Some of the top women professional tennis players in the world are playing on the courts of Mercer University’s Leroy Peddy Tennis Center this week in Macon.
It’s the Tennis Classic of Macon, a USTA Women’s Pro Circuit event that offers $50,000 in prize money to participants along with valuable ranking points. The USTA Pro Circuit is more than the minor leagues of tennis, it’s how most professionals get their start. With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals.
The top seed this week is American, Anna Tatishvili.
Quarterfinals are all to be played on Friday, starting at 10 a.m.
“Tennis fans in Macon should be excited with the world class field that is playing again this year,” stated tournament director and Mercer University’s men’s and women’s tennis coach, Eric Hayes, who is also excited about the new venue, on campus at Mercer. “The event brings tremendous exposure to Mercer and the tennis program.”
Past Macon players include current world No. 37, Madison Brengle, world No. 53, Ajla Tomljanovic, who last week lost in the semifinals of the WTA event in Tokyo and world No. 83, and defending Macon champ, Kateryna Bondarenko, who qualified and reached the second round of the 2015 U.S. Open.
The W.L. Amos Sr. Foundation is the primary sponsor of this 50K event where U.S. players can earn points for the USTA’s wildcard into the 2016 Australian Open. The matches are also being live-streamed on the USTA Pro Circuit’s website at www.procircuit.usta.com. The tournament’s website is www.ustamaconclassic.com.
