No. 158-2010

USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS WITH COLLEGIATE TO FEATURE TOP JUNIOR AND COLLEGIATE PLAYERS AT LAND ROVER NAPA VALLEY TENNIS CLASSIC

Winner of Round-Robin Event to Receive USTA Wild Card to a USTA Pro Circuit Event

US Open Boys’ Champion among Junior Participants

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., September 21, 2010 – The USTA announced today that US Open boys’ champion Jack Sock will join seven of the nation’s top juniors in a unique tournament format playing against some of the country’s top collegiate players in the Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic, September 24-26.

The round-robin event, which will take place at Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena, Calif., features four players from six NCAA Division I schools including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois, the University of Kentucky, the University of Southern California and the University of .

“I’m very pleased that juniors are now being incorporated into this event and will be competing against some of the country’s top collegians,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development. “Collegiate competition is a key component of the pathway from junior tennis to professional tennis, and letting our juniors compete with college veterans will help with their physical and mental development.”

Each school will send four players to compete alongside the eight juniors*, and the 32-man field will be split into eight pools featuring three collegians and a junior. Following three matches in pool play, the eight pool winners will compete in a single-elimination, 10-point tiebreak tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive a USTA-sponsored wild card into a USTA Pro Circuit event that is yet to be determined.

The event, which was founded 10 years ago by Cal coach Peter Wright and Meadowood Tennis Director Doug King, will feature junior players for the first time after being held exclusively for collegians the first nine. The juniors were selected by USTA Player Development based on ATP rankings (if applicable), national rankings and results, and a selection of younger players for developmental purposes.

“Bringing the elite juniors to this event gives us a unique opportunity to help American junior development,” said Wright. “Add in the USTA wild card as first prize and I think this new format will add excitement for the players and fans.”

This will be the tenth consecutive year the event has been held at Meadowood, and the third year Land Rover has served as the title sponsor

For the first time this fall, the USTA will serve as title sponsor and host of the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s new indoor tennis facility. The USTA will also serve as the title sponsor of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships, the USTA/ITA National Collegiate Wheelchair Championships and 88 USTA/ITA Regional Tournaments. In all, close to 10,000 players from nearly 600 schools participate annually in the ITA Regional Championships, which encompass 24 host sites from the Division I level and 64 from the small college divisions nationwide.

*See page two for a full list of participants

Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic – Roster of Participants

USTA Juniors Mitchell Frank (17, Annandale, Va.) (17, Pittsburgh) (17, Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Alexios Halebian (16, Glendale, Calif.) Hunter Harrington (17, Spartanburg, S.C.) (16, Aledo, Texas) Mackenzie McDonald (15, Piedmont, Calif.) Jack Sock (17, Lincoln, Neb.)

University of California, Berkeley Nick Andrews (JR, Folsom, Calif.) Carlos Cueto (SO, Spain) Christoffer Konigsfeldt (SO, Denmark) Pedro Zerbini (SR, Brazil)

University of Florida (SO, Bradenton, Fla.) Alexandre Lacroix (SR, France) Nassim Slilam (JR, France) Bob van Overbeek (SO, Boca Raton, Fla.)

University of Illinois Johnny Hamui (SR, Wesley Chapel, Fla.) Stephen Hoh (SO, Australia) Dennis Nevolo (JR, Gurnee, Ill.) Abe Souza (SR, St. Louis)

University of Kentucky Brad Cox (SR, Duluth, Ga.) Alberto Gonzalez (SR, Bradenton, Fla.) Alex Musialek (JR, France) (JR, Pewee Valley, Ky.)

University of Southern California (JR, Oxnard, Calif.) Jaak Poldma (SR, Estonia) Raymond Sarmiento (FR, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) JT Sundling (SO, Thousand Oaks, Calif.)

University of Texas Jean Andersen (JR, South Africa) Ed Corrie (SR, England) David Holiner (RS FR, Dallas) Vasko Mladenov (SO, Bulgaria)

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90-plus Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the , Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. USTA Serves, the National Charitable Foundation of the USTA, provides financial support for disadvantaged youth and people with disabilities through tennis and education programs. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

For more information, contact: Tim Curry, Director, Communications, USTA, (914) 696-7077; [email protected] Andrew Labovitz, Publicity Associate, USTA; (914) 697-2291; [email protected]

On-site contact: Steve Pratt; (310) 408-4555; [email protected]