FORT WORTH, Texas (July 30, 2018) – The USTA announced that some of the top young Americans including the ITF’s World Junior Champion for 2017 will headline the main draw at the 2018 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic, a $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit Event at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU from July 29-Aug. 5.
The tournament is taking place in Fort Worth for the seventh consecutive year and is one of three USTA Pro Circuit women’s events taking place in Texas this year and is part of the schedule of hard-court events players use in preparation for the US Open.
Whitney Osuigwe of the United States, the 16-year-old who held the No. 1 world junior ranking for nine months, enters the event as the No. 8 seed after reaching the doubles final at junior Wimbledon for the second consecutive year and winning the 2017 French Open girls’ singles title. Osuigwe was crowned the ITF’s World Junior Champion in 2017 after claiming the singles title at the 2017 Orange Bowl and the doubles title at the 2017 Easter Bowl.
Once ranked as high as No. 5 in the junior rankings, 19-year-old Usue Arconada of the United States nabbed the No. 1 seed in the main draw after reaching the final of the $25K USTA Pro Circuit event in Pelham, Ala., while also advancing to the semifinals in four other events. Arconada has made the quarterfinals in singles at two of the last three $60K USTA Pro Circuit events she has competed in.
Top current and former collegiate athletes also highlight the field with former eight-time UCLA All-American Robin Anderson of the United States competing for the first time in Fort Worth as the No. 3 seed. Michaela Gordon of the United States, who just finished her freshman season at Stanford, earned singles and doubles All-American honors this past season while also being named ITA National Rookie of the Year. Two other top junior players who will enter college this upcoming season will also see action in the main draw with Duke enrollee Maria Mateas earning the No. 4 seed while TCU commit Ellie Douglas earned the local wildcard.
Admission to the Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic is free during every day of the competition with action beginning at 9 a.m., each day. Professional athletes from around the world will be competing for $25,000 in prize money, as well as valuable WTA Tour Ranking points. For the third straight year, the tournament will benefit H.O.P.E. FARM, which will receive part of the proceeds from the event.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $125,000, 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 USTA launched its Pro Circuit 39 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering more than $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey and are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
By Abby Norman
Tournament Press Aid