TOURNAMENT NOTES as of February 5, 2014 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC MIDLAND, MI • FEBRUARY 9–16, 2014 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC RETURNS TO MIDLAND TOURNAMENT FOR 26TH YEAR ON THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT INFORMATION Top players converge on Midland, Mich., such as defending singles champion Site: Midland Community Tennis Center, Lauren Davis, up-and-coming American Coco Vandeweghe, former collegiate No. 1 Midland, Mich. Maria Sanchez, 2013 USTA Pro Circuit prize money leader Shelby Rogers, former world junior No. 1 Taylor Townsend, 2013 US Open junior finalist Tornado Alicia Websites: dowcorningtennisclassic.com procircuit.usta.com Black, 2013 US Open star Victoria Duval, 2014 Australian Open wild card Sachia Vickery, and young Americans Madison Brengle and Allie Kiick. Facebook: Dow Corning Tennis Classic Now celebrating its 26th year, the Dow Twitter: @DCTCtennis Corning Tennis Classic is the longest-running Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, Feb. 9 consecutive women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit. The event is considered the Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, Feb. 11 marquee women’s tournament on the USTA Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Pro Circuit and attracts more than 15,000 Andrew Ong/USOpen.org fans each year. The USTA Pro Circuit is the Surface: Hard / Indoor pathway to tennis stardom and the Dow Prize Money: $100,000 Corning Tennis Classic is truly emblematic of that. Six Grand Slam singles champions Tournament Executive Director: played in the event early in their careers, Mike Woody, (989) 205-9443 along with 13 Grand Slam doubles / mixed [email protected] doubles champions. The most notable Assistant Tournament Director: Midland alumni include Justine Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and Sharon Cleland, (989) 708-9376 Olympic gold medal winner, four-time Grand [email protected] Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova, Tournament Press Contact: two-time Grand Slam singles champion Sam Fisher, (989) 430-5672 Mary Pierce, 2010 French Open singles Defending Midland champion and Top 60 [email protected] champion Francesca Schiavone and 2011 player Lauren Davis reached the third round of French Open and 2014 Australian Open the 2014 Australian Open in her career-best Grand Slam result and arrives in Midland after USTA Communications Contact: singles champion Li Na, as well as Anna Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 being named to the U.S. Fed Cup Team for Kournikova, a two-time Grand Slam women’s the first time in Cleveland, where Davis won a [email protected] doubles and mixed doubles champion. doubles match with Madison Keys against Italy. PRIZE MONEY / POINTS The tournament began in 1989 at the $25,000 level and seven years later became ask questions of the players. VIP packages, SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points one of five USTA Pro Circuit tournaments club seats and group rates are available Winner $15,200 140 to raise its prize money as part of the in addition to general admission tickets. Runner-Up $8,108 100 “Women’s $50,000 Challenger Series” Daily sessions are $12 for adults and $8 Semifinalist $4,433 70 in 1996. Three years later, in 1999, the for juniors. For further ticket or sponsorship Quarterfinalist $2,533 36 prize money was raised again, this time to information, please contact Assistant Round 16 $1,520 18 $75,000. Midland made its debut as the Tournament Director Sharon Cleland at the Round 32 $887 1 first-ever $100,000 women’s event on the Midland Tennis Club. DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) USTA Pro Circuit in 2010 and has been held Winner $5,573 at the $100,000 level ever since. This year’s Midland main draw field includes Runner-Up $2,787 defending Midland singles champion and Semifinalist $1,393 Throughout the week, Midland Community Top 60 player Lauren Davis, U.S. Fed Quarterfinalist $760 Tennis Center will offer a variety of daily Cupper and up-and-coming American Coco Round 16 $507 interactive events that reach out to Vandeweghe, former collegiate No. 1 Maria community members at many different ages Sanchez, 2013 USTA Pro Circuit prize and skill levels, including a “pros to schools/ money leader Shelby Rogers, former world schools to matches” day, a luncheon, a kids’ junior No. 1 Taylor Townsend, 2013 US fun day, high school play day, an at-risk Open star Victoria Duval, 2013 US Open youth program and an adult Cardio Tennis junior singles finalistTornado Alicia Black, clinic, along with opportunities to meet and *Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES in 2008 and has represented Belarus in Fed Cup and the Olympics. She has won eight WTA doubles titles and been ranked as high as No. 24 in the world in doubles. This is her second appearance Getty Images in Midland: she won the tournament in 2012 and reached the semifinals in 2007 but fell to American Jill Craybas. Coco Vandeweghe, 22, is ranked No. 107. Vandeweghe had a strong summer in 2013 playing in the Emirates Airline US Open Series and US Open, qualifying for the Series events in Stanford, Calif., and Carlsbad, Calif., reaching the second round of both, in addition to qualifying for and reaching the second round of the US Open. Following the 2013 US Open, Vandeweghe reached the singles final at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Las Vegas and the final of an ITF-level event in Canada. She also won back-to-back USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles at the $75,000 USTA Pro Circuit events in Albuquerque, N.M., and Las Vegas after the US Open. Vandeweghe reached her first pro final in 2012 at the Series event in Stanford as a qualifier, losing to Serena Williams. She broke into the Top 100 for the first time in her career in early 2011 after qualifying for the Australian Open and reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA event Coco Vandeweghe had a strong summer in 2013 playing in the Emirates in Memphis, Tenn. Also in 2011, she reached the second round of Airline US Open Series and reached her first pro final in 2012 at the the US Open and competed in the French Open and Wimbledon. Series event in Stanford, losing to Serena Williams. She broke into the Vandeweghe was named to the U.S. Fed Cup team for the 2010 Top 100 for the first time in her career in early 2011 and has represented final versus Italy. As a junior, she won the 2008 US Open girls’ the U.S. in Fed Cup. singles title. Vandeweghe’s mother, Tauna, was a member of the U.S. national team in both swimming and volleyball, and her uncle former world junior No. 4 Madison Brengle, 2014 Australian Open is former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe. This is her third appearance in wild card Sachia Vickery, and young American Allie Kiick. Midland; she reached the doubles semifinals in 2013. Featured players expected to compete in the main draw include: Sharon Fichman, 23, of Canada, is ranked No. 112. Fichman is coming off a strong 2013 season where she won her eighth career Urszula Radwanska, 23, of Poland, is ranked No. 45 and is the highest- ITF singles title at the $25,000 event in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and ranked player in Midland. Radwanska peaked at No. 29 in the world made her Top 100 debut in August last year. She has also been in October 2012 and has competed in all four Grand Slam events. ranked as high as No. 62 in the world in doubles, winning 16 ITF She holds four ITF Circuit and USTA Pro Circuit singles titles and 10 doubles titles and capturing her first WTA doubles title earlier this doubles titles. She also holds one WTA doubles title, winning in Istanbul year in Auckland, New Zealand with American Maria Sanchez. This in 2007 with sister and current world No. 4 Agnieszka, and reached is Fichman’s third appearance in Midland; she was a singles and the doubles quarterfinals of the French Open in 2009. Radwanska has doubles quarterfinalist in 2008. represented Poland in Fed Cup and played for the Polish Olympic team in 2012 in London. She is making her Midland debut. Anna Tatishvili, 24, from the country of Georgia, who is ranked No. 115. Tatishvili won her seventh USTA Pro Circuit singles title in January 2014 Romina Oprandi, 27, of Switzerland, is ranked No. 94. The 2013 at the $25,000 event in Daytona Beach, Fla. She also competed in the season was cut short for Oprandi after struggling with a right 2014 Australian Open, losing in the first round to Monica Puig. Tatishvili shoulder injury. Prior to the injury, she has had four Top 100 peaked at No. 50 in the world in the WTA rankings in October 2012 and seasons. In 2012, Oprandi reached the third round of the Australian has competed in all four Grand Slam events, reaching the round of 16 Open and second rounds in four tournaments, including Wimbledon at the US Open in 2012 for her career-best result (she lost to eventual and the US Open. Other notable 2012 performances for Oprandi finalist Victoria Azarenka). As a junior player, Tatishvili peaked at No. 19 are wins at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Bronx. N.Y., in the ITF World Junior Rankings in 2006, when she reached the and at the $100,000 ITF tournament just a month later in Biarritz, third round in singles at the junior Australian Open and the semifinals France. Oprandi had her first Top 50 season in 2006 after winning in doubles, where she partnered with former world No. 1 Caroline four singles titles and three doubles titles on the ITF and USTA Pro Wozniacki.