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Home , Adam El Mihdawy, Brian Vahaly, Luke Bambridge, Michael Quintero, Michael Shabaz, Rhyne Williams

Tournament Notes

as of June 25, 2015

MERRILL LYNCH FUTURES PITTSBURGH, PA • JUNE 27-JULY 5

USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO PITTSBURGH TOURNAMENT INFORMATION The Merrill Lynch Futures is being held in Pittsburgh for the 15th consecutive year. Site: Mount Lebanon Center – Pittsburgh It is the last of three consecutive $10,000

clay-court USTA Pro Circuit Futures this Dave Kenas Websites: www.mtlebanontennis.com month, following Buffalo and Rochester. In www.procircuit.usta.com conjunction with USTA Player Development, Qualifying Draw Begins: Saturday, June 27 the USTA Pro Circuit continues to emphasize the importance of increased training for Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, June 30 younger players on clay. Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles To follow the tournament, download the Surface: Clay / Outdoor USTA Pro Circuit’s new phone app for Prize Money: $10,000 smartphones and tablets by searching “procircuit” in the Apple and Google Play Tournament Director: stores. Hank Hughes, (412) 343-3411 [email protected] Notable players competing in the main draw Tournament Press Contact: include: Hannah Phillips, (724) 553-8791 Former collegiate standout Wil Spencer has won [email protected] Wil Spencer, who graduated from the two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles over the University of Georgia in 2012 after playing past two years. USTA Communications Contact: two seasons at Texas A&M. Spencer went Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 104-49 in four seasons at Georgia and [email protected] Texas A&M and reached the round of 16 at Alex Rybakov, 18, who climbed to No. 14 the 2012 NCAA tournament. His final ITA in the ITF World Junior Rankings in January. singles ranking was No. 11. Spencer holds Rybakov has trained alongside the rising Prize money / points two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles, winning group of top American boys for several SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points at the $10,000 Futures in Vero Beach, Fla., years and recently competed in the junior Winner $1,440 17 earlier this year and the $10,000 Futures in , winning his first-round match. Runner-Up $848 9 Niceville, Fla., last year. Also in 2015, he He also played in a series of lead-up ITF Semifinalist $502 5 reached the doubles final at the $15,000 Futures events in Spain and Italy before the Quarterfinalist $292 2 Futures in Calabasas, Calif., in March. French Open juniors this year. In August Round 16 $172 1 2014, Rybakov represented the U.S. in the Round 32 $104 – Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, along with Sofia Kenin. And last December, DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Rybakov reached the quarterfinals of the Winner $620 . He is coached by his father, Runner-Up $360 Nick, and USTA coach Diego Moyano. Semifinalist $216 Getty Images Quarterfinalist $128 2005 Pittsburgh singles champion Catalin Round 16 $0 Gard, who recently began playing for the United States after previously representing Romania. Gard, 33, has won 11 USTA Pro Circuit and ITF-level singles titles (his last coming in 2009) and 17 doubles titles throughout the world, including two USTA

Teenager Alex Rybakov competed in this year’s junior French Open and represented the United States at the Youth Olympic Games last summer.

*Player field subject to change Tournament Notes

Pro Circuit doubles titles this year. He was an All-American at the Nikita Kryvonos, who recently won the US Open National Playoffs University of Mississippi, where he ranked No. 1 in the ITA collegiate USTA Eastern sectional qualifier for the third time. The Eastern rankings and led the Rebels to consecutive SEC Championships in qualifier is played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis 2004 and 2005 as well as the NCAA Final Four as a senior in 2005. Center (home of the US Open), where Kryvonos trains during the year. By winning the qualifier, he will now compete in the US Open Former University of standout and 2013 Pittsburgh singles National Playoffs – Men’s Singles Championship in New Haven, champion , who reached the singles semifinals at the Conn., later this summer for a into US Open qualifying. 2011 NCAA Championships and won the 2010 NCAA men’s doubles Kryvonos competed in US Open qualifying in 2004, 2006 and 2007, title with . Shabaz captured his first USTA Pro Circuit and he has played extensively on the USTA Pro Circuit. He finished singles title at the $10,000 Futures in Pittsburgh in July 2013. Two in the Top 400 in 2006. As a junior player, Kryvonos was ranked in weeks later, he won his second at the $10,000 Futures in Godfrey, the Top 25 in the ITF World Junior Rankings, reaching the semifinals Ill. He spent much of 2014 competing internationally, and this year of the 2004 Easter Bowl and competing in the junior US Open, he qualified for two $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures events. As a French Open and Wimbledon; he he faced a young at junior player, Shabaz won the Wimbledon boys’ doubles title in 2005 Wimbledon. (with ). Alexios Halebian, who won two doubles titles last year at ITF-level Hunter Harrington, who recently graduated from Clemson, where he events in Turkey. Halebian was ranked as high as No. 24 in the ITF earned doubles All-America honors in 2014 as well as All-ACC honors World Junior Rankings and reached the singles quarterfinals of the three times. He reached the semifinals of the 2014 NCAA Doubles 2011 junior US Open. He also reached the singles final and won the Championship with teammate Dominique Maden, becoming just the doubles title at the 2012 Easter Bowl, a prestigious junior event. third doubles team in program history to achieve that result. He was inducted into Clemson’s Academic Hall of Fame. Chris Racz, who is playing in his third tournament since October 2013. Racz was a Top 50-ranked junior player who competed in , who recently graduated from Georgia, where he either the main draw or qualifying for each of the junior Grand was named First Team All-SEC his senior year and competed in Slam events, and he went on to play collegiately at the University of the NCAA Singles Championship. During his junior season, he Tennessee. He played on the USTA Pro Circuit and in ITF-level events earned All-America honors by advancing to the round of 16 at the from 2006 to 2013. NCAA championships. Pasha also competed in the doubles draw at the 2010 US Open after winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Cameron Silverman, who graduated from Elon University in 2014, Championships in doubles. where he earned first-team All-SoCon honors.

*Player field subject to change

pittsburgh Past WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 Jean-Yves Aubone (USA) Toby Martin (GBR) 2014 Luke Bambridge (GBR) – (GBR) 2013 Michael Shabaz (USA) Jason Tahir (USA) 2013 Marcos Giron (USA) – Connor Smith (USA) 2012 Alex Bogdanovic (GBR) Matheson Klein (AUS) 2012 Michael Redlicki (USA) – Jason Tahir (USA) 2011 Brian Baker (USA) Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 2011 Haydn Lewis (BAR) – Dennis Zivkovic (USA) 2010 (USA) (USA) 2010 (USA) – Rhyne Williams (USA) 2009 Dennis Zivkovic (USA) Blake Strode (USA) 2009 Haydn Lewis (BAR) – Dennis Zivkovic (USA) 2008 (IND) Travis Helgeson (USA) 2008 Somdev Devvarman (IND) – (PHI) 2007 Rhyne Williams (USA) Travis Helgeson (USA) 2007 Carsten Ball (AUS) – Scott Doerner (AUS) 2006 Victor Estrella (DOM) Matej Bocko (SVK) 2006 Shannon Nettle (AUS) – Daniel Wendler (AUS) 2005 Catalin Gard (ROM) Michael Quintero (COL) 2005 Robert Smeets (AUS) – Daniel Wendler (AUS) 2004 (USA) Kean Feeder (USA) 2004 Tres Davis (USA) – (USA) 2003 Michael Quintero (COL) Justin Bower (RSA) 2003 Justin Bower (RSA) – Shaun Rudman (RSA) 2002 Luciano Vitullo (ARG) Matias Boeker (USA) 2002 Andrew Colombo (USA) – Tamer El Sawy (EGY) 2001 Jaymon Crabb (AUS) Brian Vahaly (USA) 2001 Andrew Colombo (USA) – Bo Hodge (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, Eugenie Bouchard, , Andy Murray, Kei tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s Nishikori, , Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki 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— and Nicole Gibbs. Runner-up in 2014 at the junior Amber Alva Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell championships of the and and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/National Junior Tennis & Wimbledon, Kozlov reached the final of the Learning (NJTL) network is a nationwide group of more than Sacramento Challenger last October at age 16, becoming the youngest American to 625 non-profit youth development organizations that provide reach a Challenger final since Andre Agassi free or low-cost tennis, education and life skills programming in 1986. That result vaulted Kozlov to to more than 350,000 children each year. Celebrating its No. 443 in the world, making him the 45th anniversary this year, NJTL is one of the USTA’s largest youngest player in the ATP World Tour community-based offerings. Top 500. He concluded 2014 by sweeping Stefan Kozlov the singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Championships, locking down a No. 3 US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoffS junior world ranking. Gibbs, in her first full season as a professional after capturing The USTA launched the US Open back-to-back NCAA singles championships National Playoffs in 2010, in 2012 and 2013, won the women’s USTA making the US Open “open” Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge in 2014. After claiming the title at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., Gibbs clinched the to anyone age 14+ and of all US Open wild card by advancing to the final of the $50,000 tournament in Lexington, Ky., her last USTA skill levels. Last year, more Pro Circuit event of the season. Gibbs went on to reach the third round at the US Open, scoring a pair of than 1,200 players competed Top 50 victories along the way. Two weeks after the US Open, as a qualifier at Seoul, she reached her first in 13 Sectional Qualifying WTA quarterfinal, which boosted her into the WTA Top 100 for the first time. Gibbs earned the second-most Tournaments nationwide for WTA ranking points of any American playing the USTA Pro Circuit in 2014. 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.