Tournament Notes
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TournamenT noTes as of February 9, 2010 CITY OF SURPRISE WOMEN’S $25,000 SURPRISE, AZ • FEBRUARY 13–20 USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S TENNIS RETURNS TO SURPRISE TournamenT InFormaTIon The City of Surprise Women’s $25,000 is returning for its fourth year on the USTA USTA Pro Circuit. The event is one of two USTA Site: Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex Pro Circuit women’s events held in Arizona; Surprise, Ariz. Phoenix hosts a $75,000 event in November. Websites: www.surpriseaz.gov/tennis procircuit.usta.com This year’s main draw is expected to feature: 17-year-old Alja Tomljanovic of Croatia, Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, February 13 the top seed in Surprise and a Croatian Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, February 15 Fed Cup team member, who rose more than 150 places in the WTA rankings in Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles 2010, largely on the strength of her USTA Surface: Hard / Outdoor Pro Circuit results, which included her first USTA Pro Circuit title at the $25,000 Prize Money: $25,000 event in Plantation, Fla., in January, and an additional finalist appearance in April; Tournament Director: Lauren Albanese won the 2006 USTA Girls’ Lauren Albanese, who won the 2006 USTA Tara Combs, (623) 222-2400 18s National Championships to earn an Girls’ 18s National Championships to earn [email protected] automatic wild card into the US Open, an automatic wild card into the US Open, advancing to the second round. Tournament Press Contact: where she advanced to the second round, and Tara Combs, (623) 222-2400 who has since reached seven career USTA [email protected] Pro Circuit singles finals; former USTA girls’ war-torn Cameroon at age 2 and became a 16s No. 1 Kimberly Couts, who reached the standout tennis player. USTA Communications Contacts: quarterfinals or better at four events last Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] season and captured her fifth career USTA Teenagers expected in qualifying include: Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] Pro Circuit doubles title at the $50,000 event 19-year-old Julia Boserup, who trains full-time in Boston; and Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine, at the USTA Training Center Headquarters PrIze money / PoInTs who owns 15 USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles in Boca Raton, Fla., and who, as a junior, (seventh all-time) and broke into the Top 100 won the 2008 Dunlop Orange Bowl and, as a SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points in the WTA doubles rankings in 2007. professional, advanced to her first career USTA Winner $2,940 50 Pro Circuit semifinal in Indian Harbour Beach, Runner-Up $1,666 34 Those receiving main draw wild cards include: Fla., last year; 19-year-old Asia Muhammad, Semifinalist $1,078 24 Jacqueline Cako, who owns two career USTA who learned to play tennis at the Andre Agassi Quarterfinalist $686 14 Pro Circuit singles titles and who, as a junior, Boys and Girls Club in Las Vegas, and who, in Round 16 $490 8 reached the final at 2008 USTA International 2009, won the doubles title at the USTA Girls’ Round 32 $294 1 Spring Championships; Macall Harkins, who 18s National Championships with partner DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) won two ITF Women’s Circuit events in Mexico Christina McHale, earning a wild card into the Winner $1,176 last year and regularly competes on the USTA women’s doubles main draw at the US Open; Runner-Up $686 Pro Circuit; and 14-year-old Anne-Liz Jeukeng, and 16-year-old Jessica Pegula, a top junior, Semifinalist $392 who is competing in the third USTA Pro Circuit who reached the final of the USTA Pro Circuit Quarterfinalist $196 main draw of her career, and who was brought $25,000 event in Lutz, Fla., last month, for Round 16 $98 to the United States by her father from a her best USTA Pro Circuit result. Also expected in qualifying are: Alexandra Mueller, who won the inaugural US Open USTA National Playoffs last year, in addition to three USTA Pro Circuit titles; Ashley Weinhold, who 2009 Surprise singles champion Yanina Wickmayer went on to reach the semifinals of the 2009 US Open. TournamenT noTes won the 2007 USTA Girls’ 18s title, earning a wild card into main draw Many current WTA Tour stars have had success in Surprise. 2009 of the US Open, and who reached the final of the $50,000 event in singles champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, reached the semifinals Troy, Ala., on the USTA Pro Circuit last year; Megan Falcon, a former of the 2009 US Open and peaked at world No. 12 in April 2010. She All-American for Louisiana State University; and Brittany Augustine, also is a regular on the Belgian Fed Cup team and won two matches in who won the USTA Southwest Sectional Qualifying Tournament of the Belgium’s victory over the United States in the Fed Cup Quarterfinal two 2010 US Open National Playoffs and, as a junior, practiced with the weeks ago. Also, 2008 doubles champion Carly Gullickson went on to Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport while on the 2003 U.S. Junior win the mixed doubles title at the 2009 US Open with USTA Pro Circuit Fed Cup team. alum Travis Parrott. Carly Gullickson captured the inaugural Surprise doubles title with Shenay Perry and, the following year, won the US Open mixed doubles crown with Travis Parrott, a nine-time men’s doubles champion on the USTA Pro Circuit. SURPRISE PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2010 Abigail Spears (USA) Kurumi Nara (JPN) 2010 Chun-Mei Ji (CHN) – Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) 2009 Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) Julia Vakulenko (UKR) 2009 Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) – Ekaterina Ivanova (RUS) 2008 Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) Angela Haynes (USA) 2008 Carly Gullickson (USA) – Shenay Perry (USA) TournamenT noTes USTA PRO CIRCUIT 30 MILLION PLAYERS With more than 90 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to The USTA Pro Circuit serves as an integral part of the USTA’s $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis mission to grow and develop tennis in the United States. In players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit 32 November 2009, the USTA and Tennis Industry Association years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since announced that tennis participation in the United States topped grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering more than $3 million in 30 million players for the first time in more than two decades prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities with participation growing in all age groups under the age nationwide. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Andy Murray, Jelena Jankovic, Justine Henin of 50 and within all ethnicities. Another survey conducted by and Sam Querrey are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association that year also showed that tennis is the only traditional sport to enjoy growth The USTA Pro Circuit helped launch the in grass-roots participation. careers of two young Americans— Melanie Melanie Oudin Oudin and John Isner. Oudin began 2009 ranked No. 177, but climbed the rankings NJTL by winning back-to-back $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit events. With a boost in confidence, she Cities across the country participate in the USTA/National Junior reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, a nationwide network of the quarterfinals of the 2009 US Open. She community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character peaked at world No. 31 in 2010 and has been of young people through both tennis and education. Founded a crucial player on the U.S. Fed Cup team. by Arthur Ashe in 1969, more than 550 registered chapters/ Isner joined the USTA Pro Circuit after turning programs exist throughout the nation with more than 220,000 pro in 2007 and jump-started the best season participants ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the USTA’s largest of his career by winning the Tallahassee community-based initiatives. Challenger in 2009. Subsequently, he reached the semifinals at two Olympus US Open Series events and upset Andy Roddick en route to US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoffS the fourth round at the 2009 US Open. Last year, Isner captured his first tour title, reached The USTA hosted the inaugural three tour finals, and also won the longest US Open National Playoffs last year, match in history at Wimbledon. He finished making the US Open “open” to anyone 2010 ranked in the Top 20. age 14+ and of all skill levels. 859 men and 373 women competed in 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments PLAYER DEVELOPMENT nationwide, with the winners squaring off in Atlanta (men) and Stanford, The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions Calif., (women) for 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament wild by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need cards. Blake Strode, 23, of St. Louis, and Alexandra Mueller, to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center 22, of Abington, Pa., won the men’s and women’s wild cards. Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as Registration for the 2011 US Open National Playoffs opens on well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States.