TournamenT noTes as of June 21, 2012 SARGENT AND COLLINS, LLP WOMEN’S $10,000 CHAMPIONSHIPS BUFFALO, NY • JUNE 24 – JULY 1 USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S TENNIS RETURNS TO BUFFALO TournamenT InFormaTIon The Sargent and Collins, LLP Women’s $10,000 Championships is being held in Buffalo, N.Y., for the second consecutive Hartis Tim Site: Miller Tennis Center – Buffalo, N.Y. year. It is the sixth $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Websites: www.millertenniscenter.com women’s event of the year and the third procircuit.usta.com $10,000 women’s event to be held on clay to develop players’ games on the surface. It is Facebook: Miller Tennis Center the final USTA Pro Circuit clay-court event for women until the last week of September, and @millertennis Twitter: one of two USTA Pro Circuit women’s events Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, June 24 held in the state of New York, with the Bronx hosting a $50,000 event in August. Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, June 26 Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Players entered in the main draw this week include: Alexis King, the highest-ranked Surface: Clay / Outdoor player in the field, who was a three-time Prize Money: $10,000 All-American at the University of Florida and captured the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event Jacqueline Cako recently completed her Tournament Director: in Sumter, S.C., in 2011; and Jacqueline sophomore year at Arizona State, where she Todd Miller, (716) 445-9759 Cako, who recently finished her sophomore earned All-America honors for the second [email protected] campaign at Arizona State, where she earned consecutive year. She also was recently named All-America honors for the second consecutive to the USTA Collegiate Team. Tournament Press Contacts: year. Cako was also recently named to the Lynn Buffamonti, (716) 400-2345 USTA Collegiate Team, which is designed to University of Michigan who graduated as the [email protected] provide college players with valuable exposure school’s all-time leader in victories. USTA Communications Contacts: to the USTA Pro Circuit in a team-oriented environment during the summer. Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] Those competing in qualifying include: Tristen Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] Dewar, who will play collegiately at Clemson The main draw also features a number of top University in the fall; 17-year-old Jamie Loeb of junior players, including: 17-year-old Denise Ossining, N.Y., the 2011 USTA Girls’ 18s Winter Starr, who trains at the USTA Training Center- PrIze money / PoInTs National Champion who reached the quarterfinals East at the USTA Billie Jean King National in Buffalo in 2011 as a qualifier; andJulia SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points Tennis Center—the home of the US Open— Elbaba of Oyster Bay, N.Y., who has captured ITF WWinner $1,568 12 honing her game and training alongside top World Junior titles in El Salvador and Costa Rica Runner-up $980 8 pros including 2009 US Open quarterfinalist earlier this year, and who will play collegiately at Semifinalist $490 6 Melanie Oudin and current world No. 2 the University of Virginia in the fall. Quarterfinalist $245 4 American Christina McHale; Nadia Echeverria Round of 16 $196 1 Alam, 17, who reached the semifinals of a Last year’s singles finalists have both found Round of 32 $98 – $10,000 event Mexico in 2011; and Denise success since playing in Buffalo. Last year’s Muresan, a three-time All-American at the DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) champion Lauren Davis won the USTA Girls’ 18s Winner $637 National Championships to earn a wild card into Runner-up $343 the main draw of the 2011 US Open. Thus far Semifinalist $196 in 2012 on the USTA Pro Circuit, she has won Quarterfinalist $98 Mary Cockrill a $25,000 event on clay in Plantation, Fla., and Round of 16 $49 reached the semifinals of $50,000 events on clay in Dothan, Ala., and Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., to achieve a career-high ranking of No. 168. Last year’s runner-up Nicole Gibbs won the 2012 NCAA singles and doubles titles while playing for Stanford. She is the first Stanford woman to win the singles title since 2004. Alexis King, the highest-ranked player in this week’s field, was a three-time All-American at the University of Florida. *Player field subject to change TournamenT noTes USTA PRO CIRCUIT 10 AND UNDER TENNIS With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from On January 1, the USTA announced that the rules of tennis $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for have officially changed and require that 10 and Under Tennis aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its tournaments be played utilizing smaller, lighter racquets Pro Circuit 33 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it and lower-bouncing balls on smaller courts. This rule change has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million signifies the emergence of 10 and Under Tennis as an integral in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities part of the development of young players. The scaled-down nationwide. Mardy Fish, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, James Blake, Li Na and equipment and smaller courts better allow kids to rally and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. play the game earlier in their development, and increase the likelihood they will return to the court and continue to More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit improve while having fun doing so. For more information, visit helped launch the careers of two young www.10andundertennis.com. Americans—Christina McHale and Ryan Christina McHale Harrison. McHale reached the quarterfinals or better at five USTA Pro Circuit events in NJTL 2010 and climbed more than 100 spots in the WTA rankings that year. Buoyed by those Cities across the country participate in the USTA/National Junior results, she began to compete regularly Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, a nationwide network of on the WTA tour in 2011 and became the community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character youngest player in the world’s Top 50 after of young people through both tennis and education. Founded defeating No. 8 seed Marion Bartoli en route by Arthur Ashe in 1969, more than 650 registered chapters/ to the third round of the US Open. Three programs exist throughout the nation with more than 250,000 weeks prior, she upset world No. 1 Wozniacki participants ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the USTA’s largest at the US Open Series event in Cincinnati. community-based initiatives. McHale also was named to the U.S. Fed Cup team for the World Group Playoff in April 2011. Harrison began 2011 by winning the US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoffS singles and doubles titles at the $50,000 The USTA launched the US Open USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Honolulu and subsequently reached the round of 16 in Indian Wells, where National Playoffs in 2010, making he upset three players ranked in the Top 50. Harrison cracked the Top 100 for the first time in summer the US Open “open” to anyone age 2011—becoming one of just two teenage males in the Top 100—after reaching back-to-back semifinals 14+ and of all skill levels. Last year, at the US Open Series events in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He also played in the main draw of all four Grand more than 1,200 players competed in Slam events last year, pushing world No. 5 David Ferrer to five sets in the second round at Wimbledon. 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide for a 2011 US Open PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Qualifying Tournament wild card. A mixed doubles element was also added, where the winning team won a main draw mixed The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions doubles wild card. Blake Strode, 24, of St. Louis, defended his US by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need Open National Playoffs men’s title in 2011 and Robin Anderson, to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center 18, of Matawan, NJ, won the women’s wild card. David Martin and Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as Christina Fusano won the mixed doubles tournament. Registration well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States. for the 2012 US Open National Playoffs opens on March 15. USTA PRO CIRCUIT PLAYER INFORMATION PLAYERS TO WATCH Lauren Albanese pg. 2 Lindsay Lee-Waters pg. 6 Robin Anderson Varvara Lepchenko Julia Boserup Mirjana Lucic (CRO) Madison Brengle Grace Min Gail Brodsky pg. 3 Alexandra Mueller pg. 7 Beatrice Capra Melanie Oudin Lauren Davis Jessica Pegula Victoria Duval Monica Puig (PUR) Irina Falconi pg. 4 Alison Riske pg. 8 Edina Gallovits-Hall (ROU) Shelby Rogers Nicole Gibbs Maria Sanchez Alexa Glatch Chichi Scholl Jamie Hampton pg. 5 Sloane Stephens pg. 9 Krista Hardebeck Taylor Townsend Madison Keys CoCo Vandeweghe Alexandra Kiick Ashley Weinhold Melanie Oudin ADDITIONAL PLAYERS TO WATCH Jan Abaza pg. 10 Alexis King pg.