TOURNAMENT NOTES as of October 3, 2013 $15,000 FUTURES OF HOUSTON HOUSTON, TEXAS • OCTOBER 5-13 USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO HOUSTON FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2002 TOURNAMENT INFORMATION The $15,000 Futures of Houston returns to the USTA Pro Circuit for the first time since Site: Rice University – Houston 2002. The city hosted a USTA Pro Circuit men’s event in 1982, 1984, 1999, 2001 and Dave Kenas Website: procircuit.usta.com 2002. Houston is the first of two consecutive Qualifying Draw Begins: Saturday, Oct. 5 hard-court $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures events held in Texas this month, preceding Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, Oct. 8 Mansfield. Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Notable players competing in the main draw Hard / Outdoors Surface: include: Prize Money: $15,000 Eric Quigley, the 2012 NCAA singles runner-up Tournament Director: for the University of Kentucky. Quigley is one of Amanda Knight, (806) 787-0844 the most decorated tennis players in UK history, [email protected] earning five All-America honors between singles Tournament Press Contact: and doubles. In 2008, he became the first Chuck Pool, (713) 348-5775 Kentucky player in 34 years to win four straight [email protected] high school state singles titles. He captured Eric Quigley was the 2012 NCAA singles his first pro title this summer at the $10,000 runner-up for the University of Kentucky. USTA Public Relations Contact: Futures in Decatur, Ill. Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 [email protected] Jeff Dadamo, who earned a wild card into the event in Canada and won a doubles title at 2013 US Open Qualifying Tournament by another event in Canada. Jung spent most of winning the US Open National Playoffs men’s the spring competing overseas in ITF Circuit PRIZE MONEY / POINTS title (out of 649 men who competed). Dadamo events in Korea and China, where he won one SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points has also won two USTA Pro Circuit doubles doubles title and reached one singles final, Winner $2,160 27 titles during his career. He graduated from along with two singles semifinals. Runner-up $1,272 15 Texas A&M in 2011, where he won the NCAA Semifinalist $753 8 men’s doubles title with Austin Krajicek. Evan King, a 2013 University of Michigan Quarterfinalist $438 3 graduate who was a three-time All-American Round of 16 $258 1 Former University of Michigan standout (2011-13). He was also the Big Ten Athlete Round of 32 $156 - Jason Jung, who won his first professional of the Year in 2012 and 2013. King owns the program record for most combined career DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit Futures singles and doubles wins (196 wins) and ranks Winner $930 event in Godfrey, Ill., last summer and won third all-time on Michigan’s singles wins list Runner-up $540 his second title this summer at the $10,000 with 117 wins. On the USTA Pro Circuit, King Semifinalist $324 Futures in Edwardsville, Ill. This September, captured the doubles title at the $10,000 Quarterfinalist $192 he reached the singles final at an ITF Circuit Futures in Godfrey, Ill., this year and won two Round of 16 $108 additional doubles titles at ITF Circuit events USTA in Canada this September. Tyler Hochwalt, who has reached the semifinals of two ITF Pro Circuit events so far in 2013, as well as the quarterfinals in four other events. Hochwalt previously played college tennis for the University of Florida. Dennis Nevolo, who reached the semifinals Jeff Dadamo won the 2013 US Open National Playoffs men’s singles title and captured the NCAA doubles title in 2011 for Texas A&M. *Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES at an ITF Pro Circuit event in Calgary last July and the quarterfinals of represented the United States in the 16-and-under Junior Davis Cup three USTA Pro Circuit Futures in 2013. Nevolo has also excelled in competition and also reached the singles semifinals of the 2004 USTA doubles, winning three Futures titles on the USTA Pro Circuit so far this Boys’ 18 National Clay Court Championships. year. Nevolo graduated in 2012 from the University of Illinois, where he was ranked as high as No. 2 in the NCAA men’s singles rankings. Sekou Bangoura, who was named a doubles All-American during his sophomore year at the University of Florida, after reaching the doubles Jean-Yves Aubone, who has won four USTA Pro Circuit Futures doubles semifinals of the 2011 NCAA tournament. This September, he won titles this year and won two singles titles in 2008. Aubone played for two ITF Circuit doubles titles in Canada, taking his career total to four Florida State University, where he was the first player in the school’s doubles titles. history to earn All-American singles honors twice. As a junior player, he *Player field subject to change HOUSTON PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2002 Travis Rettenmaier (USA) Michael Tebbutt (AUS) 2002 Graydon Oliver (USA) – Travis Rettenmaier (USA) 2001 (Oct.) Vince Spadea (USA) James Blake (USA) 2001 (Oct.) Jeff Coetzee (RSA) – Paul Rosner (RSA) 2001 (Feb.) Jeff Coetzee (RSA) Jack Brasington (USA) 2001 (Feb.) Daniel Melo (BRA) – Flavio Saretta (BRA) 2000 Tournament not held 2000 Tournament not held 1999 Marcos Ondruska (RSA) James Sekulov (AUS) 1999 David DiLucia (USA) – Michael Sell (USA) 1985-1998 Tournament not held 1985-1998 Tournament not held 1984 Vijay Amritraj (IND) Leif Shiras (USA) 1984 Andy Kohlberg (USA) – Rick Meyer (USA) 1983 Tournament not held 1983 Tournament not held 1982 Tim Mayotte (USA) Marcel Freeman (USA) 1982 Jai DiLouie (USA) – Marcel Freeman (USA) TOURNAMENT NOTES USTA PRO CIRCUIT 10 AND UNDER TENNIS With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from Tennis is now scaled to a child’s age and size, using lower- $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 its bouncing and slower-moving balls, lighter and shorter Pro Circuit 34 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it racquets, and smaller courts. The modified equipment and has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million smaller courts will allow kids to rally and play the game in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Mardy Fish, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Querrey, Victoria early on, increasing the likelihood that kids will return to the Azarenka and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. court and continue to improve all while having fun! For more information, visit www.10andundertennis.com More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit helped launch the careers of two young Americans—Jack Sock and Grace Min. Jack Sock Sock began 2012 by winning the singles title and reaching the doubles final at the Andrew Ong NJTL $10,000 Futures in Plantation, Fla. He then reached the quarterfinals of the $50,000 Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, the USTA/National Junior Tennis Challenger in Honolulu. With his strong USTA & Learning (NJTL) network is a nation-wide group of more than Pro Circuit results, Sock received wild cards 660 non-profit youth development organizations that provide free into numerous Emirates Airline US Open Series events in the summer, reaching the or low cost tennis, education and life skills programming to more quarterfinals in Atlanta. Sock then achieved than 300,000 children each year, ages 6-18, making NJTL one of the best result of his pro career by reaching the USTA’s largest community-based offerings. the third round of the 2012 US Open as a wild card. Sock followed up his US Open results by winning his first career USTA Pro Circuit Challenger title at the $100,000 event US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS in Tiburon, Calif., in the fall and finished 2012 ranked a career-high No. 150 in the The USTA launched the US Open world. After winning the 2011 US Open girls’ National Playoffs in 2010, making singles title, Min moved to the USTA Pro the US Open “open” to anyone age Circuit to develop her game. She opened the year by winning the first women’s tournament of 2012 at the $25,000 event in Innisbrook, Fla. Later in 14+ and of all skill levels. This year, the spring, she won back-to-back tournaments at the $50,000 event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., and nearly 1,000 players competed in 13 the $25,000 tournament in Raleigh, N.C. She competed in qualifying in Emirates Airline US Open Series Sectional Qualifying Tournaments events throughout the summer and qualified in Stanford, Calif. Min, who trains at the USTA Training Center nationwide for a 2013 US Open Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., entered the Top 200 for the first time in her career in 2012, climbing Qualifying Tournament wild card. nearly 250 spots in the rankings by year’s end. A mixed doubles element also was held, with the winning team earning a main draw mixed doubles PLAYER DEVELOPMENT wild card. Mayo Hibi, a 17-year-old Japanese player living in Irvine, Calif., won the US Open National Playoffs women’s title The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions and USTA Pro Circuit regular Jeff Dadamo, 24, of Tampa, Fla., won by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need the men’s wild card.