Usta Player Development Announces New Us Open Wild Card Playoff for Elite Players
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No. 118-2010 USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCES NEW US OPEN WILD CARD PLAYOFF FOR ELITE PLAYERS Eight Men and Eight Women to Compete for Spots in US Open Main Draw at USTA Player Development Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., August 18-20 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., August 16, 2010 – The USTA announced today that it will host a new US Open Wild Card Playoff to award a men’s and women’s main draw singles wild card into the 2010 US Open. Eight men and eight women will be invited to compete for the wild cards August 18-20 at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The USTA has held wild card playoffs since 2007 to determine wild cards into the Australian and French Opens per reciprocal agreements with Tennis Australia and the French Tennis Federation. “Our wild card tournaments for the Australian and French Opens have shown that our philosophy of letting our top emerging players compete for the opportunity to play at the highest levels is working,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development. “I believe that applying this process to the US Open sends a strong message to our players that opportunities such as a US Open wild card are meant to be earned through hard work, dedication and competition.” The list of invited players is comprised of some of the country’s top collegiate and junior players, as well as a number of professionals who compete primarily on the USTA Pro Circuit, including: MEN WOMEN Chase Buchanan – New Albany, Ohio Julia Boserup – Boca Raton, Fla. Andrea Collarini – Boca Raton, Fla. Madison Brengle – Dover, Del. Alexander Domijan – Wesley Chapel, Fla. Beatrice Capra – Ellicott City, Md. Ryan Harrison – Bradenton, Fla. Irina Falconi – Jupiter, Fla. Jarmere Jenkins – College Park, Ga. Nicole Gibbs – Santa Monica, Calif. Steve Johnson – Orange, Calif. Krista Hardebeck – Santa Ana, Calif. Austin Krajicek – Brandon, Fla. Madison Keys – Boca Raton, Fla. Tim Smyczek – Milwaukee, Wis. Alison Riske – McMurray, Pa. Play will begin each day at 10:00am ET. The men’s and women’s finals will be played consecutively, with the women’s final starting at 10:00am on August 20, and a best-of-five set men’s final to follow. The event will be free to the public throughout. # # # 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, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. 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] .