FREE PRO TENNIS THANKS TO ORACLE CHALLENGER SERIES — INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

Written by: Staff on 25th February 2018

FREE PRO TENNIS THANKS TO ORACLE CHALLENGER SERIES — INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

epa05201854 Fans watch Andy Murray of Britain practice on the courts at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, 08 March 2016 EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Fans watch Andy Murray of Britain practice on the courts at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, 08 March 2016 EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG PLAYER FIELDS HIGHLIGHT ORACLE CHALLENGER SERIES IN INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. 92210

Tournament Dates • February 24 – March 4 2018 @ The Beautiful Indian Wells Tennis Garden

Tournament officials have announced the men’s and women’s player fields for the second event of the inaugural Oracle Challenger Series, which will be played February 24 – March 4, 2018 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Americans in the men’s singles draw include Oracle Challenger Series – Newport Beach singles champion Taylor Fritz, along with Bjorn Fratangelo, Stefan Kozlov, Tim Smyczek and Frances Tiafoe. Fritz, the highest ranked player on the men’s entry list, is currently ranked No. 83 in the ATP World Tour singles rankings.

Other players in the men’s field include former Wimbledon doubles champion Vasek Pospisil of Canada, former Top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, Jeremy Chardy of France and Dudi Sela of Israel.

Americans Jennifer Brady, Varvara Lepchenko, Taylor Townsend, Alison Riske, Sachia Vickery and Sofia Kenin will headline the women’s singles draw. Brady, who reached the fourth round at last year’s US Open, is the highest ranked American in the women’s field at No. 87 in the world.

Among other player entries in the women’s field are former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy, Naomi Osaka of Japan, Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia and Andrea Petkovic of Germany. The 20-year-old Osaka, currently ranked No. 51 in the WTA singles rankings is the highest ranked player on the women’s entry list.

The draws will also include qualifiers (4 men and 6 women) from the qualifying tournament, scheduled for February 24-25, and wildcard entrants (4 men and 6 women), which will be announced in the coming weeks. To view the complete men’s and women’s entry lists, go to: oraclechallengerseries.com.

The tournament in Indian Wells is the second event of the Oracle Challenger Series. The first event was played on January 20-28, 2018 at the Newport Beach Tennis Club in Newport Beach, Calif. Fritz of Palos Verdes, Calif., captured the men’s singles title with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory over fellow American Bradley Klahn in the final. Former two-time NCAA singles champion Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, Fla., defeated Sofya Zhuk of Russia 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the women’s singles final.

The top two male and female Americans with the highest accumulated points in the Oracle Challenger Series will be awarded wildcards in their respective singles main draws at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open, held March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Admission and on-site parking for spectators is free for each day of the event. For additional tournament information, go to: oraclechallengerseries.com.

About the Oracle Challenger Series

The Oracle Challenger Series was created to offer American tennis players more opportunities and builds on Oracle’s commitment to help support U.S. tennis for men and women at both the collegiate and professional level. The Series will feature equal prize money in a groundbreaking tournament format that combines the ATP Challenger Tour and WTA 125K Series.

Beyond expanding the number of chances to compete, the Series offers an unmatched potential prize of wild cards for top American finishers into the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open, which is widely considered the top combined ATP World Tour and WTA professional tennis tournament in the world.

About the Indian Wells Tennis Garden

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden opened in March 2000 and is a world-class tennis venue home to the renowned BNP Paribas Open. The site features the newly-renovated Stadium 1, the second largest tennis stadium in the world. The 16,100-seat stadium underwent a full-scale renovation before the 2016 BNP Paribas Open that added more than 20 new dining options and completed re-constructed the concourse and suite level. The Tennis Garden also houses an 8,000-seat permanent Stadium 2 with three gourmet restaurants, including world-famous Nobu.