TournamenT noTes as of February 4, 2013 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC MIDLAND, MI • FEBRUARY 3-10 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC CELEBRATES TournamenT 25TH ANNIVERSARY ON THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT InFormaTIon Top players converge on Midland, Mich., such as young American Lauren Davis, 2012 NCAA singles finalist Mallory Burdette, former collegiate No. 1 Maria Sanchez, Site: Midland Community Tennis Center Midland, Mich. 2011 Pan Am Games singles gold medalist and 2011 Midland runner-up Irina Falconi, two-time Midland singles champion Jill Craybas, and U.S. Fed Cupper and Websites: dowcorningtennisclassic.com up-and-coming American CoCo Vandeweghe procircuit.usta.com Facebook: Dow Corning Tennis Classic Now celebrating its 25th year, the Dow Corning Tennis Classic is the longest- Twitter: @DCTCPROTennis consecutively running women’s event on the Michael Baz Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, February 3 USTA Pro Circuit. The event is considered the marquee women’s tournament on the Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, February 5 USTA Pro Circuit and attracts more than Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles 15,000 fans each year. The USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to tennis stardom, Surface: Hard / Indoor and the Dow Corning Tennis Classic is Prize Money: $100,000 truly emblematic of that. Six Grand Slam tournament singles champions played in Executive Director: the event early in their careers, along with Mike Woody, (989) 205-9443 13 Grand Slam tournament doubles / mixed [email protected] doubles champions. The most notable Midland alumni include Justine Henin, Assistant Tournament Director: a seven-time Grand Slam tournament Sharon Cleland, (989) 708-9376 champion and Olympic gold medal winner, [email protected] four-time Grand Slam tournament singles Tournament Press Contact: champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Grand McCarton Ackerman, (917) 817-7186 Slam tournament singles champion Mary [email protected] Pierce, 2010 French Open singles champion U.S. teen Lauren Davis, 19, broke into the Francesca Schiavone and 2011 French Top 100 for the first time last October and USTA Communications Contacts: Open singles champion Li Na, as well as began 2013 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open tune-up event in Hobart. Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] Anna Kournikova, a two-time Grand Slam Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] PrIze money / PoInTs tournament women’s doubles and mixed doubles champion. SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points Getty Images Winner $15,200 140 The Dow Corning Tennis Classic will be Runner-Up $8,108 100 streamed live on procircuit.usta.com. Semifinalist $4,433 70 Quarterfinalist $2,533 36 The tournament began in 1989 at the Round 16 $1,520 18 $25,000 level and, seven years later, Round 32 $887 1 became one of five USTA Pro Circuit DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) tournaments to raise its prize money as Winner $5,573 part of the “Women’s $50,000 Challenger Runner-Up $2,787 Series” in 1996. Three years later, in 1999, Semifinalist $1,393 the prize money was raised again, this time Quarterfinalist $760 to $75,000. Midland made its debut as the Round 16 $507 Li Na, runner-up at this year’s Australian Open, won the Dow Corning Classic in 2002. *Player field subject to change TournamenT noTes first-ever $100,000 women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2010 the second round of the 2011 US Open and competed in the French and has been held at the $100,000 level ever since. Open and Wimbledon that year. Vandeweghe was named to the U.S. Fed Cup team for the 2010 final versus Italy. As a junior, she won the Throughout the week, Midland Community Tennis Center will offer 2008 US Open girls’ singles title. Vandeweghe’s mother, Tauna, was a variety of daily interactive events that reach out to community a member of the U.S. national team in both swimming and volleyball, members at many different age and skill levels, including a “pros and her uncle is former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe. to schools/schools to matches” day, a luncheon, a kids’ fun day, high school play day, an at-risk youth program and an adult Cardio Stephanie Foretz Gacon, 31, from France, is ranked No. 102. At Tennis clinic, along with opportunities to meet and ask questions of the 2012 Australian Open, she won her first Grand Slam main draw the players. VIP packages, club seats and group rates are available match since 2005, and followed that up with opening round wins in addition to general admission tickets. Daily sessions are $12 at the French Open and Wimbledon. She also reached her first WTA for adults and $8 for juniors. For further ticket or sponsorship quarterfinal in nearly five years last February in Memphis, Tenn. information, please contact Assistant Tournament Director Sharon She peaked at No. 63 in 2003, and her biggest career win came Cleland at the Midland Tennis Club. in 2002, when she defeated Monica Seles on her way to reaching the quarterfinals at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C. Foretz This year’s Midland main draw field includes Top 100 young Gacon has also competed in the main draw of the French Open every American Lauren Davis, 2012 NCAA singles finalistMallory Burdette, year since 1999. This is her fourth appearance in Midland; she was a 2011 Pan Am Games singles gold medalist and 2011 Midland quarterfinalist in 2009 and reached the doubles final last year. runner-up Irina Falconi, former collegiate No. 1 Maria Sanchez, U.S. Fed Cupper and up-and-coming American CoCo Vandeweghe, Melinda Czink, 30, from Hungary, is ranked No. 105. A 13-year two-time Midland singles champion Jill Craybas, and rising stars Alexa veteran of the WTA Tour, her 2012 highlights include reaching the Glatch, Julia Cohen, Jessica Pegula, and Chiara Scholl. 2012 world third round of the WTA event in Birmingham, England, as well as junior No. 1 Taylor Townsend, 2012 US Open girls’ singles champion the second round at Wimbledon and the French Open. She has won Samantha Crawford, 2012 USTA Girls’ 18s National Champion one WTA singles title (Quebec City in 2009) and has racked up an Victoria Duval, and 1998 Midland singles champion Alexandra impressive 20 ITF Circuit women’s singles titles. She also has had Stevenson are all expected in qualifying. Top 10 wins over players including Ana Ivanovic and Nadia Petrova. Czink has also represented Hungary in 10 Fed Cup ties since 2003. Featured players expected to compete in the main draw include: Tatjana Malek, 25, from Germany, is ranked No. 108. She jumped Camila Giorgi, 21, from Italy, is ranked No. 78. In 2012, she more than 80 places in the rankings in 2012, due largely in part to qualified for Wimbledon and beat world No. 17 Flavia Pennetta on reaching the second round of the US Open as a qualifier and at the WTA her way to reaching the fourth round, marking her best appearance event in Quebec City. A winner of eight ITF women’s singles events, her at a Grand Slam. She also scored big wins in 2012 over world No. 7 biggest title came in 2009 at the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit event Sara Errani (in Beijing) and 2010 French Open Francesca Schiavone in Bronx, N.Y. Malek has also represented Germany in nine Fed Cup (in Cincinnati), helping her improve her ranking by more than 80 spots ties since 2006. This is her first appearance in Midland. that year. Giorgi has also enjoyed success on the ITF Circuit by winning five singles titles, and also won the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event Olga Puchkova, 25, from Russia, is ranked No. 111. In 2012, last April in Dothan, Alab. This is her first appearance in Midland. she improved her ranking by more than 100 spots by reaching the third round of the US Open as a qualifier, as well as reaching the Lauren Davis, 19, from Gates Mills, Ohio, is ranked No. 90. Davis semifinals at the WTA event in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 2006, she started 2013 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open reached the singles final at WTA events in Quebec City and Kolkata, tune-up event in Hobart, losing to fellow young American and 2013 India, as well as won two titles on the USTA Pro Circuit in Hammond, Australian Opn semifinalist Sloane Stephens in three sets. Davis La., and Bronx, N.Y. She also beat former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic broke into the Top 100 for the first time in her career in 2012. She that same year. This is Puchkova’s third appearance in Midland; she qualified for and reached the second round of the French Open was a semifinalist in 2006. and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA event in Quebec City, Canada, following the US Open. Davis also ended the 2012 season Mirjana Lucic Baroni, 30, who resides in Tampa, Fla., but competes strong on the USTA Pro Circuit, winning the $50,000 USTA Pro for Croatia, is ranked No. 114. In 2012, she reached the third round Circuit event in Las Vegas, sponsored by music mogul Redfoo of the of Wimbledon as a qualifier and upset world No. 9 Marion Bartoli, chart-topping group LMFAO. She reached the final of the $75,000 marking her first time beating a Top 10 player since 1999. She was USTA Pro Circuit event in Albuquerque the week prior to finish one of the tennis’ rising stars in the late 1990s, peaking at No. 32 second among American women in WTA points earned on the USTA in 1998 and advancing to the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1999.