FORT WORTH, Texas (July 28, 2019) – The 2019 Fort Worth Women’s Pro Tennis Classic begins its eighth year at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU. For the fourth year in a row, this will be an ITF 25k tournament with a prize money pool of 25,000 USD. The main draw portion of the tournament will take place from July 30 – Aug. 4 with qualification taking place from July 29-30.
The tournament is a part of the U.S. Open preparation tour for the world of women’s tennis, as players from around the world work to build their resumes for tennis’ final Grand Slam of the season in Flushing Meadows, NY at the end of the month (Aug. 26 – Sept. 8).
Notable players competing in Fort Worth include:
Ellie Douglas, 19, McKinney, Texas
- Ranked No. 648 in the WTA rankings
- Reached Round of 16 at Wimbledon Juniors in 2017
- The reigning Big 12 Freshman of the year and No. 1 singles player for TCU women’s tennis
- Douglas will be competing on her home court, where she posted a 7-3 record in singles through the 2019 collegiate season
- Owns a 7-7 overall record in ITF play in 2019 with three R16 results in Petit-Bourg (Jan 15-20), Sumter (June 11-16) and Evansville (July 23-29).
- Looking to become the first active member of the TCU women’s tennis team to win the title at the Fort Worth Women’s Pro Tennis Classic
Grace Min, 25, Atlanta, Ga.
- Enters play ranked No. 425 in singles on the WTA tour
- The hottest player entering play this week, Min is coming off her first 2019 ITF singles title of the season, last week in Evansville
- The win brings her season singles record to 11-4
- Has reached the semifinals or better in three of her last five tournaments played
- Boasts a career-best ranking of No. 97, set back in 2015
- Has appeared in six Grand Slam main draws, most recently at Roland Garros in 2018
- Holds 11 career ITF singles titles, the most of any participant in this year’s tournament, has reached the finals 18 times
Gabriela Talaba, 23, Galati, Romania
- The highest ranked player heading into the week, Talaba comes in at No. 341 on the WTA singles list
- A standout at Texas Tech, she holds the TTU school record for most singles win in a season, with 22
- Awarded 2017 and 2018 ITA All-American honors in college
- Won two ITF singles titles in 2018 (Charleston and Marbella), both on clay. In search of her first tournament victory of 2019.
- Has reached the quarterfinals in two tournaments this season (Jackson and Prerov) also both on clay.
- Boasts 90 career main draw victories on the ITF circuit
- In search of her fourth career ITF singles title and first not on clay
Catherine Harrison, 25, Germantown, Tenn.
- One of two WTA Top 400 players competing this week, Harrison enters Fort Worth at No. 377 in the WTA singles rankings
- On a quest for her first career ITF singles title, has won five doubles title on the professional circuit
- 2016 ITA singles All-American as a member of UCLA women’s tennis. Also earned ITA doubles All-American status in 2014, 2015 and 2016
- Advanced to R32 at 2016 NCAA Singles competition
- Holds a 10-9 singles record on the ITF tour this season, including a semifinals appearance in Yokohama (March 5-10) and three quarterfinal results in May – Luan, Singapore and Hong Kong
Kate Paulus, 19, Leawood, Kan.
- Also an active member of the TCU women’s tennis team, Paulus won 12 singles matches in the 2019 collegiate season, playing amid the No. 2 – No. 4 singles spots.
- Held a junior ITF career-high rank of 239 in 2016
- Posted an impressive 11-3 record at the Friedman Tennis center this year, competing at the collegiate level
- This will be her first ITF event of 2019
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 40 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 Anthony Brandt
Tournament Press Aid