New sponsor, facility upgrades for Legg Mason Tennis Classic

Change is coming to the nation’s capital and it might take tennis fans some time to adjust.

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is now the Citi Open, after Legg Mason, the title sponsor of the ATP tournament in Washington, D.C. for the past 18 years, has decided not to renew its contract.

The facility upgrades for the Citi Open include a new 2,500 seat Grandstand and five new practice courts.

No reason was given for the why the Baltimore-based Legg Mason will no longer be the title sponsor, but Donald Dell, the chairman and co-founder of the tournament, emphasized that both sides parted on good terms.

“I want to thank Legg Mason for their tremendous sponsorship,” he said. “They have been with us 18 years – they were the longest running title sponsor in tennis in North America. We owe the Legg Mason a great bit. They decided not to come back – their contract expired in November. It was a very amicable transition.”

Stepping in to replace Legg Mason is Citigroup Inc., the sponsor of the inaugural professional women’s tournament in College Park, MD last summer, for a five-year deal. The Citi Open will combine the ATP tournament with the women’s event in efforts to attract an even more diverse fan base.

“We are very excited about [having a joint tournament], because over the years we’ve had lots of requests and lots of pressure to have both events – men and women – and the demographics of tennis is 52 percent men and 48 percent women,” said Dell.

The men’s tournament will remain an ATP 500 event, one of only two in the United States (the other is in Memphis), and the women’s will be a $250,000 International Level tournament. Last year’s winner on the men’s side was Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, while Russia’s Nadia Petrova claimed the women’s trophy.

Along with the name change and the inclusion of the women’s tournament will be stadium upgrades to accommodate the increase of players. The renovations, which will begin in May and finish before the start of the summer tournament, will include a new show court that seats 2,500 people and five new practice courts. The Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (WTEF), a charitable foundation that provides tennis instruction and education to DC-area youth, privately funded the expansion. The tournament is owned by the organization.

“We built [the stadium] with [WTEF] in 1989, and we just think it’s time to upgrade in a lot of different ways,” said Dell. “We are competing on the world tour. It is very competitive that we have a facility and proper usage of the court site for the players.”

The Citi Open will continue to be held at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park and will run from July 28 to Aug. 5.

Because the tournament coincides with the London Olympics, the draw size will decrease from the usual 48 players to 32. While several marquee players will be competing for Olympic medals, current world No. 9 Mardy Fish has already confirmed to play at the Citi Open in preparations for the U.S. Open. Also expected is former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Despite the tournament expansion, Dell said that there are no plans on increasing parking, but that General Admission ticket prices will most likely not rise.

The name may take some getting used to, but the changes should give tennis fans in the metropolitan area much to be excited about.

This article was written for Tennis Grandstand and can be viewed here. 
 

Donald Young’s Slump Continues

Donald Young proved doubters wrong last season.

It began with an upset win over then world No. 5 Andy Murray at the 2011 Indian Wells Masters. Then came a series of career highs as Young reached his first ATP semifinals in Washington, D.C., had a fourth round showing at the U.S. Open, and played in his maiden ATP final in Bangkok. After struggling on the ATP Tour, it appeared that Young was on his way to fulfill the potential he showed during his extremely successful junior career.

But despite the momentum heading into the new season and reaching a career high No. 38 in February, the 22-year-old Young is struggling to repeat the success in 2012.

World No. 50 Donald Young owns a 2-9 record for the 2012 season. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe)

In the nine tournaments Young has played this year he has only gone past the first round twice – at the Australian Open and at Memphis, losing both in the second round. His latest loss came at the hands of world No. 352 Paul-Henri Mathieu, losing 6-0, 6-1 in the first round at the Monte Carlo Masters. It was his fifth consecutive loss to a lower ranked player.

At No. 50 in the world, Young is the fourth ranked American and is still in a position to turn around his sub-par season. And if the 2011 U.S. Open was any indication, American tennis fans are eager to see Young succeed. With each victory in Flushing Meadows, the crowds for Young grew increasing boisterous and spirited. Young, who often exhibits negative body language during his matches, seemed to be on an upward trajectory and the American player to watch. That distinction now belongs to 26-year-old John Isner, who at No. 9 in the world is the top ranked American.

With Young, the coaching question is never far. After accepting an increased role from the USTA coaches last season, Young decided to go back to being coached by his mother Ilona in late 2011. As of now, there is no indication Young will be making any coaching changes.

Young may have proved his skeptics wrong last season, and as a result played with confidence befitting his talents, but he must find his game quickly before the doubts and doubters begin creeping up again.

View this article at its original Tennis Grandstand publication here.

Maryland Men’s Tennis Finishes Season With Statement Win

Overcome with emotion, head coach Kyle Spencer had trouble finding the words to describe his team’s upset victory over No. 18 ranked University of North Carolina.

“I’m over the moon. I’m speechless,” said the third year coach. “I’m so proud of the guys. It’s been a very trying year this year. I’m just really happy.”

In its last season as a varsity program, the No. 70 ranked University of Maryland men’s tennis team closed out the regular season with an impressive 5-2 win over its ACC opponent, its first victory over the Tar Heels since 1990.

Heading into the season, the team was given the ignominy of being one of eight varsity teams facing elimination this year, a decision made to alleviate the athletic department’s multimillion-dollar budget deficit. With the extra distraction of the budget cuts looming over the players’ heads, the team played inconsistently throughout the season.

“It’s been up and down,” said junior John Collins, who will play for the University of Tennessee next year. “We had a really hard schedule. A bunch of guys have been fighting injuries, including myself. I’m coming back from a wrist injury. We’re just pushing and pushing. It’s tough. We didn’t get as many wins as we wanted to, but we’re still competing, and we’re still having fun.”

Despite the uneven record, the Terps (7-14, 4-7 ACC) appear to be saving their best for last, having won the past three of four matches against ranked opponents.

The statement win over North Carolina keeps the team in contention for a NCAA tournament berth and boosts its confidence going into the ACC tournament, which starts April 19.

“The beginning we had some mental issues, and we didn’t have everyone playing their best tennis at the same time,” said junior Sergio Wyss, whose win at No. 3 singles clinched the match. “Like last year, it all came together at the end, so that’s kind of a great thing.”

For Coach Spencer, he is finally seeing the team he envisioned at the beginning of the season.

“This is the level I thought we would be playing at, and for whatever reason that hasn’t happened,” he said. “We’ve shown spurts of it and never played a complete match. We’ve played some bad matches. But we never ever thought to pack it in and give up. These guys aren’t built like that. It’s just been five percent better, five percent better, five percent better – that’s been sort of like our mantra, and I think today we were 10 percent better.”

Despite the wins and accolades, the team understands its time together is nearing an end. Several players have reached out to other schools, but some like Wyss, are unsure whether or not to play elsewhere. This uncertainty, however, has not dampened how the players feel about each other.

“We love each other,” said Collins, who went to cheer on his team after his victory at No. 5 singles. “We’d do anything for each other. We poke fun of each other all the time. Everyone has a good heart about it. It’s a really good team chemistry.”

The bond was palpable during the team’s win on the warm Sunday afternoon. The players joined the approximately 50 fans to cheer on the team, chanting nicknames and shouting encouragements from start to finish.

“I loved every single moment [of my time with Maryland tennis],” said Wyss. “The tough moments, the good moments, the emotional moments - it’s been a great team. I enjoyed it all the way through. I couldn’t imagine better.”

With the budget cuts effective July 1, 2012, the fans and supporters of the Terps men’s tennis team hope that these moments will soon return to the University of Maryland.

Click here to view this article at its original USTA/Maryland publication.
 

Young Americans Struggle at Family Circle Cup

The youth movement has stalled temporarily.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America)

Among the American women, the 2012 Family Circle Cup in Charleston, SC has belonged to the tour veterans. The tournament began with 10 main draw players from the United States but only four remain: 5^th seed Serena Williams, 30, wildcard Venus Williams, 31, qualifier Jill Craybas, 37, and Varvara Lepchenko, 25, an Uzbek-American who turned pro back in 2001.

The younger Americans have not fared well. Aside from fast-rising Jamie Hampton’s win over compatriot Sloane Stephens, 19, in the first round, none of the other players aged 23 or younger made it into the second round. The 22-year-old Hampton, who is ranked No. 92 in the world, would go on to lose in the following round to second seed Sam Stosur.

Eleventh-seed Christina McHale, 19, faded down the stretch in a three-set loss to Aleksandra Wozniak – marking the first time this year she has lost to a player ranked below her. Twenty-three-year-old Vania King, the 3^rd ranked American behind the younger Williams and McHale, exited in straight sets to 12^th seed Yanina Wickmayer.

Wildcard Irina Falconi, 21, has hit a slump after exceeding expectations last year. Currently ranked No. 99 in the world, Falconi will have to find her game quickly in order to reach her goal of qualifying for the Olympic team.

Melanie Oudin, ranked No. 304 in the world, needed to win two qualifying matches for a spot in the main draw. Despite losing in three sets to 10^th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, the 20-year-old can take positives away from her experience in Charleston. Oudin showed glimpses of her confidence and fighting spirit that defined her earlier in her career with victories over Heather Watson and Petra Rampre, her first WTA Tour wins this season.

With plenty of tennis to be played, these young players have a lot to look forward to. The spotlight may belong to them in the future, but for the rest of the week in Charleston, it’s the veterans’ time to shine.

View this article at it's original Tennis Grandstand publication here.