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Home , Ashley Weinhold, Helen Kelesi, Iva Majoli, Julie Steven, Kristina Brandi, Miho Saeki

Tournament Notes

as of July 22, 2015

WOMEN’S PRO OPEN OF AUSTIN AUSTIN, TX • JULY 26-AUGUST 2

USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S TENNIS RETURNS TO AUSTIN TOURNAMENT INFORMATION The Women’s Pro Tennis Open of Austin is taking place in Austin for the third consecutive Site: Polo Tennis & Fitness Club - Austin, Texas year. Also held from 1992-98, The tournament

is one of four USTA Pro Circuit women’s events Dave Kenas Websites: www.thepolotennisclub.com taking place in Texas this year (El Paso was procircuit.usta.com held in late June; Fort Worth will take Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, July 26 place next week; and Waco will be held in November) and is the second of four Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, July 28 consecutive hard-court events to begin the Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles summer hard-court season in preparation for the US Open. Surface: Hard / Outdoor Prize Money: $10,000 To follow the tournament, download the USTA Pro Circuit’s new phone app by searching Tournament Director: “procircuit” in the app store. Anders Eriksson, (512) 829-4340 [email protected] Notable players competing in the main draw Tournament Press Contact: include: Wesley Drake Scarborough [email protected] Josie Kuhlman, who last year reached back-to-back USTA Pro Circuit singles Josie Kuhlman completed her freshman year at USTA Communications Contact: finals at the $10,000 women’s events in the University of Florida this spring, reaching Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] Bethany Beach, Del., and in Charlotte, N.C. the NCAA singles championships semifinals. Kuhlman completed her freshman year at the University of Florida this spring, concluding Prize money / points her rookie season with a 37-11 singles the $25,000 event in Sumter, S.C. She also SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points record and an appearance in the NCAA holds three USTA Pro Circuit/ITF-level singles Winner $1,568 12 singles championships semifinals. As a junior titles, her last coming in October 2013 in Runner-Up $980 7 player, Kuhlman reached the doubles final Quintana Roo, Mexico. Weinhold broke into Semifinalist $490 4 of the Easter Bowl in 2013 and the singles the Top 200 in the world in 2011. She won Quarterfinalist $245 2 semifinals of the 2013 International Hard the Girls’ 18s National Championships in Round 16 $196 1 Court Championships. 2007 and received a wild card into the main Round 32 $98 0 draw of the US Open that year, where she lost to then-world No. 4 . DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Ashley Weinhold, who is now in her eighth year Winner $637 on the pro tour. Weinhold won her 11th USTA Jessica Ho, who will be a freshman at Duke Runner-Up $343 Pro Circuit/ITF-level doubles title this June at this fall. As a junior player, she competed Semifinalist $196 in the US Open, , and Quarterfinalist $98 juniors and reached the singles Round 16 $49 quarterfinals of the 2014 Easter Bowl—a Tim Hartis Tim prestigious junior tournament.

Dasha Ivanova, 18, who was born in Russia and ranked as high as No. 32 in the ITF world junior rankings in August 2014. As a junior player, Ivanova played in the US Open, French

Ashley Weinhold, a veteran on the pro tour, holds 11 USTA Pro Circuit/ITF-level doubles titles and three singles titles. She won the Girls’ 18s National Championships in 2007 and received a wild card into the main draw of the US Open that year.

*Player field subject to change Tournament Notes

Open and Wimbledon girls’ events. She also reached the doubles Brynn Boren, who played for three seasons at the University of quarterfinals of the 2013 Easter Bowl. Ivanova has spent much of this Tennessee and then transferred to USC for her senior year. In her junior year playing on the USTA Pro Circuit and in ITF-level events in France, year at Tennessee, she received All-America honors in doubles after Mexico and Brazil. reaching the NCAA doubles semifinals.

Alexa Graham, 17, who reached her first career USTA Pro Circuit singles Madeleine Kobelt, who graduated from Syracuse in 2014. With the final this year at the $10,000 event in Bethany Beach, Del. Earlier this Orange, Kobelt became the 30th player in program history to reach year, she also reached the singles final at an ITF-level event in France. 100 career victories. She also received All-ACC honors. In high school, she was an Ohio state doubles champion in 2009. Kobelt was Kristina Smith, who played collegiately at UC Irvine, where her mother born in Paris. also played and represented the school in the 1983 NCAA Division I Championships. Kristina finished her college career with a 97-20 record Jessica Failla, who has signed a national letter of intent to play at USC and earned all-Big West Conference honors. In 2013, she earned the this fall. Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award for the Southwest Region of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

*Player field subject to change

austin Past WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 Kelly Chen (USA) Mary Weatherholt (USA) 2014 Catherine Harrison (USA) – Mary Weatherholt (USA) 2013 (USA) Emma Burgic (BIH) 2013 Ema Burgic (BIH) – Blair Shankle (USA) 1999-2012 Tournament Not Held 1999-2012 Tournament Not Held 1998 Kristina Brandi (USA) (USA) 1998 (CAN) – Lindsay Lee-Waters (USA) 1997 Emmanuelle Gagliardi (SUI) Nana Miyagi (JPN) 1997 Sung-Hee Park (KOR) – Miho Saeki (JPN) 1996 Jane Chi (USA) Olga Barabanschikova (BLR) 1996 Nana Miyagi (JPN) – Laxmi Poruri (USA) 1995 Li Chen (CHN) Jing-Qian Yi (CHN) 1995 Shannan McCarthy (USA) – Julie Steven (USA) 1994 Tatjana Jecmenica (SRB) Tatiana Panova (RUS) 1994 Sophie Amiach (FRA) – Tracey Morton (AUS) 1993 Helen Kelesi (CAN) Elly Hakami (USA) 1993 Elly Hakami (USA) – Anne Mall (IRL) 1992 Elena Savoldi (ITA) Iva Majoli (CRO) 1992 Kristen Dreyer (USA) – Stella Sampras (USA) 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. Victoria Azarenka, , John Isner, Andy Murray, Kei tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s Nishikori, Sam Querrey, and 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—Stefan Kozlov and Nicole Gibbs. 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 Andre Agassi 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.