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“Absolutely Asinine”: @USOpen Decision to Lock Fans Out of Qualifying Puzzles Players and Fans

Posted by Admin on August 12, 2021
Posted in: ATP, New York, US Open, US Open Qualifying. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

“Absolutely Asinine”: US Open Decision to Lock Fans Out of Qualifying Puzzles Players and Fans

Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

(AUGUST 12)—Of all of the great things about summer, one thing regional tennis fans have on their list is the US Open. Whether you attend qualifying rounds or main draw play, it’s always a great time. And the best part about the US Open is that it allowed fans of all budgets to walk through the metal gates and into a Tennis Wonderland. Hundreds of thousands of students, families and neighbors of the surrounding boroughs have attended qualifying matches for years at the US Open. Qualifying in New York is an event that is truly egalitarian, as millionaires stand next to those who can’t afford a $75 ticket(master) grounds pass for the opening rounds or a $2,800 luxury experience box seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Entire junior tennis programs load up buses and head to Flushing for the experience. Without needing to shell out big bucks for a ticket, a fan could feel indulgent and buy a $15 beer or a $40 ball cap and call it a good day.

Those good days are off the calendar for 2021 unless you can afford a ticket to the main draw. The USTA, in a “heartbreaking” move, has called qualifying off-limits to the general public but are prepared to welcome you with open arms and 100% capacity for ticketed main draw rounds. Also scrapped was the phenomenally popular Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day, where $10 bought you a ticket into the greatest stadium in sports along with top-notch entertainment talent.

The reason, according to the USTA, is to protect the players. But many of the players I spoke to at Citi Open last week didn’t understand the logic and had fond memories of attending qualifying as a kid and a fan. No one in the press room last week asked the players about US Qualifying but yours truly and not the talent who reads the transcripts and then reads a teleprompter for Tennis Now. She wasn’t in the house. But once she put my questions out there, it was about time to post my findings, which I was working on for next week. The only reason that the Q&As were in the transcripts is because the ATP wouldn’t let me do one-on-one interviews to ask the players that single question, which would have kept the question and their answers out of the public sphere until my post. In all fairness, I’m glad a bigger media outlet is now, after all of my public questions, covering this matter.

The comments section on the video were almost universally against the fan lockout. Longtime tennis fan Chris Rapseik of Chester, New Jersey was not happy. “As someone who has attended qualifying for many years, I find this decision hypocritical,” he said on Youtube. “I planned to buy tickets for the next week when I attended qualifying, now that is not happening. Yes, there are some costs to allowing fans to see qualies but the fans love the opportunity. So the US Open is not considering the fans, who they want for two weeks, to be able to watch qualies. Shame on them.”

What was most puzzling about the answers I heard at Citi Open evidenced that many of the players I spoke with last week were not aware of the policy, even though it was done to protect “the players.” Which made me wonder if “the players” were even consulted at all about a policy designed to protect “the players” themselves.

“I mean, if you think about that, it seems like there’s that discrepancy or there’s like a double standard as far as what’s allowed and what’s not allowed,” Tennys Sandgren told me last week. “I mean, if you’re allowed to be there for main draw, why shouldn’t you be allowed to be there for qualifying? If you’re going to do one, then you do the other,” he added. “If you’re not going to do one, you wouldn’t do the other. That’s I guess my first reaction to that, would be I don’t really get it. But there’s a lot of this stuff I really don’t get honestly, so it wouldn’t be the first time I felt like there was a double standard or discrepancy there that just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.”

When I asked Brandon Nakashima about it, he was diplomatic about the protocols of the past year before concluding “I think if they’re able to have fans come in during the main draw, I see really no reason why they shouldn’t be able to come into the qualies as well.”

Denis Kudla agreed. “I feel do they really protect us if (the crowds) showing up three, four days later, it’s going to be packed four days later?” he mused. “I don’t really think that makes sense. Keep it open. We’re not going to be in a bubble. We’re going to be roaming around New York City. We’re responsible for our own health. I don’t see how that’s really making sense. If you’re going to do full bubble, nobody, or just leave it completely open,” he added. “All this kind of half and half things, certain rules for certain people, I don’t think it makes sense in general. So, yeah, that’s pretty much my answer. I think people should be allowed in qualies. I think it’s a huge opportunity for families who can’t spend a bunch on tickets, have an opportunity to watch top guys practice and the future of the sport.”

Steve Johnson is always a straight shooter in press and he didn’t disappoint when I asked him the question last Wednesday. “I’m not the arbitrator of what’s fair and not fair,” he said with a smile. “Me, my perspective, look, we’ve had a lot of confusing COVID rules the last 18 months, especially last six months. I’ve stopped really trying to guess because half the rules make absolutely zero sense, it’s strictly an optical thing that I think is absolutely asinine really,” he added. “I mean, I’m the right guy to probably get a quote from, but I’m the wrong guy to give an impartial decision. Look, I think there should be fans at every stadium. I think we’ve shown in the States that you can do it and it’s safe,” he continued. “There should be fans. Everybody knows the risks. Everybody is willing to do what they want to do. That’s what makes America America. Everyone has their own choice to do whatever they want. If they want to come watch tennis, they should be allowed to. If they feel unsafe, they shouldn’t. There should be fans there the entire time. Again, it’s one of those questions why week one and not week two? Why is it any different? I’ve stopped trying to get those answers because it just makes me more confused than anything.”

Good Dog

In fact, the only player who didn’t express concern was Reilly Opelka. He was having no part of it. “I don’t want to bite the hand that feeds me, you know? They’ve been great to me,” he said, referring to his benefactors. “The USTA has been great to me. That’s all funded by the US Open. There’s flaws in everything. They’ve been great to me. Martin Blackman and Kent Kinnear, my coach Jay Berger, even Pat McEnroe has been beyond generous to me. There’s nothing negative I can say because they’ve changed my life for the better,” he concluded. He’s one of the nicest guys on tour, but it was clear that he could not be critical in any way of his White Plains Overlords.

Like a good blogger, we reached out to White Plains yesterday to make some sense of this decision. We asked USTA Communications Director Chris Widmaier a few questions by email and followed up with a call to his cell phone, specifically inquiring the following:

1) You must be aware of the crowd size differential between qualifying rounds and the first round of main draw play. Is it fair to say that you expect far more attendees on August 30 and 31 than you would for any day of US Open qualifying in the past?

2) How much money do you expect US Open vendors and partners to lose as a result of the USTA’s decision to close qualifying to the public?

3) Are you aware of the impact of the decision on the thousands of attendees who come to qualifying from struggling neighborhoods all over the region? Will there be widely-advertised discount programs to allow low-income fans to attend the main draw in lieu of free qualifying?

4) Did you consider opening up qualifying for attendees who could provide proof of vaccinations? 

5) Was the USTA provided with specific public health guidance that 0% capacity at qualifying would protect players and/or that requiring proof of vaccination for attendees at main draw rounds would be beneficial to the players?

Widmaier called me back. He explained that the decision was “heartbreaking and not an easy decision” for the USTA, and was made several months ago “based on expert medical advice at the time.” He described the Open as a “mega global event” and that all such decisions had to be made in advance for logistical purposes. He acknowledged that the USTA communicated the call to the ATP and WTA, and that he expected that they would have informed the players. “There are never more players on site than during qualifying,” he said. “You have the 256 singles entrants and the qualifying field here at the same time.” According to Widmaier, that medical advice included advising the US Open to build out expanded player areas, including gyms and dining areas to promote social distancing, which they have done.

To quote John McEnroe, “Let’s be honest.” It sounds to me like it was a call that was made, and it’s a call that can’t be challenged or reversed because it’s too late to get security and infrastructure in place for thousands of extra people to show up. Optics are everything, and some feel it’s time to stop blaming COVID-19 for decisions that make little sense except the most obvious—to make a buck and/or keep expenses down, just like a Fortune 500 company beholden to shareholders. It also seems that the last thing the USTA wants is to have to kick fans out after the tournament starts due to an outbreak, which would blow another hole in the organization’s finances after a disastrous 2020.

Perhaps accidentally, though, it feels like the USTA may have missed the mark on its mission statement on this one: “Include all people on a non-discriminatory basis, and make diversity and inclusion an embedded part of USTA.” Because this decision is a heartfelt blow to everyone except the sad rich people in those lower boxes on Ashe. Or as Emma Lazarus, the poet laureate of the Statue of Liberty might say, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, not right now, but certainly before 2023.“

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Dangerous @DenisKudla Advances to First @USOpen R3, Set to Face @DjokerNole Tomorrow

Posted by Admin on August 29, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, US Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Dangerous @DenisKudla Advances to First @USOpen R3, Set to Face @DjokerNole Tomorrow
Steve Fogleman in Flushing Meadows

American Denis Kudla took a giant step forward in his tennis career on Thursday at the US Open in New York, advancing to the 3rd round of America’s Open in four sets against the red hot Dusan Lajovic, 7-5, 7-5, 0-6, 6-3. The win earns Kudla a date with Novak Djokovic on a stadium court tomorrow and questions have arisen about the Serb’s shoulder after last night’s match.

This match was all Kudla in the first and second sets, but Lajovic dug deep and won the third set at love. Kudla did a hard reset and erased memories of the third set to win an extremely competitive fourth set and final game at 5-3 as Kudla needed five match points to close it out.

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

“I mean the first two sets, I played really solid and had a lot of opportunities maybe to win those at 3 and 3,” Kudla said. “It was there I knew he was still trying to find his game. He’s beaten me three times before so I know his level wasn’t it’s highest and I needed to take advantage, but out of 3 out of 5 sets you have a chance to find your game.”

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Kudla admitted he played “a little sloppy” in the third and Lajovic ran away with the set.

“I was like, O.K., I’ve got to dig in,” Kudla said of the fourth set. “It was 5-3, 40-love and then I just got super tight” before winning the match on his fifth match point.

Kudla said he watched the Djokovic match yesterday, and he’s not too worried about any weakness on the part of the world #1. “Even if he’s on one leg, he’s still tough.”

Kudla also spoke of the desire to play the best players early. “You want to play the top guys early,” he said. “That’s when they’re the most vulnerable. You play them in the quarters and semis, that’s when these guys are five matches deep playing some unreal tennis and it almost feels like it’s impossible.”

Impossible is not the word I’m thinking when assessing Kudla’s chances tomorrow.

It’s Hardware Sunday @NewYorkOpen, and A Maiden Title On the Line for @ReillyOpelka & @BraydenSchnur

Posted by Admin on February 17, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s Hardware Sunday at New York Open, and A Maiden Title On the Line for Opelka, Schnur

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)
Reilly Opelka, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

It’s been a great week for both American Reilly Opelka and Canadian Brayden Schnur. Tonight, one of them will have a “1” in their little stats column on your ATP scoring app as one will pick up their first ATP tour-level singles title at the New York Open in Uniondale, New York. I looked at the odds on my phone before yesterday’s matches, and Betfair had the odds of this final matchup at 10-1. Savor this rare moment of upset tennis in the men’s game, because it comes with the bonus of watching a first-timer hoist the hardware. In this case, it’s a giant abstract painting, but you get the idea.

IMG_0564

Reilly Opelka got there by beating a familiar nemesis in John Isner, and the man in whose house Opelka watched the Superbowl just two weeks ago. Opelka had shocked Isner in Melbourne at the Australian Open in January, and Opelka didn’t let any nerves get to him even after he’d lost the first set tiebreak. Two more tiebreaks that did go his way landed Opelka in the final after shaking off six match points from Isner. The performances by the pair, 6’10 and 6’11, was as bold and pugilistic as the gentlemen’s size. In the arms race that has become professional tennis, these players are the heavy artillery of the game, with popping returns and 136 mile per hour serves the normal. 81 aces made for a record-breaking but very boring night of tennis. It’s the most aces combined in a best of three match since they started tracking these things in 1991. Generally speaking, it paid the bills but wasn’t easy to watch.

Brayden Schnur, 2019 New York Open Finalist (TennisAtlantic.com)

Brayden Schnur got here on the local train. He ran through 17-year-old Long Island native Cannon Kingsley and up-and-comer Alexei Popyrin to qualify before earning the first ATP win of his young career over Columbia University sophomore Jack Lin. It all started to click for Schnur when he saved 2 match points and came back from a 5-2 third set deficit to knock out #3 seed Steve Johnson last Wednesday.  Friday saw him survive a marathon against veteran Paolo Lorenzi in three sets against another player who was playing on another level this week. That all made yesterday’s upset of #6 seed Sam Querrey less surprising than his other results of the week,

I’m sure some tournament organizers were in agony last night, as it might be less attractive for a casual fan to bundle up and take the Long Island Railroad out to see the Opelka-Schnur prize-fight. An Isner-Querrey final would have been preferred by the marketers and branders, none of which are in short supply in New York. Last year’s Anderson-Querrey final shouldn’t be the norm. The top seeds fly out of ATP 250 tournaments so often that you can’t often tell the difference between a Newport and a Challenger. For a true fan, there can be nothing more exciting at a 250 than being guaranteed to see a young player win his first pro level title.

Here’s to Super Sunday. The doubles final of Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq against Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Andrea Mies goes live at 2:00 p.m. and the singles final starts at 4:00 p.m.

Second Time’s a Charm as @Chris_Eubanks96 Qualifies for @NewYorkOpen Main Draw

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Adrian Menedez Maceiras

Christopher Eubanks and Ernesto Escobedo traded blows for three sets at New York Open qualifying today, with Eubanks down a break in the third before bringing it home for his first qualifying in two attempts at the New York Open. And the opponent who beat him last year? That’s right. Escobedo.

“7-5 in the 3rd,” Eubanks said after the win. “Exact same score, It feels pretty good, you get a little bit of revenge and let things turn around the opposite way. It’s pretty ironic, same exact round, same exact tournament, same exact score, in theory. It was pretty fortunate for me to go my way.”

It was pretty ironic that he knew the exact scoreline from last year. Well done.

“I think I just kind of stayed dialed in, every point,” he said of the comeback win. “When you get down like that, it’s pretty easy to just want to pack it in. Playing it point by point, hoping for the best, hoping for an opportunity. You put yourself in position to capitalize. I just tried to stay dialed in on my serve.“

All players love the surface they’re currently winning on, but Eubanks was emphatic, given the uniqueness of the black courts. “I like it. I like it,” he said. “Last year was my first time playing on the court and it took a little bit of getting used to and sometimes the court felt hollow. It was so slow. This year it’s a little quicker and it’s helping my serve.”

But my favorite response was the refreshing one about the draw.

“I’m not that superstitious about it,” Eubanks told press. “If the draw comes out, I’m anxious to see who some of my friends are playing, so it’s not that big a deal to me.”

Refreshing answers, and after all, it’s nice to have refreshments with a popcorn match.

—S. Fogleman

New @USTA National Coach is @BBakesTennis

Posted by Admin on January 23, 2019
Posted in: ATP, USTA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Brian Baker Hired as USTA National Coach for Men’s Tennis

Brian Baker, Newport 2013

Brian Baker, Newport 2013

ORLANDO, Fla., January 23, 2019 — The USTA today announced that it has hired former Top-60 pro Brian Baker as a National Coach for Men’s Tennis, based out of the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando and reporting to Head of Men’s Tennis Kent Kinnear.

Best known for his perseverance through a multitude of injuries, Baker ranked as high as No. 52 in the world and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2012. He also won two ATP doubles titles and represented the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

A Nashville native, Baker was an assistant men’s coach at Belmont University from 2008-11 and then again in 2015 and 2018. He graduated from Belmont with a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business degree in 2015. “Brian’s experiences as a player and as a coach will be a tremendous addition to our TEAM USA Pro Department, as he works closely with players and their coaches progressing to break their way into the ATP Top 100,” Kinnear said. “His tennis mind, his analytical abilities and his drive and determination for improvement will all be incredible assets for our staff and for our country’s up and coming pro players.”

—USTA

 

As @FTiafoe Turns 21 & Reaches Career Milestone @AustralianOpen, @TheJTCC Training Center Proud of Homegrown Hero

Posted by Admin on January 21, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Australian Open, Junior Tennis Champions Center. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment
Francis Tiafoe
As Frances Tiafoe Turns 21 & Reaches Career Milestone at Australian Open, Junior Tennis Champions Center Proud of Homegrown Hero
Frances Tiafoe celebrated his 21st birthday in “Grand” style by reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open with a 7-5, 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 7-5 victory over #20 seed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
“This is a significant breakthrough for Frances,” said JTCC CEO Ray Benton. “He is the youngest American since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2003 to reach the quarterfinals of a major. His future is wide open.”
The JTCC alumnus is guaranteed to break into the top 30 in the ATP world rankings for the first time and will become the #2 ranked American behind John Isner.
Although Dimitrov, a former world #3, exerted constant pressure, he was only able to take one set off a resolute Tiafoe, who stood firm saving 15 of 18 break points he faced and striking 63 winners in total to clinch his spot in the last eight.
Frances Tiafoe celebrates winning a crucial point against Grigor Dimitrov during their 4th round clash at the Australian Open
Tiafoe’s opponent in the quarterfinals is 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. The two have never met before, but Tiafoe expressed his excitement about facing one of the greatest players of all time in his post match interview with ESPN’s Pam Shriver. His clash with Nadal is scheduled during the night session on Rod Laver Arena and is due to start at around 5 am EST on Tuesday.
“It is hard to describe how proud everyone associated with JTCC is of Frances,” exuded JTCC Director of Tennis Vesa Ponkka. “We have all has been missing out on sleep over the last week but the excitement he has generated at JTCC and beyond with his play in Melbourne is truly special to witness.”
— Republished from JTCC

Fishing for World Domination: @DavisCup Captain @MardyFish Ready for Battle

Posted by Admin on January 9, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Davis Cup, USTA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

MARDY FISH NAMED U.S. DAVIS CUP CAPTAIN

mardy fish 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., January 9, 2019 – The USTA today announced that former world No. 7 and Davis Cup veteran Mardy Fish has been named the new captain of the U.S. Davis Cup Team. He succeeds Jim Courier to become the 41st captain in the team’s 120-year history and will make his debut at the newly transformed Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Finals November 18-24 in Madrid, Spain.

 

“Ever since I started playing professionally and started understanding what the Davis Cup was and how special it was, even as a player, I wanted to be the Davis Cup Captain,” Fish said. “I just thought that position was so special – leading the guys and leading the team, building relationships and the team aspect around it. I’m a team-sport athlete stuck in an individual sport, and I love the team aspect of Davis Cup. To even be considered, let alone named the Captain, is incredibly humbling.”

davis cup

In this new era of Davis Cup, the role of Captain will be expanded, with the position working more closely with USTA Player Development throughout the year, as well as traveling to multiple tournaments and camps to support American players, serving as a mentor for American pros and juniors. He will also ensure the U.S. Davis Cup team remains a strong platform to grow the game through the USTA’s Net Generation youth initiative.

mardy+fish+davis+cup

“Mardy Fish embodies all of the qualities of a successful Davis Cup Captain and will be an invaluable asset to Team USA,” said USTA Chairman of the Board and President Patrick Galbraith. “His achievements as a player both on tour and in Davis Cup are renowned, and his acumen for the game is as strong as his relationships with our American players. There are few people in tennis as qualified to lead the U.S. Davis Cup Team into the next decade, and we cannot wait to see what that future has in store under Mardy’s leadership.”

Fish, 37, reached the singles quarterfinals at three of the four Grand Slams and won a combined 14 ATP titles (six singles, eight doubles) before retiring from playing at the 2015 US Open. He also produced a number of signature performances while representing his country, earning the singles silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and writing his name in the U.S. Davis Cup record book.

Fish played in 11 Davis Cup ties for the U.S. from 2002-12 and is still the last U.S. Davis Cup player to win three live matches in a single tie, in a 3-1 World Group Playoff win in Colombia in 2010 that kept alive the U.S.’s now-record uninterrupted streak in the World Group. Fish’s two singles victories in that tie were five-setters, and he and Courier are the only U.S. Davis Cup players to win two five-set matches in the same tie. In his last Davis Cup playing appearance, Fish beat Stan Wawrinka in five sets and teamed with Mike Bryan to beat Wawrinka and Roger Federer in a 5-0 sweep of Switzerland in the 2012 First Round.

After retiring in 2015, Fish worked part-time as a coach with USTA Player Development, helping to guide young Americans on tour, including Taylor Fritz and Jared Donaldson, through 2017.

—USTA

Represent: @FilaTennis Signs American @SonyaKenin

Posted by Admin on November 6, 2018
Posted in: US Open, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Sofia Kenin, FILA
(FILA Global) – FILA announced today that it has signed a sponsorship agreement with American tennis player Sofia Kenin. Kenin will join the company’s roster of endorsed WTA and ATP World Tour players who wear the FILA® brand on-court.
“Sofia is an incredible young talent who has a bright future ahead of her in the sport,” said Gene Yoon, Global Chairman at FILA. “After an impressive 2018 season, she is poised to become one of the next rising stars in women’s tennis. We are thrilled to welcome her to the FILA family and support her on her tennis journey moving forward.”
Kenin, 19, is currently the No. 52 ranked WTA singles player. She was formerly a Junior US Open Finalist and the winner of the USTA Girls’ 18’s National Championships. Since turning pro in 2017, Kenin has won four ITF titles and reached an additional four finals. This season she had two wins against Top 10 opponents, and her ranking improved nearly 150 spots. In addition, this week she will make her first appearance on the US Fed Cup team as they compete against the Czech Republic for the title.
“It’s an honor to be a part of such an iconic brand that has a long, rich history of partnering with some of the best tennis players in the world,” said Kenin. “I’m excited for the opportunity to wear FILA and to have the brand’s support, both on and off the court, as I continue my career.”
—M. Van TuinenSofia Kenin, FILA

Americans D. Young, DiLorenzo Headed For @USOpen Qualifying Finals

Posted by Admin on August 23, 2018
Posted in: ATP, US Open, US Open Qualifying, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Americans D. Young, DiLorenzo Headed For @USOpen Qualifying Finals
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Nothing ever comes seems to come easy to Donald Young and today was no exception. Today at US Open qualifying in New York, he sleep-walked through the first set against Simone Bolelli and was bageled in front of a roaring American crowd. Yet, as the Donald does, he persevered in three to fight another day, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“I don’t know I did it,” he told me after the match and in between being hounded for autographs and selfies. “I kept fighting and got the W somehow. I don’t know, really. I’m happy to just be moving on.”

He appreciated the fan support from Court 11, the same court where American Ernesto Escobedo won a tough three-setter yesterday afternoon.

“It’s great,” he said. “US Open, the crowd is always good here. It’s always special to be here and play well.”

Young needs to beat Canadian Peter Polansky on Friday to advance.

Francesca DiLorenzo, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Francesca DiLorenzo, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Another American into the final round of qualifying before lunch was over was Francesca DiLorenzo in a straight sets win against Germany’s Antonia Lottner, 6-4, 7-5. Lottner has qualified before here in New York, but DiLorenzo shut the door on her today in a close one.

“I think there was a little bit of nerves for both sides in the beginning,” DiLorenzo said. “Neither of us were really able to break each other. But once I got into the match a bit and got more comfortable, I started getting in the zone and being a little more aggressive. So it was good.”

The US Open experience is special to her, too.

Francesca DiLorenzo, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Francesca DiLorenzo, 2018 US Open (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

“I mean, it’s the US Open and it’s New York,” she said. “It’s incredible. I always love playing here. You get all the US fans supporting you on big courts. It’s just amazing. There’s no other place like it.”

DiLo plays former world top 10 Mona Barthel tomorrow for a main draw berth.

The first matches on Armstrong didn’t go particularly well for American players today. Sebastian Korda made history by winning the first game on the newly-constructed stadium, but dropped both sets making Facundo Bagnis the first winner there ever. He did it by a count of 6-4, 6-4. American Kristie Ahn was knocked off the court and out of qualifying in 45 minutes by Ons Jabeur by a score of 6-2, 6-2. Evan King took the first set from Stefano Travaglia on Armstrong this afternoon before Travaglia ‘prevaglied’ by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That leaves Ernesto Escobedo as the last American of the day to say he won on New Armstrong the first day.

Tomorrow is Media Day at the US Open and this year, for the first time ever, it’s open to the public in Armstrong. Some in the pressroom are not excited about it, some because it gives them less exclusive access, and others because they think it will turn into a cheapened “Super Bowl” media experience. For the fans, it sounds like a welcome improvement and I look forward to it becoming a tradition at the US Open.

Wimbledon Junior Doubles Finalist Caty McNally One to Watch @Easterbowl

Posted by Admin on March 23, 2018
Posted in: Easter Bowl. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

WIMBLEDON JUNIOR DOUBLES FINALIST CATY McNALLY ONE ONE TO WATCH @EASTERBOWL

EASTER BOWL

Katy McNally (Photo: Dave Kenas/Adidas Easter Bowl)

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (March 23, 2018) – If recent results are any indication, 16-year-old Caty McNally is going to be playing more and more ITF and USTA Pro Circuit events and less junior tournaments in 2018.

But the Cincinnati native has her sights and focus set on the upcoming 51st annual Adidas Easter Bowl, the USTA Spring National Championships, which kicks off on Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley, where all eyes were on the recently completed BNP Paribas Open.

The 18s is an ITF Grade B1 and USTA Level 1 event. It is a closed event meaning only players from the United States are eligible to play. The tournament will include the nation’s top 12-and-under 14s, 16s and 18s players. The 12s and 14s will start play this Saturday, March 24, with the finals taking place on Thursday, March 22. The 16s and 18s begin play on Monday, with the 16s finals on Saturday, March 31, and the 18s finals on Easter Sunday, April 1.

Caty McNally, right, with Roger Federer at Wimbledon Ball

Caty McNally, right, with Roger Federer at Wimbledon Ball

McNally, who lost in the quarterfinals of singles last April at the Easter Bowl to eventual winner Claire Liu, is currently the No. 30-ranked player in the ITF Junior World rankings. She has quickly proven to be one of the toughest doubles players on the USTA Futures Pro Circuit, capturing back-to-back doubles titles at $15,000-level pro events at Orlando and Tampa over the past few weeks, as well as another $15,000 event in Guadaloupe in January.

McNally and the 2017 No. 1-ranked junior player in the world Whitney Osuigwe won the Adidas Easter Bowl ITF 18s doubles title last year, and went on to play in the Wimbledon Championship Junior final. It was the second consecutive year McNally had advanced to the final. In December, McNally and Osuigwe cemented their claim as one of the world’s top junior doubles team by winning the prestigious Eddie Herr International.

McNally won the Orlando Pro Circuit doubles title with her former U.S. Junior Fed Cup teammate Osuigwe and won Tampa with Natasha Subhash. It was the fourth pro title of McNally’s career as she also won the Hilton Head Island event back in October with British partner Emily Appleton.

Alexa Noel is expected to be top-seeded in the ITF 18s event and is currently ranked No 11 in the ITF Junior world rankings. Noel is 15 and from Summit, N.J. She will be followed by Margaryta Bilokin, who is ranked No. 27 in the world, and is originally from the Ukraine but trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Following McNally will be top American girls’ Subhash (Fairfax, Va.), Lea Ma (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Hailey Baptiste (Washington, D.C.), Hurricane Tyra Black (Boca Raton, Fla.), Gabriella Price (Montebello, N.Y.), Katie Volynets (Walnut Creek, Calif.), and last year’s USTA National Hardcourt Girls’ 16s singles and doubles champion Angelica Blake (Boca Raton, Fla.), who also won the 16s Easter Bowl in 2016.

On the boys’ side, Southern California’s Tristan Boyer (Altadena, Calif.) is the top-seeded player coming in with an ITF world ranking of No. 13 and is followed by No. 14 Drew Baird (Holly Springs, N.C.), No. 15 Andrew Fenty (Washington, D.C.) and No. No. 39 Trey Hilderbrand (San Antonio).

Top-seeded players in the Boys’ 16s include: Keshav Chopra (Marietta, Ga.), Max McKennon (Newport Beach, Calif.), and Welsh Hotard (New Orleans, La.); Girls’ 16s: Gianna Pielet (El Paso, Texas), Valencia Xu (Livingston, N.J.), Karina Miller (Ann Arbor, Mich.); Boys’ 14: Samir Banerjee (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Noelle Andrey Ampong (Downers Grove, Ill.), Max Fardanesh (Albany, Calif.); Girls’ 14s: Reese Brantmeier (Whitewater, Wisc.), Alexandra Torre (Brentwood, Tenn.), Elena Yu (Mason, Ohio); Boys’ 12s: Nicholas Mangiapane (Davidson, N.C.); Rudy Quan (Roseville, Calif.), Andrew Salu (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.); Girls’ 12s: Stephanie Yakoff (Fort Lee, N.J.), Clervie Ngounoue (Washington, D.C.), Brooklyn Olson (Kansas City, Mo.).

Adidas Easter Bowl ITF boys’ main-draw wild card include: Jensen Brooksby, Stefan Dostanic, Jake Sands and Ryder Jackson. ITF girls’ main draw wild cards are: Jaeden Brown, Imani Graham, Elvina Kalieva, Charlotte Owensby, Alexandra Yepifanova and Sara Choy.

The 16s wild cards for the girls are Carson Tanguilig, Danielle Benabraham, Gianna Pielet and Nika Vesley while the boys include Andrew Chang, Jameson Corsillo and Alex Lin.

The Adidas Easter Bowl Player Party will take place at IWTG on Sunday, at the same time as the Team USA Coaches Reception and Awards presented by the USTA, honoring some of the best coaches and programs in tennis today. Among the honorees this year will be:

Team USA Legendary Coach Award: Ricardo Acuna, Andy Brandi, and Tom Gullikson

2017 Team USA Developmental Coach of the Year: Konstantine Anisimova

2017 Team USA Developmental Program of the Year: Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC), College Park, Maryland

2017 Team USA Player Development Section of the Year: The Florida Section

The iconic junior tournament started by Seena Hamilton in 1968 and now led by Tournament Chairman Lornie Kuhle. Long considered the Super Bowl of junior tennis, the Adidas Easter Bowl’s status has now been raised to a new level by being played at what is arguably the finest tennis facility in the world, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Few other junior tennis tournaments in the United States possesses the same rich history as the Adidas Easter Bowl.  The tournament was started in New York City and has been played in Florida, Arizona and California.

To keep up with all the Adidas Easter Bowl news, visit the website at www.easterbowl.com and check out the tournament on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EasterBowl) and Twitter (@easterbowl).

In addition to live streaming the Adidas Easter Bowl again this year, the tournament has a new and improved mobile app, which can be found at Match Tennis Apphttp://www.matchtennisapp.com. The live stream commentating duties are being provided by the popular Southern California tennis commentator Marcus Tennis. Check www.easterbowl.comto watch the live stream and for all Easter Bowl news, results and schedules.

—S. Pratt