women’s singles and women’s doubles events at competing in Indian Wells. Last year, Min reached the semifinals the 2013 US Open. At the Open, she won her first-round match in her of the WTA event in Bad Gastein, Austria—her first WTA semifinal. debut, defeating Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in straight sets. As She also competed in the US Open and French Open main draws in a junior, Vickery ascended to No. 6 in the ITF World Junior Rankings, 2014, qualifying at Roland Garros. Min was one of the top juniors reaching the doubles semifinals of junior Wimbledon in 2012 and in the world in 2011, when she won the US Open girls’ singles title competing in the junior events of all four Grand Slam tournaments. and the Wimbledon girls’ doubles title; she also reached the singles She trains with the USTA Player Development program at the USTA semifinals at the Easter Bowl and the USTA International Spring Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. Championships. Those results propelled her to No. 4 in the world junior rankings. In 2013, she qualified for the French Open—her , who qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of the first main-draw Grand Slam appearance outside the U.S.—as well WTA event in Monterrey, Mexico, in April 2014, her career-best WTA as the US Open. She holds five USTA Pro Circuit singles titles, with result. In addition, following the 2014 US Open, she reached the two titles coming in 2014. quarterfinals or better at three $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit events. In her career, Boserup has competed in qualifying for the US Open and Anna Tatishvili, who qualified for the 2015 and Australian Open, and she has won two USTA Pro Circuit singles titles— reached the second round. She peaked at No. 50 in the world in the $25,000 event in Redding, Calif., in 2011 and the $25,000 event singles in October 2012 and at No. 59 in doubles in May 2012. in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., in 2012, when she achieved a career- Her best Grand Slam result came at the 2012 US Open, where she best singles ranking of No. 174. Boserup was also a standout junior, reached the fourth round before falling to former world No. 1 Victoria winning the prestigious Orange Bowl in 2008, defeating future U.S. Azarenka. Tatishvili won her first WTA doubles title last year in Olympian Christina McHale in the final. Linz, Austria. She has also won eight USTA Pro Circuit singles titles (including two in 2014) and three ITF Circuit singles titles in her , who peaked at No. 107 in the world in July 2013 career. As a junior player, Tatishvili climbed as high as No. 19 in the behind strong results on the USTA Pro Circuit and the WTA tour. ITF World Junior Rankings and reached the doubles semifinals at the She started that year by reaching the quarterfinals of the $100,000 2006 junior Australian Open with . Tatishvili is a USTA Pro Circuit event in Midland, Mich., and competing in native fo the former Soviet republic of Georgia, but became a U.S. three WTA events. Also in 2013, Sanchez made her Grand Slam citizen in April 2014. tournament debut as a US Open wild card. In 2014, she won her first WTA doubles title, in Auckland, New Zealand, with Sharon , 18, who outperformed every other U.S. junior in the Fichman. Sanchez has won two USTA Pro Circuit singles titles, both Junior Championships, reaching the girls’ singles in 2012, and seven USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles. This year, she semifinals before falling to eventual champion in reached the final of the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Rancho three sets. Chirico then reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Santa Fe, Calif., losing to up-and-coming young American Catherine juniors, again losing to Bencic (who would go on to reach the 2014 Bellis. As a junior player, Sanchez was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. as a US Open women’s singles quarterfinalist), and the quarterfinals of 16-year-old and No. 4 in the country as an 18-year-old. She also was the junior US Open to finish the 2013 season in the Top 10 of the the top-ranked collegian and an ITA All-American at USC, winning ITF World Junior Rankings. In 2012, Chirico teamed with Taylor the 2011 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship Townsend to lead the United States to the Junior Fed Cup title in singles title. Barcelona, . Chirico won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title that same year at the $10,000 event in Sumter, S.C., and her first , who is using a protected ranking to compete in doubles title in 2013 at the $50,000 event in Indian Harbour Beach, Dothan after playing in just one tournament last year because of a Fla. In 2014, she reached the doubles semifinals or better at five knee injury. Pegula had a breakthrough moment in 2013 when she USTA Pro Circuit events, won an ITF Circuit singles title in and reached the third round of the WTA event in Charleston, S.C., as a reached one additional ITF singles final in Switzerland. This year, she qualifier. She also qualified into the WTA events in , China, competed in qualifying at the Australian Open and reached the final and Washington, D.C. Pegula played in the US Open doubles main of the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Midland, Mich., and the draw in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, she reached the quarterfinals in quarterfinals of the $50,000 event in Osprey, Fla. Midland, Mich., and peaked at No. 123 in the world in June 2013 in singles. In doubles, Pegula advanced to the semifinals at the WTA , who won the first two USTA Pro Circuit singles event in Memphis, Tenn., in 2013, peaking at No. 92 in the world titles of her career earlier this year at the $25,000 Florida events in doubles in February 2013. She has won three USTA Pro Circuit in Plantation and Sunrise. She also reached the quarterfinals at doubles titles (including Dothan in 2012 with current Top 10 player the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Midland, Mich., and the ). This year, Pegula qualified for the WTA event second round in Indian Wells to rise to a career-best No. 137 in the in Charleston, S.C. Pegula’s father, Terry, is the owner of the NHL’s world. The 19-year-old has already competed in the US Open and the Buffalo Sabres and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Australian Open main draws in her young career. She earned a main- draw wild card into the by winning the USTA’s , who won the 2012 US Open girls’ singles title. Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs against other up-and-coming Crawford also qualified for the women’s singles main draw at the Americans. She also competed in qualifying for the US Open, French US Open that year and pushed Great Britain’s in the Open and Wimbledon in 2014, and she reached the quarterfinals at first round. At 6-foot-2, Crawford’s big serve and aggressive baseline the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Stanford, Calif., last game helped her rise to No. 5 in the ITF World Junior Rankings in summer—her career-best WTA result. In 2013, Vickery won the USTA 2012. This year, she won the fourth USTA Pro Circuit doubles title of National Girls’ 18s singles and doubles titles, earning wild cards into her career at the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Rancho Santa

*Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES

Fe, Calif., and, in singles, reached the final at the $25,000 event the $25,000 event in Palm Harbor, Fla. An accomplished player on in Plantation, Fla., and the quarterfinals at the $25,000 event in all surfaces, Stewart also was the USTA Girls’ 16s national hard court Daytona Beach., Fla. champion in 2013. Her mother, Marina, was an Argentine WTA pro.

Allie Kiick, who qualified for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, , 16, who ranked as high as No. 3 in the ITF Calif., in March 2014 and subsequently peaked at No. 155 in the World Junior Rankings in 2014. Black advanced to the final of the world. Kiick did not compete from September to December 2014 girls’ singles event at the 2013 US Open Junior Championships. because of a knee injury and is now on the comeback trail. Last Immediately following the US Open, she won her first pro title at the month she competed in qualifying for the WTA event in Indian $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Amelia Island, Fla. Also in 2013, Wells and reached the semifinals of the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit Black reached the singles quarterfinals and won the doubles title at event in Palm Harbor, Fla. Kiick turned pro in 2013 and improved the prestigious Orange Bowl to break into the Top 10 of the junior her ranking nearly 100 spots through her results on the USTA Pro world rankings. In 2014, Black reached the girls’ singles quarterfinals Circuit. That year, she won the second USTA Pro Circuit singles at Wimbledon and the US Open and the doubles semifinals at the title of her career at the $10,000 event in Gainesville, Fla., and French Open. She also won her second USTA Pro Circuit singles title, reached the final of the $50,000 event in Charlottesville, Va. In the claiming the $10,000 event in Evansville, Ind., and led the United junior ranks, Kiick was a singles finalist in the 2013 USTA Girls’ States to the 2014 Junior Fed Cup title in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 18 National Championships and won the doubles title with Sachia She has played in just one USTA Pro Circuit event this year. Vickery, allowing her to make her Grand Slam tournament main draw debut in the 2013 US Open women’s doubles event. Kiick is Alexandra Stevenson, 34, who drew international attention in 1999 the daughter of Jim Kiick, a running back on the undefeated 1972 by becoming the first female qualifier in Wimbledon history to reach Miami Dolphins. Her mother, Mary Johnson, is a former professional the semifinals. She was ranked in the year-end Top 100 each year, softball player. Allie has spent time training at the USTA Training 1999-2003, peaking at No. 18 in 2002. Injuries drove her ranking Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and with former Grand into the 600s in 2005, but Stevenson rebounded to climb back into Slam tournament finalist . the Top 200 in 2009, advancing to the final at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., for her best result on the USTA Pro , a former University of Tennessee standout who was Circuit since 1998. She is the daughter of basketball Hall-of-Famer named the 2010 College Senior Player of the Year after leading the Julius Erving. Volunteers to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Whoriskey captured her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title last May at the , who won five doubles titles on the USTA Pro $10,000 event in Hilton Island, S.C., where she also won Circuit in 2013 and owns 13 USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles overall, the doubles crown. This year, she reached the singles quarterfinals including three from 2014. She also has won four USTA Pro Circuit and doubles semifinals at the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in singles titles. In July 2013, Mueller qualified in singles for the WTA Midland, Mich., and at the $25,000 event in Surprise, Ariz. She event in Washington, D.C.; she also reached the doubles quarterfinals also won the doubles title at the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in in Washington. Mueller is a two-time winner of the US Open National Jackson, Miss. Whoriskey has captured seven USTA Pro Circuit and Playoffs, earning wild cards into the US Open Qualifying Tournament ITF Circuit doubles titles throughout the world. She also won the in 2010 and 2012. 2014 US Open National Playoffs to earn a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, where she won her first-round match. , who goes by the nickname “Chi Chi” and won her first singles titles on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2011 at the $50,000 event , who won five ITF Circuit singles titles and three in Lexington, Ky., and the $25,000 event in El Paso, Texas. Those doubles titles during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. This year, she results jump-started her career, and she peaked at No. 164 in the reached the quarterfinals of the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in world in singles in October 2011. She has competed in qualifying Midland, Mich., and the $25,000 event in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Last year, Scholl reached the Pera made her WTA debut at the 2014 US Open, having received quarterfinals or better in two USTA Pro Circuit doubles events. a wild card with American Tornado Alicia Black into the women’s doubles event. She also competed in the junior US Open in 2012. Pera was born in Croatia but plays for the United States. Many past and current WTA standouts have found success in Dothan. Players competing in qualifying include: 2012 doubles champion Eugenie Bouchard has burst onto the tennis , 17, who won the USTA Girls’ 18 National scene since competing in Dothan. She is currently ranked No. 7 in Championships last July in Memphis. That capped a 34-match winning the world and peaked at No. 5 last October. Bouchard first captured streak in junior and pro matches, during which she won three USTA international attention at the 2014 Australian Open, where she Pro Circuit $10,000 clay-court events (Orlando, Fla.; Bethany Beach, advanced to the semifinals. She then advanced to the semifinals of Del.; and Charlotte, N.C.). She was awarded a wild card into qualifying the French Open and the final of Wimbledon that year. She reached at the US Open and won her first-round qualifying match, defeating the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year. In 2014, Bouchard Yuliya Beygelizimer, a former Top 100 player. Stewart also played in the won her first WTA title in Nurnberg, , and has also reached doubles main draw at the 2014 US Open with Louisa Chirico, falling in three other WTA finals. the first round. This year, Stewart won the doubles title at the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Sunrise, Fla., and her fourth and fifth USTA Three-time singles finalistVarvara Lepchenko is currently ranked No. Pro Circuit singles titles at the $10,000 event in Gainesville, Fla., and 30 in the world. In September 2012, she became the first American

*Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES

other than sisters Venus and to be ranked in the Top doubles titles, including the 2011 US Open, and won the 2009 20 since 2006. ( had been the last American woman French Open and 2010 US Open mixed doubles titles with . to stand with the Williams sisters in the Top 20). Lepchenko started the She regularly competed on the U.S. Fed Cup team and played in the 2012 season ranked No. 127 in the world, but moved up quickly after 2012 Olympics in . reaching the fourth round of the French Open, where she was one of only two Americans to advance that far. She then went on to reach the third Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the 2008 Dothan singles champion, reached round of Wimbledon and the US Open. With her success, Lepchenko the fourth round of Wimbledon shortly after winning her title in was named to the U.S. Olympic team for the London Games. Last year, Dothan. She peaked at No. 30 in the world in singles in July 2011 she reached her first WTA final in Seoul. and has also had great success in doubles. She peaked at a career- best No. 11 in doubles in April 2011 and has won 14 WTA doubles , the 2002 Dothan singles runner-up, owns 53 WTA titles, including the women’s doubles crown this year at the Australian women’s doubles titles and was the No. 1-ranked doubles player in Open. Mattek-Sands also won the Australian Open mixed doubles title the world. Huber also captured five Grand Slam tournament women’s in 2012.

*Player field subject to change

DOTHAN PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 Grace Min (USA) (USA) 2014 (EST) – (BLR) 2013 Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) Shuai Zhang (CHN) 2013 Julia Cohen (USA) – Tatjana Malek (GER) 2012 (ITA) Edina Gallovits-Hall (ROU) 2012 Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) – Jessica Pegula (USA) 2011 (HUN) Stephanie Foretz-Gacon (FRA) 2011 Valeria Solovieva (RUS) – Lenka Wienerova (SVK) 2010 Edina Gallovits (ROU) Anastasia Yakimova (BLR) 2010 (RUS) – Anastasia Yakimova (BLR) 2009 (USA) (USA) 2009 Carly Gullickson (USA) – (USA) 2008 Bethanie Mattek (USA) (USA) 2008 (UKR) – Michaela Pastikova (CZE) 2007 Yung-Jan Chan (TPE) (RUS) 2007 Yung-Jan Chan (TPE) – Chia-Jung Chuang (TPE) 2006 (UKR) Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 2006 (AUS) – Soledad Esperon (ARG) 2005 (VEN) Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 2005 Carly Gullickson (USA) – (KAZ) 2004 Shuai Peng (CHN) Eugenia Linetskaya (RUS) 2004 Lisa McShea (AUS) – Milagros Sequera (VEN) 2003 (JPN) Milagros Sequera (VEN) 2003 Milagros Sequera (VEN) – (AUS) 2002 Milagros Sequera (VEN) Liezel Huber (USA) 2002 Rika Fujiwara (JPN) – Maja Palversic Coopersmith (CRO) 2001 Irina Selyutina (KAZ) (USA) 2001 (USA) – (TPE) TOURNAMENT NOTES

USTA PRO CIRCUIT YOUTH TENNIS With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging The USTA is making it easier and more fun for kids to get into from $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 the game—and stay in the game. Kids are learning to play its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and faster than ever before through the USTA’s youth initiative, it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly which is geared toward getting more kids to participate in $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. , Eugenie Bouchard, , , Kei tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s Nishikori, , and Caroline Wozniacki are among today’s top stars who size. For more information, visit YouthTennis.com. began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit helped further the careers of two young NJTL Americans— and . In her first full season as a Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell professional after capturing back-to-back and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/National Junior Tennis & NCAA singles championships in 2012 and Learning (NJTL) network is a nationwide group of more than

2013, Gibbs won the women’s USTA Pro A. Clary/Getty Images Timothy Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge in 625 non-profit youth development organizations that provide 2014. After claiming the title at the $50,000 free or low-cost tennis, education and life skills programming USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., to more than 350,000 children each year. Celebrating its Gibbs clinched the US Open wild card 45th anniversary this year, NJTL is one of the USTA’s largest by advancing to the final of the $50,000 community-based offerings. tournament in Lexington, Ky., her last USTA Pro Circuit event of the season. Gibbs went on to reach the third round at the US Open, scoring a pair of Top 50 victories along the US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS way. Two weeks after the US Open, as a qualifier at Seoul, she reached her first WTA Nicole Gibbs The USTA launched the US Open quarterfinal, which boosted her into the National Playoffs in 2010, WTA Top 100 for the first time. Gibbs earned making the US Open “open” the second-most WTA ranking points of any to anyone age 14+ and of all American playing the USTA Pro Circuit in 2014. Kozlov, runner-up in 2014 at the junior championships of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger last October at age skill levels. Last year, more 16, becoming the youngest American to reach a Challenger final since in 1986. That result than 1,200 players competed vaulted Kozlov to No. 443 in the world, making him the youngest player in the ATP World Tour Top 500. He in 13 Sectional Qualifying concluded 2014 by sweeping the singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Tournaments nationwide for Championships, locking down a No. 3 junior world ranking. a 2014 US Open Qualifying Tournament wild card. A mixed doubles element also was PLAYER DEVELOPMENT held, with the winning team earning a main draw mixed doubles wild card. This year, players can again compete in The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions singles and mixed doubles, but also will have the chance by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need to play in the new men’s and women’s doubles competition to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center to earn main draw doubles wild cards. Registration for all Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as divisions opens on March 15. For more information and the well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States. complete schedule, visit www.usopen.org/NationalPlayoffs.