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Home , 2015 US Open (tennis), Akiko Omae, Anna Tatishvili, Julia Glushko, Lauren Herring, Nicole Gibbs

TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of October 16, 2015

MCLEOD HEALTH FLORENCE OPEN FLORENCE, SC • OCTOBER 18-25

USTA PRO CIRCUIT WOMEN’S RETURNS TO FLORENCE TOURNAMENT INFO The McLeod Health Florence Open returns to Site: Dr. Eddie Floyd Tennis Center the USTA Pro Circuit for the fourth straight Florence, S.C.  year. It is the last $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit women’s tournament for 2015 and follows Websites: procircuit.usta.com three other USTA Pro Circuit events that www.cityofflorenceathletics.com/facilities/ Ryan USTA/Steven were held in South Carolina over the past dr-eddie-floyd-florence-tennis-center/ three weeks: in Charleston, Hilton Head susan-g-komen-florence-open/ Island and Rock Hill. Facebook: Florence Open, a USTA Pro Circuit Women’s Tournament Net proceeds from the tournament will go to the Susan G. Komen Lowcountry Foundation Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, October 18 to help in the fight against breast cancer. Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, October 20 To follow the tournament, download the Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles USTA Pro Circuit’s new phone app by Surface: Hard / Outdoor searching “procircuit” in the app store.

Prize Money: $25,000 Notable players competing in the main draw Tournament Director: include: Rob Hill, (843) 624-8754 [email protected] , the former US Open junior champion who peaked at a career-high Grace Min won the 2011 US Open junior Tournament Press Contact: No. 97 in the world in March after reaching singles title and peaked at a career-high No. 97 Paul Pittman, (843) 615-4924 the second round of the WTA’s Rio Open in the WTA rankings in March of this year. [email protected] and competing in Indian Wells. Last year, Min advanced to the semifinals of the USTA Communications Contact: 2013, she qualified for the — WTA event in Bad Gastein, Austria—the Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 her first tournament main draw first WTA semifinal of her career. She also [email protected] appearance outside the —as competed in the US Open and French Open well as the US Open. She has claimed five main draws in 2014, qualifying at Roland PRIZE MONEY / POINTS USTA Pro Circuit singles titles, with two Garros. Min was one of the top juniors in the SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points titles coming in 2014. world in 2011, when she won the US Open Winner $3,919 50 girls’ singles title and the Wimbledon girls’ Runner-up $2,091 30 , who graduated from UCLA doubles title. Those results helped propel Semifinalist $1,114 18 this year after earning All-America honors her to No. 4 in the world junior rankings. In Quarterfinalist $ 654 9 in both singles and doubles for the fourth Round of 16 $ 392 5 consecutive year, becoming the seventh Round of 32 $ 228 1 player in school history to accomplish that DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) feat. This year, she was named the ITA Winner $1,437 National Collegiate Player for the Year. USTA/Andy Marlin USTA/Andy Runner-up $ 719 Anderson was part of UCLA’s NCAA title- Semifinalist $ 359 winning team in 2014 and reached the Quarterfinalist $ 196 NCAA doubles final in 2013. At the 2015 Round of 16 $ 131 US Open, she won the second American Collegiate Invitational, a tournament for the top U.S. college players. Thus far in her career, Anderson has won one USTA Pro

Robin Anderson graduated from UCLA this year after earning All-America honors in both singles and doubles for the fourth consecutive season. She was a member of UCLA’s NCAA title-winning team in 2014 and reached the NCAA doubles final in 2013.

*Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES

Circuit singles title ($10,000 Landisville, Pa., in 2011) and one Reigning USTA Girls’ 18s National Champion , 16, who doubles title ($25,000 Redding, Calif., in 2013). As a junior player, made her Grand Slam tournament women’s singles main draw debut she reached the singles quarterfinals of the 2010 junior US Open. at the US Open this summer and also reached the 2015 US Open junior singles final. Kenin earned a berth into the US Open of , the top seed in Florence, who peaked at women’s singles draw by virtue of her USTA Girls’ 18s national title No. 79 in the world in June 2014. Glushko has competed in all and fell to Mariana Duque-Marino in the first round. Kenin, who goes four Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the third round of the 2014 by “Sonya,” is the No. 3-ranked junior in the world. She represented French Open and the third round of the 2013 US Open, where the United States at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China. she defeated former world No. 3 in the first round. Glushko has won eight ITF Pro Circuit/USTA Pro Circuit singles titles Caroline Price, who recently completed her senior year at the in her career and nine doubles titles. She has also represented Israel University of North Carolina, where she earned All-America honors in Fed Cup play. and won 128 singles matches—the second most in Tar Heels history. Price won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title this year at the Notable players competing in qualifying include: $10,000 event in Charlotte, N.C. She is the daughter of former NBA All-Star Mark Price. , 17, a University of Florida recruit who was described as a “girl Johnny Mac” by Hall of Famer John McEnroe himself. Neel Lauren Herring, who graduated from the University of Georgia earlier grew up in Rochester, Minn., and trains at Nick Bollettieri’s IMG this year, earning three All-America honors in singles and two in Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Her aggressive style of play, reminiscent doubles during her collegiate career. Herring ranks second all-time at of McEnroe’s, helped her win the USTA Girls’ 18s national doubles Georgia with 238 combined singles and doubles wins and is second title, earning a wild card into the US Open women’s doubles draw in overall doubles victories with 118. She went 21-7 in singles as this summer. a senior to lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Final Four and competed in this year’s American Collegiate Invitational at the US Open, a Alexa Graham, 17, who won her first USTA Pro Circuit title at the tournament that showcases college tennis during the US Open. As $10,000 clay-court event in Hilton Head Island, S.C., in early a junior player, Herring competed in doubles at the 2010 US Open October. Graham had strong results on the Pro Circuit this summer— after winning the USTA Girls’ 18s national title with Grace Min. reaching the final at the $10,000 tournament in Bethany Beach, Herring holds two USTA Pro Circuit singles titles—one from this year Del., and the semifinals at consecutive events in Sumter, S.C., at the $10,000 event in Evansville, Ind., and another in 2010 in ($25,000) and Evansville, Ind. ($10,000). Amelia Island, Fla. Her twin brother, Charlie, played baseball at N.C. State University. , winner of 14 USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles in her career, including one title this year, in Sumter, S.C. She also has Raveena Kingsley, 17, who ranked as high as No. 22 in the ITF captured four career USTA Pro Circuit singles titles. In July 2013, World Junior Rankings this year on the strength of reaching the Mueller qualified in singles for the WTA event in Washington, D.C., quarterfinals of the junior and the semifinals of the where she also reached the doubles quarterfinals. Mueller is a two- Easter Bowl, a prestigious U.S. junior event. She also won matches time winner of the US Open National Playoffs, earning wild cards at the junior US Open and Wimbledon in 2015. into the US Open Qualifying Tournament in 2010 and 2012.

*Player field subject to change

FLORENCE PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 CiCi Bellis (USA) Ysaline Bonaventure (BEL) 2014 (USA) – (USA) 2013 (GEO) (USA) 2013 Anamika Bhargava (USA) – Madison Brengle (USA) 2012 Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) Stephanie Dubois (CAN) 2012 (NOR) – (JPN) 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. , , , , Kei tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s Nishikori, , and 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 . In her first full season as a Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell professional after capturing back-to-back and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/National Junior Tennis & NCAA singles championships in 2012 and Learning (NJTL) network is a nationwide group of more than

2013, Gibbs won the women’s USTA Pro A. Clary/Getty Images Timothy Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge in 625 non-profit youth development organizations that provide 2014. After claiming the title at the $50,000 free or low-cost tennis, education and life skills programming USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., to more than 350,000 children each year. Celebrating its Gibbs clinched the US Open wild card 45th anniversary this year, NJTL is one of the USTA’s largest by advancing to the final of the $50,000 community-based offerings. tournament in Lexington, Ky., her last USTA Pro Circuit event of the season. Gibbs went on to reach the third round at the US Open, scoring a pair of Top 50 victories along the US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS way. Two weeks after the US Open, as a qualifier at Seoul, she reached her first WTA Nicole Gibbs The USTA launched the US Open quarterfinal, which boosted her into the National Playoffs in 2010, WTA Top 100 for the first time. Gibbs earned making the US Open “open” the second-most WTA ranking points of any to anyone age 14+ and of all American playing the USTA Pro Circuit in 2014. Kozlov, runner-up in 2014 at the junior championships of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger last October at age skill levels. Last year, more 16, becoming the youngest American to reach a Challenger final since Andre Agassi in 1986. That result than 1,200 players competed vaulted Kozlov to No. 443 in the world, making him the youngest player in the ATP World Tour Top 500. He in 13 Sectional Qualifying concluded 2014 by sweeping the singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Tournaments nationwide for Championships, locking down a No. 3 junior world ranking. 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 again competed in The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions singles and mixed doubles, but also had the chance to play by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need in the new men’s and women’s doubles competition to earn to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center main draw doubles wild cards. The US Open National Playoffs Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as Championships were Aug. 21-29. 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.