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 WILD CARD 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 Bjorn Fratangelo 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 French Open Women’s Challenger in Sacramento, Calif., boys’ singles title. PRIZE MONEY / POINTS held the week of July 20; and the $50,000 Kentucky Bank Tennis 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, Austin Krajicek 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 Texas A&M and won the 2011 NCAA men’s doubles championship with Jeff Dadamo. 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 Italy 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 Stefan Kozlov, 17, who peaked at No. 2 in the world junior rankings the Junior Davis Cup team. He is coached by USTA national coach last year. Kozlov reached the junior boys’ final at both Wimbledon Stanford Boster. and the Australian Open 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 Noah Rubin 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 Orange Bowl 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 Miami 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 Sam Querrey. 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 Andre Agassi 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 Memphis Open, 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 John Isner. 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 Glasgow, 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 Novak Djokovic and other top pros. champion Richard Krajicek. 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 Malek Jaziri of Tunisia, 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 Grand Slam 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 Somdev Devvarman of India, who played for the University of the 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s national singles title and the Wimbledon Virginia, 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.