as of January 28, 2015 THE RBC TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS OF DALLAS DALLAS, TEXAS JANUARY 31 FEBRUARY 7 TOURNAMENT INFO Site: T Bar M Racquet Club Dallas, Texas Websites: www.tennischampionshipsofdallas.com procircuit.usta.com Facebook: Tennis Championships of Dallas Twitter: @RBCTennisChamps Qualifying Draw Begins: Saturday, Jan. 31 Main Draw Begins: Monday, Feb. 2 Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Prize Money: $100,000 Surface: Hard / Indoor Tournament Director: Darren Boyd, (972) 385-3613, dboyd@tbarmtennis.com Tournament Manager: Chris Wade, (972) 385-3632, cwade@tbarmtennis.com Tournament Press Contact: Craig Karseno, (469) 682-5021, ckarseno@hotmail.com USTA Communications Contact: Amanda Korba, (914) 697-2219, korba@usta.com PRIZE MONEY / POINTS SINGLES: Prize Money Ranking Points Winner $14,400 100 Runner-up $8,480 60 Semifinalist $5,020 35 Quarterfinalist $2,920 18 Round of 16 $1,720 8 Round of 32 $1,040 -- DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Winner $6,200 Runner-up $3,600 Semifinalist $2,160 Quarterfinalist $1,280 Round of 16 $720 COMMUNITY EVENTS Saturday, Jan. 31: DTA City Junior Clinic, 4-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1: Pro-Am, 2-3 p.m. & 3:30-5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2: Adult Clinic, 9-10:30 a.m. DTA Junior Team Tennis Exhibition, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3: Adult Clinic, 9-10:30 a.m. Pro-Am, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4: Adult Clinic, 9-10:30 a.m. Celebrity Exhibition, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5: SMU Tennis Exhibition Match, 10:45 a.m. PINK DAY Junior Deaf Clinic, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Adult Clinic, 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6: Adult Clinic, 9-10:30 a.m. Latino Children s Clinic, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7: TYTES Mixer & Clinic, 12 p.m. ClubPro TYTES Challenge Championship, 5:15 p.m. Patrick Scala/Getty Images USTA PRO CIRCUIT RETURNS TO DALLAS & T BAR M The RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas brings the USTA Pro Circuit to Dallas for the 15th consecutive year and 18th year overall (the event was not held in 2000). This marks the fourth year offering $100,000 in prize money, up from $50,000 in 2011. It is the only USTA Pro Circuit Challenger held in Texas. This tournament will be streamed live on www.procircuit.usta.com. Notable players competing in the main draw include: Tim Smyczek, who comes to Dallas after qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open and winning his first-round match. In the second round, he became a top storyline after facing Rafael Nadal and almost pulling off an upset, falling to the Spaniard in a five-set thriller, 6-2, 3-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-5. During the match, Smyczek was heralded for his sportsmanship after giving Nadal a first serve when a fan yelled out during Nadal s service toss in the final game of the fifth set. Smyczek broke into the Top 100 in 2013 soon after advancing to the third round of the US Open, where he lost a tight five-setter to then- USTA Tim Smyczek became a top storyline at the 2015 Australian Open after pushing Rafael Nadal to five sets in the second round. No. 43 Marcel Granollers. The 2013 US Open highlighted the strongest summer of Smyczek s career; he also advanced to the second round of the Emirates Airline US Open Series events in Washington, D.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C., and qualified for Atlanta. Also in 2013, the 5-foot-9 Smyczek advanced to the second round of the Australian Open, defeating 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic in the opening round. In summer 2014, Smyczek reached the second round of the US Open and advanced to the third round of the Series event in Washington. Smyczek owns three USTA Pro Circuit Challenger titles. In 2014, he reached the semifinals of the $50,000 Challenger in Maui, Hawaii, and the final of the $50,000 Challenger in Napa, Calif., where he lost to Sam Querrey. Smyczek regularly trains at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Fla., and once lived with fellow American Mardy Fish for a year while training there. Denis Kudla comes to Dallas after competing in the Australian Open main draw for the third time in the last four years. He secured his spot in Melbourne by winning the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge last fall.
Denis Kudla, who competed in the Australian Open main draw for the third time in the last four years in 2015 after clinching the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge last fall; Kudla had three match points against No. 12 seed Feliciano Lopez in the first round before bowing in five sets. Kudla earned the 2015 Australian Open wild-card berth by reaching the semifinals of the $50,000 Challenger in Charlottesville, Va., and the quarterfinals of Challengers in Knoxville, Tenn., and Champaign, Ill. He qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open in 2012 and 2014 (reaching the second round in 2014) and broke into the Top 100 in 2013 after advancing to the second round of Wimbledon his first Grand Slam tournament match win. Also in 2013, Kudla qualified for the French Open, reached the second round of the US Open and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon lead-in event at Queens Club his best ATP World Tour result. Kudla holds six USTA Pro Circuit singles crowns and four doubles titles. He was ranked No. 3 in the world junior rankings and reached the boys singles final at the 2010 US Open, where he lost to Jack Sock in three sets. Kudla was born in the Ukraine and came to the United States with his parents on his first birthday. He trains with the USTA Player Development program and did his off-season training with fellow pros Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and Madison Keys at the USTA Training Center West in Carson, Calif. Ryan Harrison, who earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 Games in London and has been a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team. He also has enjoyed success on the ATP World Tour, reaching three semifinals in 2012 to peak at No. 43 in the world. (At the time, he and Bernard Tomic of Australia were the only players aged 20 or younger in the Top 100.) In 2013, Harrison reached the semifinals of the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Atlanta, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open tune-up event in Sydney and reached the second round of the Australian Open and the French Open. In 2014, he reached the second round at the ATP Master Series events in Indian Wells and Miami, and he competed in the main draw at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments (the US Open, the Australian Open and, as a qualifier, Wimbledon). He has played in the US Open main draw each of the last five years. In 2010, he qualified and upset No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the opening round, and in 2012, he also advanced to the second round, losing to former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. 2013 doubles champion Alex Kuznetsov, who earned a main draw wild card into the 2013 French Open by winning the Har-Tru USTA Pro Circuit Wild Card Challenge via his results on the USTA Pro Circuit. Following the French Open, Kuznetsov qualified for Wimbledon and won the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Binghamton, N.Y. Those results drove Kuznetsov s ranking up to a career-high No. 120 in the world. In 2014, he qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Memphis, Tenn., qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon and reached the quarterfinals or better at three USTA Pro Circuit Challengers. In 2012, he qualified for the Australian Open, making his first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw since 2007, before losing to Rafael Nadal in the first round. Kuznetsov was the 2004 French Open boys singles runner-up (to Gael Monfils). He is a native of Kiev, Ukraine, where his grandfather was a handball champion. In 2005, Kuznetsov was involved in a car accident that broke his right femur and required the insertion of a titanium rod and screw. Kuznetsov came back to play in his first US Open main draw in 2006. Two-time doubles champion Rajeev Ram, who has established himself as a steady presence in the Top 50 of the world doubles rankings. He has reached the quarterfinals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments in doubles, including the semifinals of the 2014 US Open, and peaked at No. 33 in the world in doubles in 2010. Overall, Ram has won seven ATP World Tour doubles titles, his most recent coming in 2012. In 2009, he won his first ATP singles crown in Newport, R.I., where he also captured the doubles title. In 2012, he reached the singles semifinals of the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Los Angeles, losing to Sam Querrey, two weeks after advancing to the semis in Newport. An Indiana state high school champion, Ram played collegiately at the University of Illinois then coached by current Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley for one semester in 2003 and helped the Illini win their first NCAA team title and record its first undefeated season. 2013 singles champion Rhyne Williams, who qualified for the main draw of the 2014 Australian Open and took the first set off of 2009 US Open champion and No. 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro in the opening round. In 2014, Williams qualified for and reached the quarterfinals of the ATP event in Delray Beach, Fla., losing to John Isner, in his best result of the year. Williams won three matches to qualify for the main draw of the 2012 US Open for his first Grand Slam appearance, in the process becoming one of just 13 qualifying wild cards in recorded history to reach the main draw. Subsequently, in that same 2012 US Open, he faced Andy Roddick prior to Roddick s retirement announcement. Nearly four months later, Williams earned a wild card into the 2013 Australian Open main draw by winning the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, and he qualified for the 2013 French Open. Also in 2013, he reached the semifinals at the U.S. Men s Clay Court Championships in Houston for his best ATP result. Williams turned pro in 2011 following his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee, where he reached the singles final at the NCAA Championships. Williams comes from a tennis family: His grandfather is Mike DePalmer Sr., co-founder of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, and his mother, Michelle DePalmer-Williams, is a former pro and Orange Bowl 16s champion. Williams is coached by his cousin, Christopher Williams. Michael Russell, who comes to Dallas after qualifying for the Australian Open, where he lost in the first round to No. 20 seed David Goffin. Russell is the men s all-time leader in USTA Pro Circuit singles titles with 24, winning his most recent title at the end of 2013 at the $75,000 Challenger in Charlottesville, Va. With his victory in Charlottesville, Russell became the oldest USTA Pro Circuit singles champion at the age of 35 years, 6 months and 2 days. Russell upset then-no. 9 Mardy Fish en route to the semifinals of the ATP World Tour event in Houston in April 2012 and, in summer 2013, reached the semifinals of the ATP grass-court event in Newport, R.I. his career-best ATP results. He also reached the semifinals of the ATP event in Memphis in 2014 as a qualifier, losing to eventual champion Kei Nishikori. Overall, Russell has competed in the main draw of 34 Grand Slam events in his career. He achieved his best Slam result by reaching the fourth round of the 2001 French Open, where he held a match point against defending and eventual champion Gustavo Kuerten before bowing in five sets. Chase Buchanan, who peaked at No. 158 in the world last August after a strong summer, during which he competed on the USTA
Pro Circuit and overseas, reaching the singles semifinals or better at five events and qualifying for the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Cincinnati. Buchanan also won three ITF Circuit events last fall one in Ecuador and two in Bolivia. As a college player for Ohio State University, Buchanan won the NCAA doubles championship in 2012 with Blaz Rola, earning a wild card into the main draw of the US Open men s doubles event that year. In singles, Buchanan reached the final of the 2009 junior US Open. As the USTA Boys 18s champion that year, he also earned a wild card into the US Open men s singles main draw his only Grand Slam main draw appearance to date losing in the first round to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Buchanan has won three USTA Pro Circuit singles titles in his career. He competed in Australian Open qualifying this year for the first time, reaching the final round. He has been training at the USTA Training Center West at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., working with USTA collegiate coach Stephen Amritraj. Notable players competing in qualifying include: Jared Donaldson, who made his Grand Slam tournament debut on a wild card into the 2014 US Open, where he faced eventual quarterfinalist Gael Monfils in the first round. Donaldson won backto-back USTA Pro Circuit singles titles at $15,000 Futures events in Tulsa, Okla., and Oklahoma City last summer the first USTA Pro Circuit singles titles of his career. For the first half of 2014, he competed overseas in ITF Circuit events in Turkey, where he won his first professional singles title and reached one additional final, plus two semifinals. As a junior player, Donaldson competed in the US Open Junior Championships and represented the United States in Junior Davis Cup (16 and under). He is coached by former Top 30 player Taylor Dent and has trained with Roger Federer in Dubai. Dennis Novikov, who was the 2012 USTA Boys 18s national champion in singles and doubles. Those victories earned him wildcard entries into the men s singles and doubles main draws at the 2012 US Open, where he became just the second USTA Boys 18s champ in 15 years (the other being Jack Sock) to advance to the second round in singles, defeating 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz in the first round. Novikov completed his sophomore year at UCLA in 2013 and turned pro that summer. He won his first USTA Pro Circuit title soon after, at the $10,000 Futures in Amelia Island, Fla. Novikov had a strong 2014, winning three USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles (for five doubles titles overall) and claiming four ITF Circuit singles titles, in Mexico and Canada. Born in Moscow, Novikov moved with his family to the United States as a 1-year-old and, from an active sports background, chose tennis over hockey, swimming and gymnastics. Former University of Virginia standout Michael Shabaz, who reached the singles semifinals at the 2011 NCAA Championships and won the 2010 NCAA doubles title with Drew Courtney. Shabaz captured his first USTA Pro Circuit singles title at the $10,000 Futures in Pittsburgh in 2013 and, two weeks later, won a second title, at the $10,000 Futures in Godfrey, Ill. He spent summer 2014 competing in Mexico and Ecuador. As a junior player, Shabaz won the 2005 Wimbledon boys doubles title (with Jesse Levine). Eric Quigley, the 2012 NCAA singles runner-up for the University of Kentucky. Quigley is one of the most decorated tennis players in Wildcats history, earning five All-America honors between singles and doubles. In 2008, he became the first Kentucky player in 34 years to win four consecutive high school state singles titles. In 2014, Quigley reached the singles final at the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit clay-court event in Boynton Beach, Fla., and won the first two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles of his career. He also won an ITF Circuit doubles title in Mexico at the end of the year. Daniel Nguyen, who was a former standout college player for USC. Nguyen won three USTA Pro Circuit and ITF Circuit singles titles in 2014, including the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Godfrey, Ill. He holds six singles titles overall. In doubles, he captured the $10,000 Futures in Rochester, N.Y., in 2014, and he holds five USTA Pro Circuit and ITF Circuit doubles titles overall. Nguyen competed in the main draw of the men s doubles event at the 2009 US Open, where he reached the second round. Former University of Michigan standout Jason Jung, who won his second professional title in 2013 at the $10,000 Futures in Edwardsville, Ill. In 2014, he won his second USTA Pro Circuit doubles title at the $10,000 Futures in Weston, Fla. Jung spent most of last spring and summer competing overseas in ITF Circuit events in Korea and China. At Michigan, he received All-Big Ten honors in 2010 and 2011, and played in the NCAA Championships twice. He ranks fourth all-time in career doubles wins for the Wolverines, with 88. Jeff Dadamo, who earned a wild card into the 2013 US Open Qualifying Tournament by winning the US Open National Playoffs men s title (out of 649 men who competed). He returned to the US Open National Playoffs Championships in 2014 after winning the USTA Florida sectional qualifying tournament. Dadamo has won three USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles and one singles title during his career. He graduated in 2011 from Texas A&M, where he won the NCAA men s doubles title with Austin Krajicek. Many current and past ATP World Tour standouts have found success in Dallas. 2001 singles champion Dmitry Tursunov broke into the Top 20 in 2006 and has won seven tour-level singles titles and six tour-level doubles titles. Tursunov also was a valuable member of the 2006 Russian Davis Cup championship team, posting victories in all four of Russia s matches that season. 2002 Dallas singles runner-up Martin Verkerk captured world headlines the following year when he stormed his way to the French Open final in only the third Grand Slam tournament of his career. With that success, he cracked the Top 20, peaking at No. 14 in the world after the 2003 US Open. 2003 Dallas singles runner-up and doubles champion Justin Gimelstob peaked at No. 18 in the world in doubles in 2000, after winning five ATP World Tour doubles titles the year prior. In his career, Gimelstob captured 13 doubles titles and reached his lone singles final in 2006 at the ATP World Tour event in Newport, R.I. He also reached the doubles semifinals of the 2001 Australian Open with Scott Humphries his partner for his 2003 title here as well as the doubles quarterfinals at four additional Grand Slam events. He is currently coaching top American John Isner.
Last year s singles champion, Steve Johnson, went on to enjoy the most successful season of his career, rising to No. 37 in the world. He recently advanced to the third round at the Australian Open and could break into the Top 30 when the next singles rankings are released on Monday, Feb. 2. Eric Butorac and Jamie Murray, who teamed to win the 2007 Dallas doubles title, went on to capture three ATP World Tour doubles events together that year. Jamie, the older brother of 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray, holds 12 ATP World Tour doubles titles and captured the 2007 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Jelena Jankovic. Butorac was runner-up in men s doubles at last year s Australian Open and has won 16 ATP doubles titles in his career. 1998 singles champion Daniel Nestor is one of the most accomplished doubles players in men s tennis. He has won 86 career ATP World Tour doubles titles, including eight Grand Slam tournament men s doubles crowns. In addition to those, he has four Grand Slam tournament mixed doubles titles. DALLAS PAST WINNERS Singles Doubles Year Winner Runner-Up Year Winner 2014 Steve Johnson (USA) Malek Jaziri (TUN) 2014 Samuel Groth (AUS) Chris Guccione (AUS) 2013 Rhyne Williams (USA) Robby Ginepri (USA) 2013 Alex Kuznetsov (USA) Mischa Zverev (GER) 2012 Jesse Levine (USA) Steve Darcis (BEL) 2012 Chris Eaton (GBR) Dominic Inglot (GBR) 2011 Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) Rainer Schuettler (GER) 2011 Scott Lipsky (USA) Rajeev Ram (USA) 2010 Ryan Sweeting (USA) Carsten Ball (CAN) 2010 Scott Lipsky (USA) David Martin (USA) 2009 Ryan Sweeting (USA) Brendan Evans (USA) 2009 Prakash Amritraj (IND) Rajeev Ram (USA) 2008 Amer Delic (USA) Stephane Bohli (SUI) 2008 Benedikt Dorsch (GER) Bjorn Phau (GER) 2007 Robert Kendrick (USA) Benedikt Dorsch (GER) 2007 Eric Butorac (USA) Jamie Murray (GBR) 2006 Kevin Kim (USA) Robert Kendrick (USA) 2006 Rajeev Ram (USA) Bobby Reynolds (USA) 2005 Michael Ryderstedt (SWE) Andre Sa (BRA) 2005 Rik De Voest (RSA) Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 2004 Sebastien De Chaunac (FRA) Amer Delic (USA) 2004 Jordan Kerr (AUS) Todd Perry (AUS) 2003 Simon Greul (GER) Justin Gimelstob (USA) 2003 Justin Gimelstob (USA) Scott Humphries (USA) 2002 Jeff Morrison (USA) Martin Verkerk (NED) 2002 Giorgio Galimberti (ITA) Frederic Niemeyer (CAN) 2001 Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) Justin Bower (RSA) 2001 Gavin Sontag (USA) Jerry Turek (CAN) 2000 Tournament not held 2000 Tournament not held 1999 Andre Sa (BRA) Jimy Szymanski (VEN) 1999 Paul Kilderry (AUS) Grant Silcock (AUS) 1998 Daniel Nestor (CAN) Cristiano Caratti (ITA) 1998 Jared Palmer (USA) Jonathan Stark (USA)
USTA PRO CIRCUIT 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. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 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 nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey, Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are among today s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. More recently, the USTA Pro Circuit helped further the careers of two young Americans Stefan Kozlov and Nicole Gibbs. Runner-up in 2014 at the junior championships of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Kozlov reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger last October at age 16, becoming the youngest American to reach a Challenger final since Andre Agassi in 1986. That result vaulted Kozlov to No. 443 in the world, making him the youngest player in the ATP World Tour Top 500. He concluded 2014 by sweeping Stefan Kozlov the singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Championships, locking down a No. 3 junior world ranking. Gibbs, in her first full season as a professional after capturing back-to-back NCAA singles championships in 2012 and 2013, won the women s USTA Pro Circuit US Open Wild Card Challenge in 2014. After claiming the title at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif., Gibbs clinched the US Open wild card by advancing to the final of the $50,000 tournament in Lexington, Ky., her last USTA Pro Circuit event of the season. Gibbs went on to reach the third round at the US Open, scoring a pair of Top 50 victories along the way. Two weeks after the US Open, as a qualifier at Seoul, she reached her first WTA quarterfinal, which boosted her into the WTA Top 100 for the first time. Gibbs earned the second-most WTA ranking points of any American playing the USTA Pro Circuit in 2014. Amber Alva PLAYER DEVELOPMENT The USTA Player Development program identifies and develops the next generation of American champions by surrounding the top junior players and young pros with the resources, facilities and coaching they need to reach their maximum potential. The Player Development program is based at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and also utilizes Training Centers in Carson, Calif., and Flushing, N.Y., as well as a series of Certified Regional Training Centers located throughout the continental United States. YOUTH TENNIS The USTA is making it easier and more fun for kids to get into the game and stay in the game. Kids are learning to play faster than ever before through the USTA s youth initiative, which is geared toward getting more kids to participate in tennis using modified equipment and courts tailored to a child s size. For more information, visit YouthTennis.com. NJTL Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, the USTA/National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network is a nationwide group of more than 625 non-profit youth development organizations that provide free or low-cost tennis, education and life skills programming to more than 350,000 children each year. Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, NJTL is one of the USTA s largest community-based offerings. US OPEN NATIONAL PLAYOFFS The USTA launched the US Open National Playoffs in 2010, making the US Open open to anyone age 14+ and of all skill levels. Last year, more than 1,200 players competed in 13 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide for a 2014 US Open Qualifying Tournament wild card. A mixed doubles element also was held, with the winning team earning a main draw mixed doubles wild card. A pair of former college All-Americans won the singles playoffs. Caitlin Whoriskey of East Sandwich, Mass., won the 2014 US Open National Playoffs women s title and Sanam Singh of Charlottesville, Va., won the men s wild card. Jacqueline Cako and Joel Kielbowicz won mixed doubles. The schedule for the 2015 US Open National Playoffs will be released in coming weeks. For more information, visit www.usopen.org/nationalplayoffs