As part of its ongoing efforts to provide American players footholds into the pathway toward professional tennis, the USTA will host the second of four American-only “national closed” women’s wild card tournaments on April 23-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
The singles champion will earn a main draw wild card entry into a future ITF World Tennis Tour W15 event, and the runner-up will earn a qualifying wild card entry into an event of the same level.
The USTA will host eight of these national closed events throughout the year, four each for men and women in order to preserve playing opportunities for Americans in the new ITF World Tennis Tour structure. Entry is open to any player eligible to represent the United States in international team competition, with a maximum singles draw size of 128.
Prize money is offered at these events, with $500 going to the singles champion, $300 to the runner-up and $100 to the remaining semifinalists. The event in Orlando will also offer a doubles competition, with the winning team receiving a doubles main draw wild card into a W15 event.
The USTA also has plans to stage future national closed tournaments at the following locations and dates, with the site of one men’s-only event in August to be determined:
June 11-15 — South Orange, N.J., men’s event
Aug. 13-17 — Towson, Md., women’s event
Oct. 15-19 — Peachtree Corners, Ga., men and women
For more information on these events, including the links to sign-up to play and eligibility requirements, visit PlayerDevelopment.USTA.com/CompetitivePathway.
