Stacked Field For Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger (@CVilleTennis)
Qualifying for The Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger begins this weekend at the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia. Main draw play starts Monday and the Finals will be held on Sunday, November 3.
Sometimes, this challenger feels like a semi-secret event, lacking a dedicated website and social media pre-tournament promotion.
Once qualifying begins, Tournament Director Ron Manila puts on a very well-managed affair.
Admission is free all week again this year thanks to sponsors, and there’s some mighty talent for the hardy souls who make it to the Boar’s Head this year.
The singles winner will receive a check for $10,800 and 90 ATP rankings points. The winning doubles team gets $4,650.
Here’s your player field so far:
Smyczek, Tim USA 91
Devvarman, Somdev IND 95
Russell, Michael USA 101
Young, Donald USA 103
Kuznetsov, Alex USA 122
Ram, Rajeev USA 123
Williams, Rhyne USA 124
Zverev, Mischa GER 143
Reynolds, Bobby USA 149
Johnson, Steve USA 150
Levine, Jesse CAN 157
De Voest, Rik RSA 167
Groth, Samuel AUS 193
Krajicek, Austin USA 219
Polansky, Peter CAN 222
Smith, John-Patrick AUS 223
Molchanov, Denys UKR 233
Peliwo, Filip CAN 252
Sandgren, Tennys USA 265
Buchanan, Chase USA 282
Fratangelo, Bjorn USA 293
Angelinos, Theodoros GRE 294
Myneni, Saketh IND 302
Neuchrist, Maximilian AUT 322
(credit: SKozak, MensTennisForums.com)
Also: According to a post on MensTennisForums.com, 2011 Champion Izak Van Der Merwe, Robby Ginepri, Brian Baker, Bobby Reynolds and Mischa Zverev are scratched from the event, allowing Alternates Chase Buchanan, Bjorn Fratangelo, Theodoros Angelinos, Saketh Myneni and Max Neuchrist to enter main draw singles.
Defending Champion Denis Kudla may yet enter the event, a favorite tournament of the Virginia resident. According to Kudla’s agent, Sam Duvall, Denis is hoping to enter Paris Masters Qualifying. Barring a few withdrawals in Paris, Denis will be in Charlottesville next week as a wild card.
Eight qualifiers will advance through the weekend to fill out the 32 man draw. The doubles field is set at 16.
They’ll be a full preview on our site complete with highlighted matches and predictions as soon as the draw is released.
I’m going to cover the first few days of the Challenger from Charlottesville and look forward to providing you with daily updates and player interviews in addition to twitter updates.
—S. Fogleman
Tennis Atlantic 