ATLANTA, July 16, 2010 – Igor Kunitsyn of Russia was named the top seed in the qualifying for the Atlanta Tennis Championships main draw. The Atlanta event, owned and operated by USTA Southern, will serve as the kick-off to the 2010 Olympus US Open Series.
Play will start Saturday, 10 a.m., an hour later due to weather and a shortened schedule. Gates open at 9 a.m.
Play includes 26 ATP World Tour players who will face off for four slots in the main singles draw. As many as 32 players could have been entered into qualifying, which reduced the schedule. Qualifying play runs through early Monday.
Michael Shabaz, of the University of Virginia, was given a wild card into qualifying.
Taking place from July 19-25, the Atlanta Tennis Championships will feature some of the world’s top ATP players, plus the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship.
ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010
STADIUM COURT start 10:00 am
Qualifying – M Verryth (AUS) vs F Dancevic (CAN)
Qualifying – C Wettengel (USA) vs G Muller (LUX)
Qualifying – [WC] D Bernstein (USA) vs G Lapentti (ECU)
COURT 1 start 10:00 am
Qualifying – [WC] M Shabaz (USA) vs L Gregorc (SLO)
Qualifying – H Lewis (BAR) vs N Karagiannis (GRE)
Qualifying – B Evans (USA) vs A Sitak (RUS)
Qualifying – O Sajous (HAI) vs A Sa (BRA) – FIRST AVAILABLE COURT
COURT 2 start 10:00 am
Qualifying – M Reid (AUS) vs C Mamiit (PHI)
Qualifying – B Balleret (MON) vs N Thompson (USA)
Qualifying – J Valenti (USA) vs R Bopanna (IND)
The Atlanta Tennis Championships will feature a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw. Andy Roddick accepted a wild card on Thursday, joining John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake and Robby Ginepri in the main singles draw. Concurrently, the men’s winners from 16 US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments will battle for one spot in the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament in Flushing, N.Y.
About the Atlanta Tennis Championships
The Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga., will be the tournament site. The ATP formally awarded the ATP 250 sanction Atlanta Tennis Championships to the USTA Southern Section in December 2009.
Premium tickets and daily tickets are now on sale. To order daily tickets by phone, call 866-840-8822. For an order form or other ticket info, call (678) 527-2138 or visit www.atlantatennischampionships.com.
About the Olympus US Open Series
Now in its seventh season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans can follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.
Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Elena Dementieva won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history — $2.4 million — for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million — the largest purse in women’s sports history.
About the ATP World Tour
With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles at Grand Slams (non ATP members), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season the world’s top 8 ranked singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete in the season’s climax – the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. To be held at London’s O2 arena, the event will officially crown the 2010 ATP World Tour Champion and determine the final South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.
About USTA Southern
The USTA is divided into 17 sections, of which USTA Southern is the largest. The 185,000+ USTA members living in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee make up USTA Southern, and account for approximately 25 percent of the total USTA membership. The section owns and operates the Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. A professional staff housed in Norcross, Ga., carries out USTA Southern’s daily operations, but policy is formed and much of the organization’s work is executed via a board and committee structure of over 200 volunteers. For more information about the types of programs and services offered by USTA Southern, visit www.southerntennis.com.
Web Site Links:
Atlanta Tennis Championships
2010 Olympus US Open Series
Related Links:
PGA Superstore
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Former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt To Play Atlanta
Related Fact Sheets:
Atlanta Tennis Championships FAQs
Topics: Andy Roddick, Atlanta Athletic Club, Atlanta Tennis, Atp World Tour, Early Monday, Gregorc, H Lewis, James Blake, John Isner, Johns Creek, Karagiannis, Lleyton Hewitt, Michael Shabaz, National Playoffs, Player Singles, Robby Ginepri, Tennis Championships, Usta, Valenti, Wild Card