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Home , Amir Hadad, Amir Weintraub, Andrea Stoppini, Andy Ram, Austin Krajicek, Bob Bryan

TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of August 4, 2015

THE COMERICA BANK CHALLENGER APTOS, CA • AUGUST 8-16

USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO APTOS AS FINAL EVENT TOURNAMENT INFORMATION OF THE 2015 US OPEN CHALLENGE The Comerica Bank Challenger returns to Site: Seascape Sports Club – Aptos, Calif. . Aptos for the 28th consecutive year. It is the Websites: www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger second-longest running men’s event on the procircuit.usta.com USTA Pro Circuit, trailing only Little Rock, Ark., which has been taking place for 34 Facebook: Seascape Sports Club years. The tournament increased its prize Qualifying Draw Begins: Saturday, August 8 money from $75,000 to $100,000 in 2012 Larry James Photography and is one of six $100,000 Challengers on Main Draw Begins: Monday, August 10 the USTA Pro Circuit calendar this year. Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Aptos is also the last of three consecutive Surface: Hard / Outdoor men’s hard-court tournaments (joining a Prize Money: $100,000 $50,000 Challengers in Binghamton, N.Y., and Lexington, Ky.) that are part of the Tournament Director: US Open Wild Card Challenge, which will Judy Welsh, (831) 251-0004, [email protected] award a men’s and women’s wild card into Co-Tournament Director: the 2015 US Open based on USTA Pro Circuit results. Along with these three men’s Paul Kepler, (831) 332-1500, [email protected] tournaments, the women’s tournaments that Tournament Press Contact: are part of the challenge are the $50,000 is currently the leader in the Hannah Stone, (951) 760-0923, [email protected] University of the Pacific USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge and ranked a Challenger in Stockton, Calif., held the week career-best No. 110 in the world. In 2011, USTA Communications Contact: of July 13; the $50,000 FSP Gold River he became the first American since John Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] McEnroe in 1977 to win the Women’s Challenger in Sacramento, Calif., boys’ singles title. PRIZE MONEY / POINTS held the week of July 20; and the $50,000 Bank Championships in SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points Lexington, Ky., held the week of July 27. Winner $14,400 100 wild cards to compete in the singles main Samantha Crawford, 20, earned the women’s draws of the US Open, which will be held Runner-up $8,480 60 US Open wild card. Semifinalist $5,020 35 Monday, Aug. 31, to Sunday, Sept. 13. Only Quarterfinalist $2,920 18 players who do not receive direct entry into The American man and American woman Round of 16 $1,720 8 the US Open are eligible for the wild cards. who earn the most ATP and WTA ranking Round of 32 $1,040 - points at two of the three selected USTA Pro This tournament will be streamed live on DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Circuit hard-court events will receive USTA www.procircuit.usta.com. Winner $6,200 Runner-up $3,600 To follow the tournament, download the Semifinalist $2,160 USTA Pro Circuit’s new phone app by Quarterfinalist $1,280 searching “procircuit” in the app store.

Round of 16 $720 Anthony Behar COMMUNITY EVENTS Notable players competing in the main draw include: Friday, August 7: Nordic Naturals Wildcard Shootout, 5:00 p.m. Bjorn Fratangelo, the leader in the US Sunday, August 9: Pro-Am, 2:45 p.m. Open Wild Card Challenge, who in 2011 Monday, August 10: USTA Member Day Tuesday, August 11: USTA NorCal League Day This year, played in Wimbledon qualifying and reached the singles quarterfinals Wednesday, August 12: Junior Team Tennis Day of the ATP event in Memphis, Tenn.—his first ATP quarterfinal. He was a five-time All-American Thursday, August 13: Comerica Bank Day at A&M and won the 2011 NCAA men’s doubles championship with . Friday, August 14: Aptos Chamber Day

Sunday, August 16: Wheelchair Tennis Clinic, 10:30 a.m. *Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES became the first American since John McEnroe in 1977 to win the in Calabasas, Calif., and captured his sixth and seventh USTA Pro French Open boys’ singles title. He is ranked a career-high No. 110 Circuit doubles titles at the $50,000 Challenger in Tallahassee, in the world after reaching a final and semifinal of ITF Pro Circuit Fla., and at the $15,000 Futures in Los Angeles. Born in Moscow, Challengers in this spring, as well as the final at the $50,000 Novikov moved with his family to the U.S. as a 1-year-old and chose USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Binghamton, N.Y., and the semifinals tennis over hockey, swimming and gymnastics. He is coached by his at the $50,000 Challenger in Lexington, Ky., this summer. father, Vladimir, and occasionally trains out of the USTA Training Fratangelo has won nine USTA Pro Circuit and ITF Pro Circuit Center – West in Carson, Calif. singles titles over the last three years. As a junior player, he ranked as high as No. 2 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and competed on , 17, who peaked at No. 2 in the world junior rankings the Junior team. He is coached by USTA national coach last year. Kozlov reached the junior boys’ final at both Wimbledon Stanford Boster. and the in 2014, as well as the quarterfinals at the junior US Open and French Open. At the All England Club, he fell Austin Krajicek, who played in Wimbledon qualifying this June. to 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s champion in the first all- Krajieck has enjoyed a breakout year in 2015, reaching the singles American Wimbledon boys’ final since 1977. Also last year, Kozlov quarterfinals of the ATP event in Memphis, Tenn.—his first ATP won the prestigious singles and doubles titles, and quarterfinal—and qualifying for and reaching the second round in the pro ranks, he reached the final of the $100,000 USTA Pro of the Open to break into the Top 120 for the first time. In Circuit Challenger in Sacramento, Calif., losing to current Top 50 2014, Krajicek reached the quarterfinals or better at 10 USTA Pro player . In reaching the Sacramento final at age 16, Circuit and ITF Pro Circuit events (winning a title in Colombia), and Kozlov became the youngest American to reach a Challenger final he also won three doubles titles, including the $100,000 USTA Pro since in 1986. So far in 2015, Kozlov has competed Circuit Challenger in Vancouver. In addition, Krajicek qualified for in the main draw of the ATP’s , won his first USTA the ATP grass-court event in Newport, R.I., and won his first-round Pro Circuit Challenger doubles title (in Maui, Hawaii), reached match before losing to . Krajicek holds seven USTA Pro the singles final of the $10,000 Futures in Orange Park, Fla., and Circuit and ITF Pro Circuit singles titles and more than 20 doubles served as a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team in , titles, and he peaked at No. 61 in the world in doubles in April. Scotland. In April, he participated in the White House Easter Egg He was a five-time All-American at Texas A&M and won the 2011 Roll, where he met President Obama. Kozlov trains both with his NCAA men’s doubles championship with Jeff Dadamo. A standout father, Andrei, at his dad’s tennis academy in Pembroke Pines, Fla., junior player, Krajicek won the 2008 USTA Boys’ 18s National and at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., Championships, earning a wild card into the 2008 US Open men’s with coach Nicolas Todero. Kozlov has also practiced, on occasion, singles main draw. Krajicek is a distant relative of former Wimbledon with and other top pros. champion . He has been training out of the USTA Training Center – West in Carson, Calif., with USTA collegiate coach Noah Rubin, who finished his standout freshman year at Wake Forest Stephen Amritraj. in May and recently turned pro. At Wake Forest, Rubin finished the year ranked No. 5 in the ITA Singles Rankings, reached the NCAA of , who peaked at No. 65 in the world this singles final and also became the first player in ACC men’s tennis February after reaching the third round of the Australian Open. He history to earn ACC Player and Freshman of the Year honors in one has won 11 ITF Pro Circuit singles titles and 11 doubles titles in his season and was also the first ACC men’s tennis Player of the Year in career and also competed in each of the events. Wake Forest men’s tennis history. He was also the ITA Rookie of the Year and earned All-America honors. As a junior player, Rubin won of India, who played for the University of the 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s national singles title and the Wimbledon , where he reached three consecutive NCAA finals, winning junior title. At Wimbledon, Rubin won the first all-American boys’ the titles his junior (2007) and senior year (2008). He reached singles final since 1977, topping Stefan Kozlov. He then made his one ATP final in 2009, losing to 2014 US Open champion Marin Grand Slam men’s singles debut at the US Open after winning the Cilic. Devvarman has also won nine USTA Pro Circuit/ITF Pro Circuit USTA junior national title and claiming the accompanying wild card. singles titles and six doubles titles and represented India in Davis This summer, Rubin has reached the final of the $15,000 Futures in Cup competition. Tulsa, Okla., and the semifinals at the $15,000 Futures in Wichita, Kan.; he also received a wild card into the ATP’s Hall of Fame Tennis Notable players competing in qualifying include: Championships in Newport, R.I., last month. Rubin is a protégé of John McEnroe’s at his Randall’s Island, N.Y., academy. Rubin is , who represented the in the 2015 Pan playing as part of the USTA Collegiate National Team, a high-level American Games in Toronto this summer, where he won the bronze training program designed to help America’s premier college players medal in men’s singles. Novikov was the 2012 USTA Boys’ 18s assimilate to professional tennis in a team-oriented environment by national champion in singles and doubles. Those victories earned playing on the USTA Pro Circuit. him wild card entries into each main draw at the 2012 US Open, where he became just the second USTA Boys’ 18s champ in 15 Mackenzie McDonald, who is also playing as part of the USTA years (the other being ) to advance to the second round in Collegiate National Team. McDonald recently completed his singles; he defeated 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist sophomore year at UCLA as the No. 3-ranked collegiate singles in the first round. Novikov completed his sophomore year at UCLA player in the country. In his freshman year, he compiled a 33-9 in 2013 and turned pro that summer. He won his first career USTA record, reaching the NCAA singles quarterfinals and helping lead Pro Circuit title soon afterward, at the $10,000 Futures in Amelia the Bruins to the NCAA team semifinals. McDonald made history Island, Fla., and had a strong 2014, winning three USTA Pro Circuit in 2013 during the Emirates Airline US Open Series, becoming the doubles titles and claiming four ITF singles titles. This year, he won first unranked teen to qualify for an ATP Masters Series event, at the his second USTA Pro Circuit singles title at the $15,000 Futures Western & Southern Open in , beating Top 100 players and two-time NCAA singles champion

*Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES in qualifying. He holds two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles. of 2014 competing in and , winning a doubles title in Australia and reaching the singles quarterfinals or better at Alex Sarkissian, who reached the 2014 NCAA singles final as a six events. Krueger comes from a tennis-playing family; his father redshirt sophomore while at Pepperdine. In doing so, he became played college tennis at Texas A&M University and his mother is a only the third player in school history to reach the NCAA singles tennis coach and played at Louisiana Tech. final; he also advanced to the NCAA doubles quarterfinals. With his success, Sarkissian received All-America honors in both singles , who won the 2014 NCAA singles title as a junior at and doubles. Sarkissian had much success in Mexico, Korea and UCLA and finished the year as the No. 1 college tennis player, as , this year, where he won two singles titles and advanced to two ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Giron became the additional singles finals. Also this year, Sarkissian won his first USTA 11th Bruin to win the NCAA men’s singles crown and the first to do Pro Circuit singles title at the $15,000 Futures in Harlingen, Texas. so in eight years. On the strength of his NCAA title, Giron received a wild card into the 2014 US Open, where he lost to fellow American Daniel Nguyen, who was a former standout college player at USC. John Isner in the first round. He rebounded to claim the men’s title Nguyen won three USTA Pro Circuit and ITF singles titles in 2014, at the inaugural US Open American Collegiate Invitational. Also in including the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Godfrey, Ill. 2014, Giron won the third USTA Pro Circuit singles title of his career He holds seven singles titles overall. In doubles, he captured at the $10,000 Futures in Calabasas, Calif., and served as a Davis the $10,000 Futures in Rochester, N.Y., in 2014, and he holds Cup practice partner for the team’s World Group Playoff in Chicago. five combined USTA Pro Circuit and ITF doubles titles. Nguyen Through those results, Giron climbed nearly 200 spots in the ATP competed in his first USTA Pro Circuit event since mid-April at the World Tour Rankings last year. $50,000 Challenger in Winnetka, Ill., after competing overseas in Korea and Great Britain during the late spring, and reached the final. , who was the 2012 NCAA singles runner-up for the He competed in the main draw of the men’s doubles event at the University of Kentucky. Quigley is one of the most decorated tennis 2009 US Open, where he reached the second round. players in Wildcats history, earning five All-America honors between singles and doubles. In 2008, he became the first player from the , who has played in just seven tournaments since state of Kentucky in 34 years to win four consecutive high school March 2013 due to injury. Sweeting, who is married to Big Bang state singles titles. In 2014, Quigley reached the singles final at the Theory actress Kaley Cuoco, won the ATP’s U.S. Men’s Clay $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit clay-court event in Boynton Beach, Fla., Court Championship in in 2011, when he peaked at a and won the first two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles of his career. career-high No. 64 in the world. The 2005 US Open boys’ singles He also won an ITF Pro Circuit doubles title in Mexico at the end champion also holds three singles titles and three doubles titles on of the year. This year, Quigley qualified for the ATP event in Delray the USTA Pro Circuit. Beach, Fla., and won the men’s doubles title at the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Long Beach, Calif., with , as 2006 Aptos singles champion , who won the 2013 well as a doubles title at an ITF Pro Circuit event in . Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge to earn a spot in the French Open main draw. Following Roland Garros, Kuznetsov qualified for Wimbledon and won the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Binghamton, N.Y. Those results drove Kuznetsov’s Many current and former ATP World Tour stars have found success in ranking up to a career-high No. 120 in the world. In 2014, he Aptos. qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Memphis, Tenn., qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon and Twins Bob and , who won the Aptos doubles titles reached the quarterfinals or better at three USTA Pro Circuit in 1998 and 2000, have won 16 Grand Slam tournament titles Challengers. This year, Kuznetsov has reached the quarterfinals of together and hold the all-time Open Era record of 107 men’s the $100,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Dallas and competed doubles titles. The Bryans have also represented Team USA in Davis in Australian Open qualifying. As a junior, he was the 2004 French Cup since 2003 and captured gold for the U.S. at the 2012 Open boys’ singles runner-up (to Gael Monfils). Kuzetsov is a native Olympics. Bob won the Aptos singles title in 2000. of Kiev, Ukraine, where his grandfather was a handball champion. In 2005, he was involved in a car accident that broke his right femur 2005 singles champion , from Great Britain, who and required the insertion of a titanium rod and screw. Kuznetsov peaked at No. 2 in the world in August 2009 and has won 34 career came back to play in his first US Open main draw in 2006. He has ATP World Tour singles titles. Murray won Wimbledon in 2013 and played in all four Grand Slam events in his career, reaching the the US Open in 2012, in addition to capturing gold for Great Britain second round of the Australian Open in 2007. at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mitchell Krueger, who was the top-ranked American junior boy in Patrick Rafter, the 1993 Aptos singles champion, peaked at No. 1 2012, peaking at a career-high No. 5 in the world junior rankings. in the world in 1999 after winning back-to-back US Opens in 1997 Krueger advanced to the boys’ singles semifinals at the French Open and 1998. Now retired, Rafter finished his Hall of Fame career with and Wimbledon in 2012 and turned pro that July. He captured 11 ATP World Tour singles titles and 10 doubles titles his first pro singles title in 2013 while competing overseas at a clay-court ITF event in the , and this year he won his , the 1995 Aptos singles champion, peaked at No. 1 in second title—and first USTA Pro Circuit crown—at the $15,000 the world in doubles in 2002 and has won 87 career doubles titles, Futures in Los Angeles. He also had a strong spring on the USTA including two titles this year. He has won eight Grand Slam doubles Pro Circuit, reaching the quarterfinals at $50,000 Challengers in titles (the French Open four times, Wimbledon two times, and the Savannah, Ga., and Tallahassee, Fla., and the final at the $15,000 US Open and Australian Open once). He also won the gold medal in Futures in Wichita, Kan., this June. Krueger spent the last quarter doubles at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

*Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES

APTOS PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 (CYP) (KAZ) 2014 (BEL) – (LTU) 2013 (USA) Daniel Evans (GBR) 2013 (ISR) – (ISR) 2012 Steve Johnson (USA) (COL) 2012 (RSA) – (AUS) 2011 Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) (SRB) 2011 (AUS) – (AUS) 2010 (AUS) (USA) 2010 Carsten Ball (AUS) – Chris Guccione (AUS) 2009 Chris Guccione (AUS) (AUS) 2009 Carsten Ball (AUS) – Chris Guccione (AUS) 2008 (USA) (ITA) 2008 (ISR) – (ISR) 2007 Donald Young (USA) (USA) 2007 (USA) – Bobby Reynolds (USA) 2006 Alex Kuznetsov (USA) (JPN) 2006 Prakash Amritraj (IND) – (IND) 2005 Andy Murray (GBR) Rajeev Ram (USA) 2005 (AUS) – (PHI) 2004 Kevin Kim (USA) (CAN) 2004 (USA) – (USA) 2003 (USA) (RUS) 2003 (CZE) – (ITA) 2002 (USA) Noam Behr (ISR) 2002 (ISR) – Martin Vassallo (ARG) 2001 Jeff Salzenstein (USA) (USA) 2001 (USA) – (USA) 2000 (USA) Kevin Kim (USA) 2000 Bob Bryan (USA) – Mike Bryan (USA) 1999 Michael Hill (AUS) (ISR) 1999 Michael Hill (AUS) – (USA) 1998 (PHI) Takao Suzuki (JPN) 1998 Bob Bryan (USA) – Mike Bryan (USA) 1997 Jan-Michael Gambill (USA) Wade McGuire (USA) 1997 Sebastien LeBlanc (CAN) – Jocelyn Robichaud (CAN) 1996 Albert Chang (CAN) Brian MacPhie (USA) 1996 Sebastien LeBlanc (CAN) – Jocelyn Robichaud (CAN) 1995 Daniel Nestor (CAN) (USA) 1995 Sebastien LeBlanc (CAN) – Brian MacPhie (USA) 1994 (JPN) Gianluca Pozzi (ITA) 1994 Brian MacPhie (USA) – Alex O’Brien (USA) 1993 Patrick Rafter (AUS) Cristiano Caratti (ITA) 1993 (ISR) – Christian Saceanu (GER) 1992 Alex O’Brien (USA) (ZIM) 1992 (USA) – Alex O’Brien (USA) 1991 (USA) (USA) 1991 Nduka Odizor (NGR) – Bryan Shelton (USA) 1990 Henrik Holm (SWE) (USA) 1990 Jeff Brown (USA) – (USA) 1989 Mark Kaplan (RSA) (USA) 1989 Steve DeVries (USA) – (USA) 1988 (USA) Tim Pawsat (USA) 1988 (USA) – (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. , Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Andy Murray, Kei tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child’s Nishikori, Sam Querrey, 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—Stefan Kozlov and Nicole Gibbs. Runner-up in 2014 at the junior Amber Alva Founded in 1969 by , along with championships of the Australian Open 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 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 are 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.