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Throughout 2014, the USTA Pro Circuithelped America’s junior stars, collegestandouts and other aspiring pros takethe next step in making a successful tran-sition to the sport’s highest levels. A totalof 87 Pro Circuit events were held in2014, and more than half of the winnerswere U.S. players. American men won 26of the 48 singles titles—the most of anycountry—while American women cap-tured 20 singles crowns at 39 events—also the most titles of any nation.

Sam Querrey and Madison Brengle earnedthe most ranking points among Americanplayers competing on the USTA Pro Circuit,which saw several young U.S. players enjoybreakthrough performances in the secondhalf of 2014. Fifteen-year-old Catherine Bellis,who concluded the year atop the ITF JuniorWorld Rankings, won consecutive Pro Circuit events for her first pro singles titles.Mitchell Frank and Michael Mmoh werefirst-time Pro Circuit singles titlists on themen’s side, while 16-year-old Stefan Kozlov

became the youngest American to reach aChallenger final since Andre Agassi in 1986.

Also among the second half highlightswere the staging of Wild Card Challengesfor the US Open and—for the first time—the Australian Open. With the Har-Tru USTAPro Circuit Wild Card Challenge awardingFrench Open wild cards in the spring, threeGrand Slam tournaments now grant men’sand women’s main draw wild cards to U.S.players based on their performances at select USTA Pro Circuit events.

I N S I D E :

WOODIE WALKER IS HONORED AT THE US OPENLongtime USTA Pro Circuit Supervisor

Woodie Walker was presented with an

honorary award at the 2014 US Open after

announcing this would be her last year to

serve in an official capacity.

USTA PRO CIRCUIT NETS TOP 10PLAY ON SPORTSCENTERAn incredible around-the-net-post shot in

a doubles match during the 2014 Knoxville

Challenger made it to No. 5 on ESPN

SportsCenter’s “Top 10 Plays of the Day.”

NOTABLE RECORDS AND RESULTSON THE USTA PRO CIRCUITThere were a number of noteworthy

accomplishments on the USTA Pro

Circuit in 2014 among both the men

and the women.

Fifteen-year-old Catherine Bellis (second from right) followed up her headline-making 2014 US Openperformance by capturing two consecutive USTA Pro Circuit events in October. That same month,Stefan Kozlov (inset,right) made news of his own in by becoming the youngest American in 28 years to reach a Challenger final, falling to Sam Querrey (inset, left).

AMERICAN PLAYERS MEET THE CHALLENGE ON THE USTA PRO CIRCUIT

Erin MaherJoins USTAPro CircuitStaffThe USTA Pro Circuit ishappy to welcome ErinMaher, a North White Plains,N.Y., native, as an Adminis-trative Assistant, Pro Circuit.Maher joined the USTA staffin August and knows thesport very well, havingplayed collegiate tennis forSt. Thomas Aquinas Collegein Rockland County, N.Y.She is excited to be workingwith us in her new position.

F I R S T S E R V E S

With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annuallythroughout the country and prize money rangingfrom $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit isthe pathway to the US Open and tour-level competi-tion for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battle-ground for established professionals.

The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provideplayers with the opportunity to gain professionalranking points, and it has since grown to become thelargest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year,more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. EugenieBouchard, John Isner, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori,Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are amongtoday’s top players who began their careers on theUSTA Pro Circuit.

Erin Mazurek Named Memphis Open Tournament DirectorIn October, the USTA named Erin Mazurek the Tournament Director of the Memphis Open in Memphis, Tenn. The first female tour-nament director in the event’s history, she previously served as Tournament Director of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic, the$100,000 women’s USTA Pro Circuit event in Midland, Mich. Mazurek worked most recently as Director of Private Event Sales withthe NHL's Detroit Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment.

The Memphis Open, known formerly as the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, dates back to 1976, making it one of thelongest-running American tournaments on the ATP World Tour. The tournament is the only indoor ATP event played in the United States.

The 2015 Memphis Open, an ATP 250 event, will be played February 7-15 at the Racquet Club of Memphis. Box seat and ticket pack-ages for the 2015 Memphis Open went on sale to the general public on December 1. Tickets for individual daily sessions went on saleJanuary 5. For ticket information, contact the Memphis Open ticket office at 888-904-8782 or [email protected].

The USTA Pro Circuit congratulates Mazurek in her new position and extends best wishesto her for a successful tournament in 2015.

Erin Maher

Erin Mazurek

AROUND THE CIRCUIT page 3

F I R S T S E R V E S

Woodie Walker Is Honored at the US OpenWoodie Walker, a USTA Pro Circuit Supervisor for 16 years and theacknowledged leader of the American tennis officiating communityfor the last 30 years, was presented with an honorary award at theUS Open Officials’ General Meeting in August at the USTA BillieJean King National Tennis Center

Walker had announced earlier in 2014 that it would be her lastyear to serve in an official capacity. To mark the occasion of herretirement, H.O. Zimman, Inc., the publisher of the US Open tournament program, prepared a custom poster with miniatureprogram covers for each of the 46 US Open Tennis Championshipswith which Walker has been affiliated. The plaque was inscribedwith: “Woodie Walker: 46 Years of Greatness and Grace at the US Open. 1969-2014.”

The USTA Pro Circuit sends its best wishes to Walker, whose impacton the US Open, the USTA Pro Circuit and American officiating willbe felt for years to come. Thank you, Woodie!

Staff Wears Different Hats at US OpenThere were some role changes at the 2014 US Open for the USTA Pro Circuitstaff. Here are their assignments:

Staff Member AssignmentBrian Earley Tournament RefereeKeith Crossland Assistant Referee, SchedulingMissy Malool Lead Review Official, HawkeyeBunny Williams Deputy Referee, Louis Armstrong and GrandstandDavid Littlefield Referee, US Open JuniorsMike Loo Deputy Referee, Tournament OperationsDessie Samuels Deputy Referee Team Leader, Command CenterPeter Kasavage Deputy Referee, Command CenterBillie Lipp Deputy Referee, Command CenterDanielle Gooding Player Registration SupervisorIdelle Pierre-Louis Player RegistrationLouise Maher Player RegistrationLuke Rassow-Kantor Player RegistrationErin Maher Player Registration

Left to right: Danielle Gooding, Idelle Pierre-Louis, Erin Maher, Louise Maher, Luke Rassow-Kantor

Brian Earley


USTA PRO CIRCUIT TOURNAMENT NEWS—MEN

USTA PRO CIRCUIT EVENTS PROUDLY WELCOME NEW SPONSORSThe Texas Tamale Company became the title sponsor of the USTA Pro Circuit $15,000 Futurestournament that was played October 4-12 at the George R. Brown Tennis Center on thecampus of Rice University in Houston. The men’s event unveiled a new logo for the 2014tournament and is now known as the Texas Tamale Company Houston Cup. American AdamEl Mihdawy captured the 2014 singles championship, while Brazil’s Henrique Cunha and DimitarKutrovsky of Bulgaria won the doubles title. For more information on the Texas TamaleCompany, go to http://www.texastamale.com.

The USTA Pro Circuit men’s Challenger in Dallas, the largest indoor professional tennis tour-nament in the Southwest, signed RBC Wealth Management as its new title sponsor for 2015. The $100,000 tournament is now branded as the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas. The2015 event will be played from January 31 through February 7 at the T Bar M Racquet Club.

For more information on RBC Wealth Management, one of the world’s top 10 largest wealth managers, go tohttp://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/.

The Pro Circuit tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, welcomedHolt FIAT as the event’s new title sponsor. The Holt FIATWomen’s $10K, one of four USTA Pro Circuit women’stournaments contested in Texas in 2014, took place July 26–Aug. 3 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center in FortWorth. Germany’s Tatjana Maria won the 2014 singles cham-pionship. American Hayley Carter teamed with Stefanie Tanof Singapore to win the doubles title. Holt FIAT of Fort Worthoffers a variety of new and used FIAT cars in the Fort Worth,Dallas, White Settlement, Weatherford and Benbrook, Texas,area. For more information, visit: www.fiatusaofftworth.com.

KNOXVILLE 2014 CHALLENGER DOUBLES ACTION FEATURED ON ESPNAn incredible around-the-net-post shot in a doubles match during the 2014 Knoxville Challenger made it to No. 5 on ESPN SportsCenter’s“Top 10 Plays of the Day” in November.

Wild-card entrants Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis, who are seniors at the University of Tennessee and are the reigning NCAA doubleschampions, squared off against American Alex Kuznetsov and Edward Corrie of Great Britain in the semifinals of the $50,000 USTA ProCircuit men’s event at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center.

At 1-1 in the second set, with all four players at net,Kuznetsov hit a sharply angled backhand. Reeseraced to the sideline and hit a perfectly executeddown-the-line backhand winner between the netpost and the umpire’s chair to the delight of thecrowd at the University of Tennessee indoor facil-ity. The spectacular shot even drew applause andhandshakes from Kuznetsov and Corrie.

Reese and Libietis won the semifinal match, 6-4, 6-2, and went on to defeat unseeded Gastao Elias ofPortugal and Great Britain’s Sean Thornley in thefinal, 6-3, 6-4, to win the championship.

To watch the amazing doubles shot, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIIASbLi0YY. “SportsCenter” on ESPN featured an amazing shot by Hunter Reese

(far left) on its “Top 10 Plays of the Day.”



KASTLES OWNER PARTICIPATES IN LEXINGTON CHALLENGER PRO-AMMark Ein, owner and founder of the WashingtonKastles of World TeamTennis, took time to playin the Pro-Am tournament at the KentuckyBank Tennis Championships Presented byLexus in Lexington, Ky. The Pro-Am event tookplace during the USTA Pro Circuit Challengeron July 20, with the Pro-Am final played onJuly 21. Ein, an investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, currently serves on the USTABoard of Directors as a Director at Large.

Other special events held during the Lexingtontournament included Kids’ Day, Big Blue Night,Ladies’ Night presented by Shelia Bayes FineJewelers, Buffalo Trace Men’s Night and Volleys& Vineyards Wine Tasting.

The 2014 Kentucky Bank Tennis ChampionshipsPresented by Lexus, a combined men’s andwomen’s event, was played July 19-27 at theHilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on the University of Kentucky campus.

LOCAL CHILDREN HAVE FUN TIMEAT GODFREY MEN’S FUTURES TENNIS CARNIVALLocal children had a fun time at a Tennis Carnival hosted by the Lewisand Clark Pro Tennis Classic in July during the $10,000 USTA Pro Cir-cuit Men’s Futures tournament at the Andy Simpson Tennis Complex at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill.

The Tennis Carnival participants were transported via bus from theBoys & Girls Club, YWCA and the Alton/ Godfrey community. Duringthe Tennis Carnival, which used 10 and Under Tennis, all attendeeswere given a can of tennis balls, lunch and a goody bag.

The Lewis and Clark ProTennis Classic, held July18-27, was one of fiveUSTA Pro Circuit men’sevents held in the stateof Illinois in 2014. It alsomarked the 17th consec-utive year the outdoorhard court tournamentwas played in Godfrey.

Mark Ein


TULSA AND BUFFALO EVENTSRETURN TO USTA PRO CIRCUITTwo new tournaments, a hard court event and a clay courttournament, joined the USTA Pro Circuit men’s calendar in Juneas the $15,000 Tulsa Pro Championships and the Sargent &Collins, LLP Men’s $10,000 Futures crowned their respectivesingles and doubles champions during the same week.

The Tulsa Pro Championships were played June 14-22 on thehard courts of the Philcrest Hills Tennis Club in Tulsa, Okla. Thetournament returned to Tulsa after a two-year absence from the USTA Pro Circuit. The citypreviously hosted a men’s USTAPro Circuit Challenger from 1988to 2002 and from 2005 to 2011.

The men’s $15,000 Futures eventin Tulsa kicked off the summerhard court season on the USTA Pro Circuit. Seventh-seededJared Donaldson captured the singles championship with athrilling 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over fellow American and top-seedJarmere Jenkins. Americans Dennis Novikov and Eric Quigleyteamed to win the doubles title.

Also on June 14-22, the Sargent & Collins, LLP Men’s $10,000Futures was played in Buffalo, N.Y., on the clay courts of theMiller Tennis Center. The city previously hosted a USTA Pro Circuit women’s event from 2011 to 2013.

The Buffalo tournament was the first of three consecutive$10,000 clay court Futures events on the USTA Pro Circuit during June. Ashley Hewitt of Great Britain was the 2014 singles champion. Americans Jean-Yves Aubone and ConnorSmith combined to win the doubles title.

A PET-FRIENDLYTOURNAMENTThe Futures of MansfieldMen’s $15,000, which was

played October 11-19 at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mans-field, Texas, may have been the year’s most pet-friendly tennisevent on the USTA Pro Circuit, with several pet-related specialevents taking place.

The tournament organized aPet Food Drive, with clubmembers and spectatorsbringing pet food that wasdonated to the MansfieldAnimal Shelter. The PetFood Drive was held fromthe end of Septemberthrough the final day of thetournament.

In addition, the Mansfield Animal Shelter brought to the tour-nament on the day of the semifinals a trailer of dogs that wereup for adoption. Fans were welcome to look at and take out

the dogs and play withthem. The Animal Shelterstaff was very appreciativeof the event and said itwas some of the best ex-posure they had receivedduring the year.

Patriot Paws, a servicethat trains and providesservice dogs at no cost todisabled American Veter-

ans and others with mobility disabilities, set up a table duringthe tournament. Mansfield Mayor David Cook helped collectfunds for Patriot Paws. In addition, the tournament received avisit from Bandit of the Mansfield Police K-9 Unit.


Jared Donaldson (right) defeated Jarmere Jenkins to capture the USTA Pro Circuit’s first hard court tournament of the summer season, in Tulsa, Okla.

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CARSON STEPS UP TO HOST YAKIMA WOMEN’S CHALLENGERThe Yakima Tennis Club in Yakima, Wash., was preparing to host a $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit women’s event during the week of July 14.However, a fire in mid-May destroyed the clubhouse and impacted some of the adjoining tennis courts. Fortunately there were no injuries.

As a result of the fire, the club, which has a long history in the Yakima community, was unable to hostthe 2014 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger.

In six weeks, members ofthe Player Developmentstaff at the USTA TrainingCenters in Carson, Calif.,Boca Raton, Fla., and NewYork worked to put togetherthe USTA Player Develop-ment Women’s $50,000Classic. The tournament was held July 13-20 atthe StubHub Center in Carson, marking the sixthtime a USTA Pro Circuit event has been played inCarson. The city previously hosted a women’sevent from 2007 to 2011.

The USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000Classic was one of three consecutive women’s hardcourt tournaments that made up the women’sUSTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge,which awarded a main draw wild card into the2014 US Open.

COLEMAN VISION TENNISCHAMPIONSHIPS AWARDSWINNERS UNIQUE TROPHIESOver the years, USTA Pro Circuit tournaments haveawarded their champions many different kinds of trophies, some unique to the area where the event isplayed. Such was the case when the Coleman VisionTennis Championships, played in mid-September at theTanoan Country Club in Albuquerque, N.M., presentedits winners with beautiful polished stone trophies produced from a local stone quarry.

The tournament marked the 17th consecutive year the$75,000 USTA Challenger was played in Albuquerque. Itremains the only USTA Pro Circuit women’s event held inNew Mexico.

Top-seeded Anna Tatishvili defeated fellow AmericanIrina Falconi, 6-2, 6-4, to win the singles title at the 2014Coleman Vision Tennis Championships. In an All-Americandoubles final, Jan Abaza and Melanie Oudin overcameAllie Will and Nicole Melichar, 6-2, 6-3.

A fire at the Yakima Tennis Club in Yakima, Wash., caused a $50,000 USTA Pro Circuitwomen’s event to be moved to Carson, Calif.

USTA PRO CIRCUIT TOURNAMENT NEWS—WOMEN



FOSSILS GROUP GIVES ROCK HILL ROCKS OPEN A HELPING HANDThere is a special group of people who help Tournament Director Kim Ozmon during the Rock Hill Rocks Open, which was played Octo-ber 5-12 at the Rock Hill Tennis Center in Rock Hill, S.C. “Fossils in LOVE” are senior tennis players who play at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.More importantly, they also serve as volunteers during the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit women’s tournament at the club.

Many members of the group not only put in countless hours during the event, they also help Ozmon year round with various events andprojects. In fact, Ozmon says she would not be able to operate the tennis facility without their help.

In 2014, the leader of “Fossils in LOVE” gave everyone a challenge to raise $750 for a worthy cause. The group surpassed its initial goaland raised $1,000.

Special events during the 2014 Rock Hill Rocks Open, which completed its sixth straight year, included a Rockin Jr. Kickoff, a free YouthTennis Clinic & Pizza Party, an Adult Pro-Am and a Sponsor Luncheon with a featured match.

ROAD SIGNS SHOW THE WAY TO USTA PRO CIRCUIT CHALLENGERSThis past summer, two USTA Pro Circuit Challengers used different kinds of road signage to help fans find their way to the tournaments.

The Levene Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger, a men’s $50,000 event played at Recreation Park in Binghamton, N.Y., in mid-July,used electronic signage on a local highway to guide fans to the tournament site.

A highway billboard publicized the $25K Hunt Companies Women’s Pro Tennis Classic in the Lone Star State. The Challenger was playedin early June at the Tennis West Sports & Racquet Club in El Paso, Texas.



USTA PRO CIRCUIT CONTINUES TENNIS TRADITION IN LAS VEGAS

The Red Rock Pro Open in Las Vegas,Nev., made its debut on the USTA ProCircuit in 2014. The $50,000 women’soutdoor hard court event was playedSeptember 21-28 at the Red RockCountry Club.

The $50,000 tournament is the onlyUSTA Pro Circuit women’s event held in Nevada, and it was the firstevent at that prize money level. The USTA Pro Circuit has held anevent in Las Vegas every yearsince 2007.

“We’re excited to bring profes-sional tennis back to Red RockCountry Club,” said TournamentDirector Mike Copenhaver. TheRed Rock Pro Open offered tennis fans live streaming andcommentators for stadium courtmatches through the USTA ProCircuit website, as well as electronic scoreboards on stadium court.

Among the many highlights during the tournament was avisit by former player, currentcoach and ESPN tennis analystDarren Cahill, who served as aguest commentator. Tournamentplayer Montserrat Gonzalez ofParaguay also did a studio interview on ESPN Deportes–1460 AM in Las Vegas.

SACRAMENTO WOMEN’S CHALLENGER HOSTS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAYThe FSP Gold River Women’s Challenger, which was played July 7-12 at the Gold River Racquet Clubin Gold River, Calif., designated July 11 as Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Northern California tennisfans attending the semifinals of the $50,000 outdoor hard court tournament showed their supportfor the mission to find a cure for breast cancer. Dr. Ernie Bodai, who led the effort to develop the official research stamp for breast cancer awareness, joined in the festivities and spoke to fans in at-tendance. For more information on Dr. Bodai and the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, go to:http://centerfortotalhealth.org/tag/ernie-bodai/.

The FSP Gold River Women’s Challenger returned to Sacramento for the third consecutive year. The Sacramento Challenger was alsoone of three USTA Pro Circuit women’s events held in California in 2014.

Montserrat Gonzalez


KENTUCKY BANK TO CONTINUETITLE SPONSORSHIP IN 2015Kentucky Bank, which came on as a new sponsor in 2014, willcontinue its title sponsorship for the 2015 Kentucky BankChampionships Presented by Lexus, which is played at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex at the University of Kentuckyin Lexington, Ky.

The 2014 tournament, which took place July 19-27, featuredmen’s and women’s events and offered a total of $100,000 inprize money ($50,000 for men and $50,000 for women). Theoutdoor hard court tournament is the only USTA Pro Circuitevent held in Kentucky.

“The 2014 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships receivedsuch positive support from the community this year that weare proud to continue as the title sponsor for the 2015 tennischampionships,” said Kentucky Bank President and CEOLouis Prichard.

Kentucky Bank, headquartered in Paris, Kentucky, is a locallyowned and publicly traded financial institution, with 15 brancheslocated in 11 Kentucky communities. For more information onKentucky Bank, go to: http://www.kybank.com/

LANDISVILLE WOMEN’SEVENT SPORTS UMPIRECHAIR SPONSORThe $25,000 Koser Jewelers Tennis Challenge,played August 4-10 at the Hempfield RecreationCenter in Landisville, Pa., had its very own UmpireChair Sponsor. Emerald, an asset management firmthat provides research-based portfolio management,was the official Umpire Chair Sponsor for Pennsylvania’sonly women’s USTA Pro Circuit event.


AUSTIN $10,000 WOMEN’S EVENTBENEFITS BONESHAKER PROJECTThe $10,000 BoneshakerWomen’s Pro Open of Austin,which was played in 2014 onJuly 20-27 at the Polo Tennis &Fitness Club in Austin, Texas,benefitted a very worthycause—the Boneshaker Project.The Austin-based non-profit organization inspires kids tolead healthy and activelifestyles. In Austin alone, morethan 20 percent of all kidsacross all grade levels are considered overweight, and almost 50 percentof minority children are not getting the recommended amounts of physical activity.

The Boneshaker Project works directly in the community to empower kidsto feel physically strong from a young age. Through expert coach mentor-ship and online engagement, they encourage kids to “do what moves you,”feel confident and enjoy healthy lifestyles. Their message to kids is simpleand easy to follow: Go outside! Run on a playground, ride a bike, grab aracquet, “shake your bones” to feel healthy and active. For additional information on the Boneshaker Project, please go to: http://www.boneshaker.org/.

WAVE OF YOUNG AMERICANS POST WINNING RESULTS ON MEN’S PRO CIRCUITIt was another thrilling year on the Men’s USTA Pro Circuit as young Americanstraveled around the country, gaining tournament experience and, in some cases, winning their first professional tennis title.

Eighteen-year-old Jared Donaldson defeated fellow American Jarmere Jenkins, 4-6,6-3, 7-5, to win the $15,000 Tulsa Pro Championships in June. Donaldson followedup his performance in Tulsa by winning the $15,000 Oklahoma City Open the verynext week with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Andrew Harris of Australia in the final.

Mitchell Frank, an All-American at the University of Virginia, won his first USTA ProCircuit singles title when he captured the $10,000 Tulsa Pro Classic in July with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory over top-seeded LiamBroady of Great Britain. In August, Frank was victorious once again, as he claimed the $10,000 Edwardsville Futures, defeating top-seeded Yuki Bhambri of India, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the final.

In July, Daniel Nguyen, a former college standout at USC, won the $10,000 Lewis and Clark Pro Tennis Classic in Godfrey, Ill., with athrilling 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(2) win over Mitchell Frank in the championship. Nguyen and Frank, who had faced each other in college, showedgreat sportsmanship and warmly congratulated each other at the end of the match.

Bjorn Fratangelo, a former French Open boys’ singles champion, won the $10,000USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic, which was played July 25-Aug. 3 in Decatur, Ill.The 21-year-old Fratangelo defeated Liam Broady, 6-4, 6-0.

In September, Americans dominated the Costa Mesa Pro Classic in Costa Mesa,Calif., as the $10,000 Men’s Futures event featured All-American singles and doublesfinals. Second-seeded Jarmere Jenkins got past fifth-seed Dennis Novikov, 6-4, 6-4,in the singles final. Unseeded Jeremy Nicholas and Junior Ore teamed to win thedoubles championship with a 4-6, 6-4, [10-8] victory over third-seeded MackenzieMcDonald and Martin Redlicki.

Former University of Illinois star Dennis Nevolo won the first USTA Pro Circuit singles title of his career in September as he defeated Salvatore Caruso of Italy, 6-4,6-2, in the final of The Claremont, a $10,000 men’s Futures event in Claremont, Calif.

Nevolo also claimed the doubles crown, teaming with Jeff Dadamo for the win against fellow Americans Deiton Baughman and ReillyOpelka. The 24-year-old Nevolo then won his second USTA Pro Circuit singles title in a month, capturing the $10,000 Irvine Futures inlate September. The victory was not easy; he lost a marathon 19-17 first-set tiebreaker before defeating Alex Sarkissian, a former All-American at Pepperdine University and 2014 NCAA singles finalist, 6-7(17), 7-5, 6-3.


USTA PRO CIRCUIT PLAYER NEWS

Jared Donaldson

Bjorn Fratangelo (left) and Liam Broady

Jarmere Jenkins (fifth from left) and Dennis Novikov (fifth from right)

WILL SPENCER WINS FIRSTPRO TITLE IN NICEVILLEThis past November, 25-year-old Will Spencer had atitle run he’ll never forget. The former All-Americanat the University of Georgia needed to win a pre-tournament wild card event just to secure a wildcard into the main draw of the $10,000 BluewaterBay Pro Circuit Championships at the Bluewater BayTennis Center in Niceville, Fla.

In his first-round main draw match, Spencer keptfans on the edge of their seats as he ousted second-seeded Peter Heller of Germany, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5. Afterwinning his next three matches in straight sets,Spencer outlasted seventh-seeded Peter Nagy ofHungary, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the final to win his first professional tennis title.



SAM QUERREY SWEEPS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EVENTSVeteran Sam Querrey, who ended 2014 ranked No. 35 in the world,returned to the USTA Pro Circuit in winning fashion this past fall ashe captured three consecutive singles titles in Northern California.

The U.S. Davis Cup star began his winning streak in late Septemberat the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger, defeating fellow AmericanTim Smyczek, 6-3, 6-1, in the final. The following week, Querreywon the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger with a 6-3, 6-4victory over 16-year-old Stefan Kozlov, an up-and-coming Americanwho gained valuable experience on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2014.In October, Querrey completed his Northern California trifecta witha 6-4, 6-2 win over John Millman of Australia in the final of the$100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger.

COLLEGIATE PLAYERS WIN USTA PROCIRCUIT DOUBLES TITLESThe Knoxville 2014 Challenger, which was played in early November atthe Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center at the University of Tennessee,awarded a doubles wild card to Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese, whoplay for UT. Libietis and Reese, the 2014 NCAA doubles champions, wenton to win the tournament, defeating Gastao Elias of Portugal and SeanThornley of Great Britain, 6-3, 6-4, in the final.

One week later at the JSM Challenger of Champaign-Urbana, Ill., RossGuignon and Tim Kopinski, who play for the University of Illinois, enteredthe doubles draw as a wild card team.

With the USTA Pro Circuit event being played at the Atkins Tennis Centeron the University of Illinois campus, Guignon and Kopinski felt right athome as they won the doubles title, edging Canadians Frank Dancevicand Adi Shamasdin, 7-6(2), 6-2 in the final.

FORMER AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINALISTWINS TWO USTA PRO CIRCUIT TITLESFormer Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis, coming back from ashoulder injury, won two USTA Pro Circuit singles titles in 2014. The 29-year-old Baghdatis, who has been ranked as high as No. 8 in theworld, captured the $100,000 Odlum Brown Vanopen in Vancouver, B.C.,Canada, in late July with a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Farrukh Dustov ofUzbekistan. Then, in early August, Baghdatis won his second USTA ProCircuit singles crown in two weeks as he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin ofKazakhstan, 7-6(7), 6-4, to win the $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger inAptos, Calif.

Marcos Baghdatis

Sam Querrey

YOUNG AMERICANS MAKE BIG STRIDESON WOMEN’S USTA PRO CIRCUITIt was quite a second half of the year for 15-year-old Catherine Bellis ofAtherton, Calif. After winning the USTA Girls’ 18 Nationals in San Diego inearly August, the young American shocked the tennis world when she upset12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the first round of the US Open, 6-1, 4-6,6-4. Then, in October, Bellis won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title, defeating fellow American Lauren Embree, 6-4, 6-0, in the final of the $25,000Rock Hill Rocks Open in Rock Hill, S.C. The very next week, Bellis captured hersecond consecutive Pro Circuit singles title, winning the $25,000 McLeod forHealth Florence Open in Florence, S.C., with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victoryover sixth-seeded Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium in the championship. Bellisended 2014 as the world’s top-ranked junior girl.

Nicole Gibbs, a two-time NCAA singles champion for Stanford University, got past fellow American Melanie Oudin, 6-4, 6-4, in July towin the USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000 Classic in Carson, Calif. The Southern California title helped Gibbs win this year’sUSTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge.

American women took center stage at the Women’s Hospital Classic, which was played July 14-20 at the Wesselman Park Tennis Center in Evansville, Ind. An All-American singlesand doubles final highlighted the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event. Seventh-seeded TornadoBlack defeated top-seeded Caitlin Whoriskey, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, to win the singles championship.In the doubles final, which featured two unseeded American teams, Brooke Austin and Natalie Pluskota defeated Catherine Harrison and Mary Westherholt, 6-4, 3-6, [11-9].

In late July, 15-year-old American Kelly Chen had a dream week as she qualified for the singles main draw of the $10,000 Boneshaker Women’s Pro Open of Austin at the Polo Tennis & Fitness Club in Austin, Texas. After reaching the main draw, she reeled in five consecutive victories to win the tournament. In the final, Chen defeated fellow AmericanMary Weatherholt, 6-3, 7-6(7).

Hayley Carter, an All-American at the University of North Carolina, advanced to the singles final and won the doubles title in early August at the Holt FIAT Women's $10K in Fort Worth, Texas. She fell to Tatjana Maria of Germany, 6-1, 6-1, in the singles championship,but came back to team with Stefanie Tan of Singapore for a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Americans Catherine Harrison and Mary Weatherholtin the doubles final.

Collegiate player Jennifer Brady swept the singles and doubles titles in September at the $25,000 Ascension Project Women’s Challenger inRedding, Calif. The 19-year-old Brady, who plays for UCLA, defeated fellow American Lauren Embree, 6-2, 6-1, in the singles final at SunOaks Tennis & Fitness. Brady then teamed with Embree for a 6-3, 6-2 victory over American twin sisters Alexandra and Kat Facey.

For Ingrid Neel, the $10,000 Amelia Island Women’s Championships at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation in late September may havebeen better than a Sweet 16 party. After qualifying for the singles main draw, the 16-year-old Neel, from Rochester, Minn., upset top-seeded Nathalia Rossi of Brazil, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round. The young phenom wasn’t finished, as she won three more matches toreach the final, in which her opponent, Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania, retired at 4-4 in the first set. The victory in Amelia Island marksthe first professional title for the talented teenager.



Hayley Carter

Ingrid Neel

Tornado Black

Jennifer Brady

Nicole Gibbs (right) and Melanie Oudin

FORMER TOP 10 PLAYER NICOLE VAIDISOVA STARTS COMEBACKON USTA PRO CIRCUITNicole Vaidisova, once ranked No. 7 in the world, found the USTA Pro Circuitto be the ideal place to begin her comeback to the game after four-and-a-halfyears away from the women’s tour. Making her return to professional tennis in the fall, Vaidisova, a two-time Grand Slam tournament semifinalist (2006French Open, 2007 Australian Open) and two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist,competed in four USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 events: the Coleman Vision TennisChampionships in Albuquerque, N.M., September 14–21; the Red Rock ProOpen in Las Vegas, Nev., September 21–28; the Tennis Classic of Macon inMacon, Ga., October 19-26; and the John Newcombe Women’s Pro Challengein New Braunfels, Texas, October 26 – November 2. Her best result was aquarterfinal showing in Las Vegas.



Nicole Vaidisova

NICOLE GIBBS AND WAYNE ODESNIK EARN US OPEN WILD CARDS Just a year into her pro career, after capturing two consecutiveNCAA singles crowns for Stanford University, Nicole Gibbs wonthe women’s USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge. Shecompiled a 128-point total to take place first in the Wild CardChallenge after winning the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., and reaching the final of the $50,000 tournament inLexington, Ky. At the US Open, the 21-year-old from Santa Monica,Calif., in her third US Open main draw appearance, reached thethird round before losing to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

Wayne Odesnik, a former Top 100 player from Fort Lauderdale,Fla., returned to the US Open main draw for the first time since2009 after earning a wild card by winning the men’s USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge. He finished the Wild CardChallenge with 77 points after reaching the final of the $50,000Challenger in Binghamton, N.Y., and the semifinals of the $50,000Challenger in Lexington, Ky., in back-to-back weeks. At the 2014US Open, Odesnik fell to eventual finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan inthe first round.

The women’s USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge consisted of three $50,000 women’s tournaments: Sacramento,Calif.; Carson, Calif.; and Lexington, Ky. The women’s wild cardwas awarded from the best combined results in two of the threetournaments.

For the men, there were four events: $50,000 Challengers in Lexington and in Binghamton, N.Y., as well as $100,000 Challengersin Vancouver, B.C., and Aptos, Calif. The men’s wild card wasawarded from the best combined results in two of the four USTAPro Circuit events.

Nicole Gibbs

Wayne Odesnik

AUSTRALIAN OPEN WILD CARDSAWARDED TO DENIS KUDLA AND IRINA FALCONI Irina Falconi and Denis Kudla finished atop the USTA Pro CircuitAustralian Open Wild Card Challenge to earn wild cards to compete in the 2015 Australian Open main draw.

Kudla won the men’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge byreaching the semifinals of the $50,000 Challenger in Charlottesville,Va., and the quarterfinals at both the $50,000 Challenger inKnoxville, Tenn., and the $50,000 Challenger in Champaign, Ill., fora total of 44 points. The 22-year-old, who finished 2014 ranked No.121 in the world, also qualified for the main draw of the AustralianOpen in 2012 and 2014. Earning the Australian Open wild cardrepresents a comeback of sorts for Kudla. After winning his openingmatch at 2014 Wimbledon and then losing to Kei Nishikori in thesecond round, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis.

Former Georgia Tech standout Falconi clinched the USTA’s women’s Australian Open wild card with 109 points, winning the $50,000event in New Braunfels, Texas, and reaching the semifinals of the $50,000 event in Macon, Ga. A $50,000 event in Captiva Island, Fla.,was also a part of the women’s Wild Card Challenge. A 24-year-old residing in West Palm Beach, Fla., Falconi is currently ranked No. 111in the world and will be making her fourth Australian Open main draw appearance.



Denis Kudla

Irina Falconi



NOTABLE 2014 RECORDS & RESULTS• U.S. men and U.S. women won more than half of the singles titles. They also cap-tured the most singles titles of any country. American men won 26 singles titles, whileAmerican women claimed 20 singles titles.

• Sam Querrey was the 2014 men’s prize money leader, with $36,000 in earningsafter winning three consecutive Challengers last fall (Napa, Sacramento, Tiburon), themost singles titles of any man. Five of the top 10 men on the prize money list in 2014were Americans.

• Madison Brengle was the women’s prize money leader, with more than$31,000 in earnings and is now ranked sixth all-time in prize money in a single season. The top 7 women on the prize money list in 2014 were Americans. Katerina Stewart won the most singles titles of any woman this season with threechampionships (Orlando, Bethany Beach, Charlotte).

• Sam Querrey won the title in Sacramento while ranked No. 47 in the world, thehighest-ranked men's singles champion in USTA Pro Circuit history.

• Sixteen-year-old Stefan Kozlov reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger(losing to Querrey), becoming the youngest American to reach a Challenger finalsince Andre Agassi in 1986.

• American Michael Mmoh was the youngest men’s singles champion of 2014 at 16 years, 9 months, 16 days, after winning the singles title in Brownsville, Texas. Hebecame the fifth-youngest singles champion in USTA Pro Circuit history. He wasranked No. 1443 in the world the week he won Brownsville, making him the lowest-ranked singles champion of 2014. American Kelly Chen was the youngest women’ssingles champion at 15 years, 2 months, 18 days when she claimed the Austin title,making her the youngest champion since Nicole Vaidisova in 2004.

• Edina Gallovits-Hall was the oldest singles champion of 2014 at 29 years, 10 months, 30 days, when she won Captiva Island. She is tied with Kristina Brandi forthe most career USTA Pro Circuit singles titles, with 13.

Madison Brengle

Stefan Kozlov

Kelly Chen

Michael Mmoh

american players meet the challenge on the usta pro circuit · ndth ewom . fifteen-year-old ... the...

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