TournamenT noTes as of march 31, 2010 THE RIVER HILLS USTA $25,000 WOMEN’S CHALLENGER JACKSON, MS • APRIL 4-11 USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO JACKSON FOR 12TH STRAIGHT YEAR TournamenT InFormaTIon The River Hills USTA $25,000 Women’s Challenger is the 10th $25,000 women’s tournament of the year and the only $25,000 Site: River Hills Country Club – Jackson, Miss. women’s event held in Mississippi. Jackson Websites: www.riverhillsclub.net, is the second of three consecutive clay court procircuit.usta.com events on the USTA Pro Circuit in the lead-up to the 2010 French Open. Bryn Lennon/Getty Images Qualifying draw begins: Sunday, April 4 Main draw begins: Tuesday, April 6 This year’s main draw is expected to include Julia Cohen, an All-American at the University Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles of Miami who reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament as a sophomore in 2009, Surface: Clay / Outdoor Lauren Albanese, who won the 2006 USTA Prize Money: $25,000 Girls’ 18s National Championships to earn an automatic wild card into the US Open, and Tournament Director: Kimberly Couts, a frequent competitor on the Dave Randall, (601) 987-4417 USTA Pro Circuit who won the 2006 Easter Lauren Albanese won the 2006 USTA Girls’ [email protected] Bowl as a junior and was a former USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships to earn an 16s No. 1. automatic wild card into the US Open. Tournament Press Contact: Kendall Poole, (601) 987-4454 International players in the main draw include freshman in 2009 and led Duke University [email protected] Mirjana Lucic of Croatia, a singles semifinalist to its first-ever NCAA team title; 22-year-old at 1999 Wimbledon and the 1998 Australian Alexandra Mueller, who claimed her first USTA Public Relations Contacts: Open doubles champion with Martina Hingis, pro singles title at the age of 15, winning a Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] and 16-year-old Laura Robson of Great Britain, $10,000 event in Canada; 2005 Jackson the 2008 Junior Wimbledon champion and Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, [email protected] runner-up Ahsha Rolle, an eight-time champion girls’ singles runner-up at the Australian Open on the USTA Pro Circuit who upset then-world in 2009 and 2010. No. 18 Tatiana Golovin en route to the third PrIze money / PoInTs round of the 2007 US Open; Jamie Hampton, A strong Jackson qualifying draw is expected to a finalist at two $25,000 events this year, both SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points include: as a qualifier; and 17-year-oldNicole Gibbs, an Winner $2,940 50 up-and-coming junior who won the Girls’ 16s Runner-Up $1,666 34 Ukrainian-born Lena Litvak of Bronx, N.Y., who Easter Bowl title in 2007. Semifinalist $1,078 24 played at Harvard for one year before turning Quarterfinalist $686 14 pro; reigning Intercollegiate Tennis Association Many current Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stars Round 16 $490 8 National Player of the Year Mallory Cecil, who have found success in Jackson. 1999 singles won the NCAA Division I singles title as a Round 32 $294 1 champion Daniela Hantuchova rose to world No. 5 in 2003 and is currently ranked No. 25 DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) on the WTA Tour. She also has won three WTA Winner $1,176 Tour singles titles and eight doubles titles and Runner-Up $686 reached the singles semifinals of Wimbledon Semifinalist $392 in 2008. 1999 doubles champion Lindsay Quarterfinalist $196 Al Bello/Getty Images Lee-Waters has cracked the Top 100 twice in her career and was the 2009 women’s USTA Round 16 $98 Pro Circuit prize money leader. She also is a mother of two. CommunITy eVenTs Tuesday, April 6 1999 Jackson singles champion Daniela Make A Wish Foundation Hantuchova has won three Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles and eight doubles titles. on-court presentation, 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 7 Meet the Players Dinner, 5 p.m. TournamenT noTes USTA PRO CIRCUIT 30 MILLION PLAYERS With more than 90 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to The USTA Pro Circuit serves as an integral part of the USTA’s $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring mission to grow and develop tennis in the United States. In tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit November 2009, the USTA and Tennis Industry Association 31 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points and has since announced that tennis participation in the United States topped grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering more than $3 million in 30 million players for the first time in more than two decades prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities with participation growing in all age groups under the age nationwide. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Andy Murray, Jelena Jankovic, Sam Querrey of 50 and within all ethnicities. Another survey conducted by and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association last year also showed that tennis is the only traditional sport to enjoy growth In 2009, the USTA Pro Circuit helped launch in grass-roots participation. Melanie Oudin the careers of two young Americans— Melanie Oudin and John Isner. Oudin began 2009 ranked No. 177, but climbed NJTL the rankings by winning back-to-back $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit events. With a Cities across the country participate in the USTA/National Junior boost in confidence, she reached the fourth Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, a nationwide network of round of Wimbledon and the quarterfinals community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character of the 2009 US Open. She is now the No. 3 of young people through both tennis and education. Founded American woman behind Venus and Serena by Arthur Ashe in 1969, more than 550 registered chapters/ Williams. Isner joined the USTA Pro Circuit programs exist throughout the nation with more than 220,000 after turning pro in 2007 and jump-started participants ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the USTA’s largest the best season of his career by winning community-based initiatives. the Tallahassee Challenger last year. Subsequently, he reached the semifinals at two Olympus US Open Series events and US OPEN NATIONAL PlayoFFS upset Andy Roddick en route to the fourth round at the 2009 US Open. This year, Isner The USTA is holding its first-ever captured his first tour title and reached US Open National Playoffs to provide an the fourth round of the Australian Open to opportunity for anyone age 14 or older to become the No. 2 American in men’s tennis. earn a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament in Flushing, N.Y., in August. The winners of 16 nationwide PLAYER DEVELOPMENT sectional qualifying tournaments will all compete in the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s and Women’s The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions Championships during the summer Olympus US Open Series by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need events in Atlanta (men) and Stanford, Calif. (women). The men’s to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center and women’s champions of the US Open National Playoffs receive Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as the wild card into the US Open qualifying draw! To find a sectional well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States. qualifying tournament, visit usopen.org. TournamenT noTes JACKSON PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2009 Yuliana Fedak (UKR) Laura Siegemund (GER) 2009 Monique Adamczak (AUS) / Arina Rodionova (RUS) 2008 Soledad Esperon (ARG) Tetiana Luzhanska (UKR) 2008 Soledad Esperon (ARG) / Maria Irigoyen (ARG) 2007 Olga Govortsova (BLR) Melissa Torres-Sandoval (MEX) 2007 Eva Hrdinova (CZE) / Michaela Pastikova (CZE) 2006 Vasilisa Bardina (RUS) Stephanie Dubois (CAN) 2006 Maria Kondratieva (RUS) / Sofie Lefevre (FRA) 2005 Varvara Lepchenko (UZB) Ahsha Rolle (USA) 2005 Anastasia Rodionova (RUS) / Kristen Schlukebir (USA) 2004 Eugenia Linetskaya (RUS) Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 2004 Stephanie Dubois (CAN) / Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 2003 Peng Shuai (CHN) Tina Schiechtl (AUT) 2003 Teryn Ashley (USA) / Abigail Spears (USA) 2002 Gisela Dulko (ARG) Evelyn Fauth (AUT) 2002 Lisa McShea (AUS) / Christina Wheeler (AUS) 2001 Irina Selyutina (KAZ) Gabriela Volekova (SVK) 2001 Amanda Augustus (USA) / Irina Selyutina (KAZ) 2000 Jessica Steck (RSA) Dawn Buth (USA) 2000 Joana Cortez (BRA) / Miriam D’Agostini (BRA) 1999 Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) Milagros Sequera (VEN) 1999 Lindsay Lee-Waters (USA) / Julie Steven (USA) Jonathan Moore/Getty Images Eight-time USTA Pro Circuit champion Ahsha Rolle was a 2005 Jackson finalist, losing to Uzbekistan native Varvara Lepchenko, who became a U.S. citizen in 2007. USTA PRO CIRCUIT PLAYER INFORMATION PLAYERS TO WATCH Kristie Ahn pg. 2 Vania King pg. 6 Lauren Albanese Michaella Krajicek (NED) Julia Boserup Lindsay Lee-Waters Madison Brengle Varvara Lepchenko Beatrice Capra Mirjana Lucic (CRO) Mallory Cecil pg. 3 Bethanie Mattek-Sands pg. 7 Julia Cohen Christina McHale Kimberly Couts Alexandra Mueller Jill Craybas Asia Muhammad Julie Ditty Lilia Osterloh Stephanie Dubois (CAN) pg. 4 Shenay Perry pg.