TournamenT noTes as of February 1, 2012 WOMEN’S CHILDHELP DESERT CLASSIC BENEFITING CHILDHELP MERV GRIFFIN VILLAGE RANCHO MIRAGE, CA • FEBRUARY 5 - 12 TournamenT USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S EVENT RETURNS TO RANCHO MIRAGE InFormaTIon The Women’s ChildHelp Desert Classic Site: Rancho Las Palmas Resort Benefiting ChildHelp Merv Griffin Village Rancho Mirage, Calif. returns in 2012 to Rancho Mirage, Calif., Hartis Tim for the fourth consecutive year. It is the Website: procircuit.usta.com fourth USTA Pro Circuit event on the 2012 women’s calendar and the second of two Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, February 5 consecutive hard court events in Southern California, following the $25,000 event in Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, February 7 Rancho Santa Fe. Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Those players expected in the main draw include: Amanda Fink, a four-year letter winner at the University of Southern California who Surface: Hard / Outdoor reached the final of the $50,000 event in Lexington, Ky., in 2011; and main draw wild Prize Money: $25,000 card Krista Hardebeck, who reached the girls’ singles semifinals at the 2012 Australian Open Tournament Director: Wild card Krista Hardebeck reached the girls’ and will play collegiately at Stanford University singles semifinals at the 2012 Australian Open Lornie Kuhle, (702) 737-6520 in the fall. Hardebeck, the 2010 Easter Bowl and will play collegiately at Stanford University [email protected] champion, was a semifinalist here a year ago. in the fall. Tournament Press Contact: Also expected in the main draw are: Claire Britten Gerrard, (760) 218-2887 Feuerstein of France, the highest-ranked player USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca [email protected] in the field at No. 185, who won $25,000 Raton, Fla., and who won the first women’s events in France and Scotland in 2011; Olga USTA Pro Circuit title of 2012 in Plantation, USTA Public Relations Contacts: Puchkova of Russia, who has competed in Fla.; Lauren Davis, 18, the former world Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] all four Grand Slam events in her career and No. 3 junior player who won the 2011 USTA Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] peaked at No. 32 in the world in 2007; and Girls’ 18 National Championships to earn Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who won her a wild card into the 2011 US Open, and first professional title at a $25,000 event in who captured a USTA playoff to earn a wild PrIze money / PoInTs Australia in January 2011, and who is currently card into the 2011 Australian Open; Asia SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points No. 4 in the ITF World Junior Rankings. Like Muhammad, who reached the quarterfinals Winner $2,940 50 Hardebeck, Bouchard reached the semifinals of of two $50,000 events in 2011 and who Runner-Up $1,666 34 the junior Australian Open last month. learned tennis at the Andre Agassi Boys Semifinalist $1,078 24 and Girls Club in Las Vegas; and Alexandra Quarterfinalist $686 14 Young Americans competing in qualifying Kiick, 16, former Miami Dolphins running Round 16 $490 8 include: Grace Min, the 2011 US Open girls’ back Jim Kiick’s daughter, who won her first Round 32 $294 1 singles champion, who trains full-time at the professional title in 2011 at the $10,000 event in Amelia Island, Fla. DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Winner $1,176 Other players expected in qualifying include: Runner-Up $686 Maria Sanchez, a three-time All-American for Semifinalist $392 Hartis Tim USC who won the 2010 USTA/ITA National Quarterfinalist $196 Indoor Intercollegiate Championships; and Round 16 $98 15-year-old Gabrielle Andrews of Pomona, Calif., who won the girls’ doubles title at the 2012 Australian Open and reached the girls’ doubles final at the 2011 US Open (both with Taylor Townsend). Amanda Fink was a four-year letter winner at the University of Southern California. TournamenT noTes USTA PRO CIRCUIT 10 AND UNDER TENNIS With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from On January 1, the USTA announced that the rules of tennis $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for have officially changed and require that 10 and Under Tennis aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its tournaments be played utilizing smaller, lighter racquets Pro Circuit 33 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it and lower-bouncing balls on smaller courts. This rule change has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million signifies the emergence of 10 and Under Tennis as an integral in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities part of the development of young players. The scaled-down nationwide. Mardy Fish, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, James Blake, Li Na and equipment and smaller courts better allow kids to rally and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. play the game earlier in their development, and increase the likelihood they will return to the court and continue to More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit improve while having fun doing so. For more information, visit helped launch the careers of two young www.10andundertennis.com. Americans—Christina McHale and Ryan Christina McHale Harrison. McHale reached the quarterfinals or better at five USTA Pro Circuit events in NJTL 2010 and climbed more than 100 spots in the WTA rankings that year. Buoyed by those Cities across the country participate in the USTA/National Junior results, she began to compete regularly Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, a nationwide network of on the WTA tour in 2011 and became the community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character youngest player in the world’s Top 50 after of young people through both tennis and education. Founded defeating No. 8 seed Marion Bartoli en route by Arthur Ashe in 1969, more than 650 registered chapters/ to the third round of the US Open. Three programs exist throughout the nation with more than 250,000 weeks prior, she upset world No. 1 Wozniacki participants ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the USTA’s largest at the US Open Series event in Cincinnati. community-based initiatives. McHale also was named to the U.S. Fed Cup team for the World Group Playoff in April 2011. Harrison began 2011 by winning the US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoffS singles and doubles titles at the $50,000 The USTA launched the US Open USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Honolulu and subsequently reached the round of 16 in Indian Wells, where National Playoffs in 2010, making he upset three players ranked in the Top 50. Harrison cracked the Top 100 for the first time in summer the US Open “open” to anyone age 2011—becoming one of just two teenage males in the Top 100—after reaching back-to-back semifinals 14+ and of all skill levels. Last year, at the US Open Series events in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He also played in the main draw of all four Grand more than 1,200 players competed in Slam events last year, pushing world No. 5 David Ferrer to five sets in the second round at Wimbledon. 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide for a 2011 US Open PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Qualifying Tournament wild card. A mixed doubles element was also added, where the winning team won a main draw mixed The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions doubles wild card. Blake Strode, 24, of St. Louis, defended his US by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need Open National Playoffs men’s title in 2011 and Robin Anderson, to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center 18, of Matawan, NJ, won the women’s wild card. David Martin and Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as Christina Fusano won the mixed doubles tournament. Registration well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States. for the 2012 US Open National Playoffs opens on March 15. RANCHO MIRAGE PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2011 Ashley Weinhold (USA) Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 2011 Karolina Pliskova (CZE) – Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 2010 Olivia Sanchez (FRA) Tadeja Majeric (SLO) 2010 Monique Adamczak (AUS) – Abigail Spears (USA) 2009 Julia Vakulenko (UKR) Lauren Albanese (USA) 2009 Natalie Grandin (RSA) – Courtney Nagle (USA).