TournamenT noTes as of February 7, 2010 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC MIDLAND, MI • FEBRUARY 7–14, 2010 DOW CORNING TENNIS CLASSIC ENTERS 22ND YEAR AND BECOMES TournamenT FIRST-EVER $100,000 WOMEN’S EVENT ON THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT InFormaTIon Top players converging on Midland, Mich., include defending singles champion Site: Midland Community Tennis Center Lucie Hradecka and former world No. 7 Nicole Vaidisova Midland, Mich. Now in its 22nd year, the Dow Corning Tennis Websites: dowcorningtennisclassic.com Classic is the longest consecutive running procircuit.usta.com women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit. The event is considered the marquee women’s Qualifying draw begins: Sunday, February 7 tournament on the USTA Pro Circuit, attracting more than 15,000 fans each year. Main draw begins: Tuesday, February 9 The USTA Pro Circuit is the gateway to tennis Mustafa Ozer/Getty Images stardom and the Dow Corning Tennis Classic Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles is truly emblematic of that. Four Grand Slam singles champions played in the event early Surface: Hard / Indoor in their careers, along with 13 Grand Slam doubles / mixed doubles champions. The Prize Money: $100,000 most notable Midland alumni include Justine Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam champion Executive Director: and Olympic gold medal winner; Maria Mike Woody, (989) 631-6151 ext. 101 Sharapova and Mary Pierce, each of whom [email protected] has won multiple Grand Slam singles titles; 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Assistant Tournament Director: Myskina; and Anna Kournikova, a two-time Ryan Boyer, (989) 631-6151 ext. 104 Grand Slam women’s doubles champion. [email protected] Defending Midland singles champion Lucie The tournament began in 1989 at the Hradecka enters Midland as the top-ranked $25,000 level and seven years later became player in the 2010 draw. Tournament Press Contact: one of five USTA Pro Circuit tournaments to Joshua Rey, (786) 554-5667 raise its prize money as part of the “Women’s [email protected] $50,000 Challenger Series” in 1996. Three Throughout the week, the Midland years later, in 1999, prize money was raised Community Tennis Center offers a variety USTA Communications Contacts: again, this time to $75,000. Midland now of daily interactive events for community Eric Schuster, (914) 696-7260, [email protected] stands as the first and only $100,000 members of many different ages and skill Kristen Clonan, (914) 697-2262, [email protected] women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit levels, including “pros to schools / schools calendar. to matches” day, kids fun day and an at-risk PrIze money / PoInTs youth program, along with opportunities to meet and ask questions of the players. (Please visit dowcorningtennisclassic.com SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points for a full schedule of events.) Also, VIP Winner $15,200 140 packages, club seats and group rates are Runner-Up $8,107 100 available in addition to general admission Semifinalist $4,433 70 tickets. Daily sessions are $12 for adults Quarterfinalist $2,533 36 Robert Cianflone/Getty Images and $8 for juniors. For further ticket or sponsorship information, please contact Round 16 $1,520 18 Assistant Tournament Director Ryan Boyer Round 32 $887 1 at the Midland Tennis Club. Prize Money (per team) DOUBLES: Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, formerly ranked Winner $5,573 No. 14 in the world, has five career Sony Runner-Up $2,787 Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles and has reached the third round in each of the Semifinalist $1,393 four Grand Slams. Quarterfinalist $760 Round 16 $507 TournamenT noTes This year’s Midland main draw field includes Former world No. 28 Laura Granville, 28, of defending singles champion Lucie Hradecka, Chicago, using a protected ranking of two-time Midland singles champion Laura No. 84 to gain entry into the main draw, is Granville, and Eleni Daniilidou, winner of currently ranked No. 286. Granville owns five Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles. the protected ranking after missing nearly a Former world No. 7 player Nicole Vaidisova is year to injury. She returned in March 2009 also among the talent scheduled to compete and won the first event in her comeback, the Dima Korotayev/Getty Images in the main draw. $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Redding, Calif. She also won the $10,000 event in FEATURED PLAYERS SCHEDULED TO COMPETE Landisville, Pa., and reached the semifinals IN THE MAIN DRAW INCLUDE: at the $50,000 event in Carson, Calif., Defending Midland singles champion Lucie where she won the doubles title. Granville Hradecka, 24, of the Czech Republic, is the has advanced to the third round or better at top-ranked player at No. 64 in the world. A all four Grand Slams, including the fourth fixture in the doubles Top 100 since 2005, round at Wimbledon in 2002 and 2007, and she enjoyed her finest season in singles the third round of the 2005 US Open. She in 2009 after winning the Midland title. is the only player to win consecutive USTA Hradecka reached the final at the Sony Girls’ 18s titles (1998-99) and NCAA singles Ericsson WTA Tour event in Strasbourg titles (2000-01 at Stanford University). She (France), advanced to the second round at holds 14 career USTA Pro Circuit titles (nine the French Open and reached the final at singles), including Midland, Mich., in both Former world No. 7 and 2004 Midland singles finalist Nicole Vaidisova has been a tour-level Istanbul in Turkey. In 2008, she 2005 and 2008. semifinalist at both the Australian Open won six doubles titles, including two on the 2009 Midland singles semifinalistKatie and French Open. WTA Tour (Prague, Czech Republic, and Bad O’Brien, 21, of Great Britain, is ranked Gastein, Austria). No. 84. She advanced to the second round Valerie Tetreault, 22, of Saint Jean sur Vania King, 20, of Long Beach, Calif., is at the Australian Open in January and at Richelieu, Canada, is ranked No. 122. She ranked No. 73. She has played primarily on Wimbledon in 2007. She has competed drove her ranking up nearly 300 places in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in recent years. in the main draw at Wimbledon every year 2009 by winning three USTA Pro Circuit She swept the singles and doubles titles at the since 2004. O’Brien also reached the junior singles titles—$50,000 events in Carson, tour event in Bangkok in 2006 to finish the quarterfinals of doubles at Wimbledon in Calif., and Grapevine, Texas, and a $25,000 year ranked No. 50. In 2008, she reached 2004. event in El Paso, Texas. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Olympus US Open 2004 Midland doubles champion Sofia the doubles final in Grapevine with American Series event in Cincinnati, and last year she Arvidsson, 25, of Sweden, is ranked No. Kimberly Couts. Tetreault qualified for the advanced to the third round of the US Open 105. Arvidsson reached a career high of 2009 US Open, her first Grand Slam event, (defeating current world No. 15 Samantha No. 29 in 2006 after advancing to the extending then-No. 46 Magdalena Rybarikova Stosur in the second round). King has third round at the Australian Open and to three sets in the first round. In 2006, at competed in all four Grand Slams in singles she has finished in the Top 100 in three of age 18, Tetreault played in her first Sony and doubles, reaching the final of the mixed the past four years. (She was No. 102 in Ericsson WTA Tour event in Quebec City. doubles at the 2009 French Open with 2007.) In 2008, Arvidsson went 6-1 in Fed Marcelo Melo. In women’s doubles, she has Cup play (4-0 in singles) and reached the Lilia Osterloh, 31, of Aliso Viejo, Calif., is twice reached the round of 16 at the US second round at the US Open, stretching ranked No. 126. She has been competing on Open (2007, 2009), and she advanced to eventual finalist Jelena Jankovic to three the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour for more than the quarterfinals at 2009 Wimbledon. King sets in defeat. Arvidsson also reached the a decade, finishing in the year-end Top 100 has won eight tour-level doubles titles and quarterfinals at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour from 1999 to 2001, and again in 2007. has also been a regular contributor to the event in Memphis, and the second round at She reached a career-high No. 41 in April U.S. Fed Cup team, making her singles the 2008 Olympic Games and at tour-level 2001 after advancing to the fourth round at debut in the 2006 World Group semifinals events in Miami and Indian Wells. Wimbledon and the US Open in 2000. On against Belgium’s Kim Clijsters. the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Osterloh has Former Top 50 player Monica Niculescu, advanced to the singles semifinals in three Elena Baltacha, 26, of Great Britain (born 22, of Romania, is ranked No. 115. She has events and has captured two doubles titles. in Kiev, Ukraine), is ranked No. 83. She won 35 career ITF circuit titles (15 singles), She has reached seven USTA Pro Circuit advanced to the third round at the 2010 and a doubles title on the Sony Ericsson singles finals since 1996, taking the title at Australian Open before losing to world WTA Tour in 2009 in Budapest, Hungary. the $75,000 event in Pittsburgh in 2005 No. 2 Dinara Safina. Baltacha also reached Niculescu has reached the second round and the $50,000 event in Waikoloa, Hawaii, the third round at the 2005 Australian Open of both the Australian Open (2009) and in 2006.