Tennis Briefs(7): Blake with The Koz; USTA Pro Circuit News; More

Boca Raton’s Min Wins at Jackson USTA Pro Circuit Stop

No. 8-seeded Grace Min of Boca Raton, Fla., defeated No. 7 seed Paula Badosa Gibert of Spain 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 last Sunday in the final of the USTA $25,000 Women’s Challenger, a USTA Pro Circuit event, in Jackson, Miss., on the clay courts of the River Hills Club.

It was her first USTA Pro Circuit title since April 2014 when she defeated fellow American Victoria Duval in the final in Dothan, Ala., and she improved to 6-3 career in USTA Pro Circuit singles finals.

Min in a semifinal upset blew past No. 3 seed Jarmila Wolfe of Australia 6-1, 6-0. Badosa Gibert likewise in the semis turned an upset, defeating American and No. 7 seed Robin Anderson 6-1, 6-3..

The 2011 US Open girls’ singles champion and 2011 Wimbledon girls’ doubles champion (with Eugenie Bouchard), the 21-year-old Min entered the Jackson event at No. 242 in singles on the WTA rankings.

The top-seeded duo of Wolfe and Canadian Sharon Fichman won the doubles title, in the final defeating unseeded Americans Yuki Kristina Chiang and Lauren Herring 6-2, 6-3.

For more info go to www.usta.com/news.

South American Davis Cuppers Highlight Vero Beach USTA Pro Circuit Entries

Three South American tennis players who play Davis Cup for their countries highlight entries into the 2016 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, a USTA pro Circuit event, to be played April 22-May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Fla.

Juan Carlos Saez of Chile, Federico Zeballos of Bolivia and Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador — all who are current members of their nation’s Davis Cup team — are among the 18 direct entries into the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures event that has been played in Vero Beach consecutively since 1995.

Seven of the 18 direct entries into the Vero Beach field are from South America, also including 2014 Wimbledon junior boys doubles champion Marcelo Zormann from Brazil, Federico Coria from Argentina (the younger brother of 2004 French Open singles finalist Guillermo Coria), and Alejandro Gomez of Colombia.

Four Americans received direct entries into the field, highlighted by former three-time All-American from the University of Michigan, Evan King of Chicago, as the leading U.S. entry. King is joined by Deiton Baughman, 19, of Carson, Calif., a US Open main draw doubles participant in 2015; Evan Song of Henderson, Nev.; and former University of Illinois All-American Dennis Nevolo of Gurnee, Ill.

The youngest entry is 16-year-old Denis Shapovalov, who won the US Open junior doubles title last year and also led Canada to victory in the 2015 Junior Davis Cup competition.

For tickets or more info go to www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com or www.MardyFishFoundation.com.

$1,000 Prize Money at One-on-One Doubles Tourney at Disney World

The deadline is approaching for the USTA Florida-sanctioned $1,000 Central Florida One-on-One Doubles Tournament on Saturday, April 30, 2016, to be contested at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Tennis Complex at Disney World.

“There will now be a Men’s Open division with $500 going to the winner, $250 to the finalist, $150 for third place and $100 for fourth place,” says organizer Ed Krass. “The tournament will start at 1 p.m. and finish by 5 p.m., and will be in played in first to four game, no-ad, short set round robin format. The winners of each court will then play in single elimination matches starting with the quarterfinals.”

There will also be a Men’s 4.5 Division with prizes for the winner and finalist.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the University of Central Florida men’s tennis program.

The ESPN Wide World of Sports Tennis Complex is located in Kissimmee, Fla.

“This tennis facility is located inside Disney World, so make a holiday of it,” Krass says. “We will also have a live Rockin’ Blues Band performing during the tournament. Food and drink are also included. This event’s net proceeds will benefit the UCF men’s tennis program, where I was a player and coach.”

For more tournament information or to register go to http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=184937.

Date Change for Jacksonville 10 and Under Tennis Workshop to May 21

Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, Fla., will be the host site for a USTA 10 and Under Tennis Workshop on May 21, 2016 from 1-4:30 p.m.

The workshop is designed to provide coaches, parents, teachers, and others that work with this age demographic the skills needed to engage and instruct children age 10 and under.

The Coach Youth Tennis program now serves as a prerequisite to becoming a certified teaching professional by the PTR or the USPTA. It also allows current coaches to participate and receive continuing education credits. Coach Youth Tennis has been developed in partnership between the Professional Tennis Registry, the United States Professional Tennis Association, the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Tennis Association.

The program consists of six on-line courses and one on-court 10 and Under Tennis Workshop.

The workshop fee is $15. It is highly recommended that participants take online courses 1-4 prior to attending the workshop. Please note that all workshops are non-refundable and non-transferable once you are registered. Participants are asked to come dressed appropriately to participate in on-court workshops and to bring a racquet.

Florida Yacht Club is located at 5210 Yacht Club Road in Jacksonville.

To register for the workshop or for more info go to www.ustaflorida.com/event/10-and-under-on-court-coaches-workshop-at-florida-yacht-club.

XGLOsive at Kiwi Tennis in Indian Harbour Beach Rained Out, Rescheduled

Due to the overwhelming forecast for rain, the Lights Out Tour XGlosive event at The Kiwi Tennis Club has been rescheduled to Friday, May 20, 2016 at 8:30 p.m.

Named the USTA Florida Member Organization of the Year in 2012 for exemplifying service to its members and the community, The Kiwi Tennis Club will show the community black-light tennis when it hosts the event in Indian Harbour Beach.

The glow-in-the-dark spectacular, open to the public and for all ages, is guaranteed to leave smiles on the face of adults and children alike. The event is free for club members and $25 for non-members, and all participants will receive a free Lights Out Tour glowing t-shirt. Kiwi members can sign-up in the pro shop, or contact Kelly Camirand at (321) 544-8076, or e-mail kelly@kiwitennisclub.com.

“Kiwi Tennis Club is excited to offer our members and the community-at-large an opportunity to attend the high-energy XGLOsive Tennis event,” said Camirand, the director of sales and development for Kiwi. “I personally really enjoyed the experience at our USTA Florida Annual Meeting, and felt strongly about sharing the event with Brevard County tennis enthusiasts at Kiwi Tennis Club.”

The events feature music, King of the Court games, skill games, special courts for youth players, and fast-paced fun for players, friends and entire teams. Participants are encouraged to wear white or pastel-glow-colored clothing, wristbands, shoes or other accessories.

The Kiwi Tennis Club is located at 30 Tradewinds Drive in Indian Harbor Beach, Fla. For more event information or to sign up go to www.eventbrite.com/e/xglosive-lights-out-tour-kiwi-tennis-club-tickets-21353840913. For more upcoming Lights Out Tour dates, go to the Lights Out Tour website at www.USTAFlorida.com/LightsOut.

James Blake, Wayne Bryan Featured on Latest ‘Inside Tennis with The Koz’

The latest episode of “Inside Tennis with The Koz,” which premiered on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. on the Suncoast News Network in Florida, is now available online, featuring an in-depth interview with American tennis ambassador James Blake, along with a catch-up visit with Wayne Bryan, father of the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) doubles team Bob and Mike.

“Also featured is five-time Grand Slam men’s and mixed doubles winner Emilio Sanchez, and Boca West Country Club Director of Tennis John Joyce,” says Dave “The Koz” Kozlowski. “Also a tennis pro tip from IMG tennis coach Margie Zesinger.”

Inside Tennis With The Koz presented by BMW of Sarasota airs every Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on SNN TV on the Suncoast of Florida.

Watch the latest episode below:

9 Americans Headline 2016 Tallahassee Challenger

Nine American players are direct entries into the main draw of the 2016 Tallahassee Challenger, with the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event to be held on April 25-30 at the Forestmeadows Tennis Complex in Tallahassee, Fla.

Ten countries are represented in this year’s event, with American and current No. 85-ranked Donald Young leading the pack. Young has won eight Challenger-level titles during his career and has twice reached the fourth round of the US Open.

Other American highlights include reigning French Open boys’ singles champion Tommy Paul, 2011 French Open boys’ singles champion Bjorn Fratangelo, and three-time ATP Challenger Tour title winner Ryan Harrison. Also highlighting the field are defending champion Facundo Arguello and 2015 finalist and American Frances Tiafoe.

Other Americans in the field are Jared Donaldson, Dennis Novikov, Noah Rubin, and Tim Smyczek.

Four spots in the main draw have been set aside for wild cards, which will be awarded by the tournament. Thirty-two qualifiers will compete from April 23-25 for four spots in the main draw.

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. John Isner, Maria Sharapova, Sam Querrey, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray are among the stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For more tournament info go to www.TallahasseeChallenger.com.