TOURNAMENT NOTES as of October 28, 2014 KNOXVILLE 2014 CHALLENGER KNOXVILLE, TN • NOV. 2–9 USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO KNOXVILLE AS THE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION AUSTRALIAN OPEN WILD CARD CHALLENGE CONTINUES Site: University of Tennessee, The Knoxville 2014 Challenger is taking place Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center, Knoxville, Tenn. in Knoxville for the eighth consecutive year and the 11th year overall. (The tournament Websites: www.knoxchallenger.com was not held from 2003 through 2006.) It is Larry James procircuit.usta.com the only USTA Pro Circuit event held in the state of Tennessee. Facebook: The Knoxville Challenger Twitter: @KnoxChallenger Knoxville is the second of three consecutive men’s hard-court tournaments that make up Qualifying Draw Begins: Sunday, Nov. 2 the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, Nov. 4 Card Challenge, which will award a men’s and a women’s wild card into the 2015 Australian 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Main Draw: Open. The USTA and Tennis Australia Surface: Hard / Indoor have a reciprocal agreement in which wild cards into the 2014 US Open and 2015 Prize Money: $50,000 Australian Open are exchanged. The other Tournament Director: tournaments in the men’s portion of the wild Howard Blum, (865) 329-9062 card challenge are the $50,000 events in [email protected] Charlottesville, Va., the week of Oct. 27, and in Champaign, Ill., the week of Nov. 10. Tournament Press Contact: Former world No. 15 Robby Ginepri, the only Jennifer Rodgers, (865) 789-7171 The three men’s tournaments join three active U.S. man to have advanced to a Grand [email protected] Slam singles semifinal, returned to the French women’s tournaments—the Tennis Classic Open this year for the first time since 2010, USTA Communications Contact: of Macon in Macon, Ga., held the week of after winning the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219 Oct. 20; the John Newcombe Women’s Pro Card Challenge to earn a wild card into the Challenge in New Braunfels, Texas, held the main draw. [email protected] week of Oct. 27; and the South Seas Island Resort Women’s Pro Classic in Captiva Island, PRIZE MONEY / POINTS Fla., held the week of Nov. 3. 2015 Australian Open, which will be held Monday, Jan. 19, through Sunday, Feb. 1. SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points The American man who earns the most ATP Only players who did not receive direct entry Winner $7,200 80 ranking points at two of the three USTA Pro into the Australian Open are eligible for the Runner-up $4,240 48 Circuit hard-court events will receive a USTA wild cards. Semifinalist $2,510 29 wild card to compete in the main draw of the Quarterfinalist $,460 15 This tournament will be streamed live on Round of 16 $860 7 www.procircuit.usta.com. Round of 32 $520 - DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Notable players competing in the main draw Winner $3,100 include: Runner-up $1,800 Semifinalist $1,080 Philip Hall/USOpen.org Robby Ginepri, who earlier this year returned Quarterfinalist $640 to the French Open for the first time since Round of 16 $360 2010 after winning the 2014 Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge to earn a wild card into the Roland Garros main draw. He won the $50,000 Challenger in Tallahassee, Ryan Harrison earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 Games in London and has been a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team. He peaked at No. 43 in the world in 2012. *Player field subject to change TOURNAMENT NOTES Fla., to clinch the berth. This summer, Ginepri competed in the tournament result by reaching the fourth round of the French Open, Emirates Airline US Open Series, where he won his first-round match where he held match point against defending and eventual champion at three consecutive tournaments. Ginepri is the only active U.S. man Gustavo Kuerten. to have advanced to a Grand Slam tournament singles semifinal—at the 2005 US Open, where he lost to Andre Agassi in five sets. He Tim Smyczek, who broke into the Top 100 in 2013 after advancing was one of the top Americans in the world in the mid-2000s, winning to the third round of the US Open, where he lost a tight five-setter three ATP singles titles. Ginepri has reached the fourth round or better to then-No. 43 Marcel Granollers. The 2013 US Open highlighted at all four Grand Slam tournaments and peaked at No. 15 in the world the strongest summer of Smyczek’s career; he also advanced to in 2005. He has also competed for the United States in Davis Cup the second round of the Emirates Airline US Open Series events in (2004) and the Olympics (2008). He has struggled with injuries in Washington, D.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C., and qualified for Atlanta. recent years. Also in 2013, the 5-foot-9 Smyczek advanced to the second round of the Australian Open, defeating 6-foot-11 Ivo Karlovic in the Ryan Harrison, who earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the opening round. This summer, Smyczek reached the second round of 2012 Games in London and has been a member of the U.S. Davis the US Open and advanced to the third round of the Emirates Airline Cup team. He also has enjoyed success on the ATP World Tour, US Open Series event in Washington D.C. Smyczek owns three USTA reaching three semifinals in 2012 to peak at No. 43 in the world. Pro Circuit Challenger titles, and this year he reached the semifinals (At the time, he and Bernard Tomic of Australia were the only players of the $50,000 Challenger in Maui, Hawaii, and the final of last aged 20 or younger in the Top 100.) In 2013, Harrison reached the month’s $50,000 Challenger in Napa, Calif., where he lost to Sam semifinals of the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Atlanta, Querrey. Smyczek regularly trains at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open tune-up event in Fla., and once lived with fellow American Mardy Fish for a year while Sydney and reached the second round of the Australian Open and the training there. French Open (losing to John Isner in five sets in Paris). Harrison also won the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Savannah, Ga. This Rhyne Williams, who qualified for the main draw of the 2014 year, he reached the second round at the ATP Master Series events in Australian Open and then took the first set off of 2009 US Open Indian Wells and Miami, and he competed in the main draw at three champion and No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro in the opening round. of the four Grand Slam tournaments (the US Open, the Australian This year, Williams qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of the Open and, as a qualifier, Wimbledon). He has played in the US Open ATP event in Delray Beach, Fla., losing to John Isner. Williams won main draw each of the last five years. In 2010, he qualified and upset three matches to qualify for the main draw of the 2012 US Open for No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the opening round, and in 2012, he also his first Grand Slam appearance and, in the process, became one of advanced to the second round, losing to former US Open champion 13 qualifying wild cards in US Open recorded history to reach the Juan Martin del Potro. main draw. At the US Open, he faced Andy Roddick prior to Roddick’s retirement announcement. In addition, Williams earned a wild card Denis Kudla, who broke into the Top 100 in 2013 after advancing to into the 2013 Australian Open main draw by winning the USTA the second round of Wimbledon. He qualified for the 2013 French Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, and he qualified for the 2013 Open and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Wimbledon warm-up French Open. Also last year, he reached the semifinals at the ATP clay- event at Queens Club—his best ATP result. This year, Kudla qualified court event in Houston for his best ATP result. Williams turned pro in for the Australian Open and won his opening-round match at 2011 following his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee, Wimbledon. In addition, he won his sixth USTA Pro Circuit singles where he reached the singles final at the 2011 NCAA Championships. title (and fourth Challenger title) at the $50,000 Challenger in He comes from a tennis family: His grandfather is Mike DePalmer Sr., Winnetka, Ill., this July, also taking the doubles title. Kudla competed a co-founder of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, and his mother, in the 2012 US Open as a wild card and finished the 2012 USTA Michelle DePalmer-Williams, is a former pro and Orange Bowl 16s Pro Circuit season as the top ATP points earner among Americans and champion. Williams trains at the USTA Player Development Training the leader in prize money. Kudla was ranked No. 3 in the world junior Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and is coached by his rankings and reached the boys’ singles final at the 2010 US Open, cousin, Christopher Williams. where he lost to Jack Sock in three sets. Kudla has served as a Davis Cup practice partner. He was born in the Ukraine and came to the Alex Kuznetsov, who earned a main draw wild card into the 2013 United States with his parents on his first birthday.