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| American Christina McHale, a Connecticut Open veteran, is one member of a strong field announced today that will be playing in the Oracle Challenger Series in New Haven. The New Jersey native is shown displaying a trophy won on the WTA circuit last year in Japan. |
Pegula, ranked No. 56 in the world, leads the women's field.
She will be joined in the women’s bracket by Jennifer Brady, currently ranked
No. 70 in the world and a finalist at the 2019 Series finale at Indian Wells, Christina
McHale, a former Top 25 singles player who has competed at the Connecticut Open
in the past, and two-time Oracle Challenger Series doubles champion Taylor
Townsend.
They will be challenged by a strong international pool of
competitors including Monica Niculescu (ROU), who has accumulated three singles
and nine doubles titles on Tour; Barbora Krejcikova (CZE), who captured the
Roland Garros and Wimbledon doubles titles in 2018; Daria Gavrilova (AUS),
former Connecticut Open champion (2018); and Margarita Gasparyan (RUS), current
World No. 59 and two-time WTA title winner.
The men’s side of the field is highlighted by Klahn, the
2018 Houston champion and Istomin, the 2018 Chicago champion. Steve Johnson, currently
ranked No. 79, a four-time ATP Tour singles winner, will be making his Oracle
Challenger Series debut in New Haven. He will be joined by Donald Young, whose
performance in the Oracle Challenger Series last year included semifinal
appearances in both Chicago and Indian Wells which allowed him to capture one
of the two wild card spots into the BNP Paribas Open. Spots in the Paribas are offered
to the top two men’s and women’s players that accumulate the most points
throughout the Series. In addition, 2019 Indian Wells doubles champion and
Series veteran Marcos Giron will be making his 5th Series appearance, Chilean
Nicholas Jarry, who has registered two Top 10 wins this season, and ATP Tour
No. 60 Cameron Norrie will play New Haven.
Oracle US Tennis Award recipients JC Aragone (2019),
Christopher Eubanks (2018) and Francesca Di Lorenzo (2018) will also compete in
the main draw at New Haven. The award, given out annually at the BNP Paribas
Open, provides $100,000 grants to one male and one female professional who
demonstrate exemplary sportsmanship and an aptitude for success on the pro
tour.
Pro Tennis Returns
The Oracle—the first stop on the 2019-2020 Road to Indian
Wells—will bring professional tennis back to New Haven. This will be the first
pro tournament held in the Nutmeg State since the departure of the
WTA-sanctioned Connecticut Open last year.
All matches will be played at the Yale Tennis Varsity Courts
located at 279 Derby Ave. in West Haven. Admission to the Oracle Challenger
Series is free by registering for a free ticket, and parking is available on
site for $10.
In addition, the Series’ inaugural 2019-2020 tournament will
feature the Oracle Champions Cup, an Invesco Series QQQ event, on Saturday,
Sept. 7. Similar to the Legends event formerly featured at the Connecticut
Open, this will be a one-night tournament featuring former big-name tennis
stars. It is part of a competitive circuit featuring legendary tennis icons and
world-renowned champions, and will be headlined by Fairfield native and former
World No. 4 James Blake—always a favorite in Connecticut.
In 2015, while
playing at the Connecticut Open, blues-rock star John Mayer, himself a Fairfield
native, was seen cheering his long-time friend from the stands behind the
baseline. In addition, 2003 U.S. Open Champion and former World No. 1 Andy
Roddick; former World No. 2 Tommy Haas; and two-time Davis Cup titlist and
former World No. 8 Mark Philippoussis, all former Legends participants, will
compete in this year's Oracle Champions Cup in New Haven.
Tickets are for the tournament, which will be played Sept.
2-8 at the Yale Tennis Center in West Haven, are available at https://www.invescoseries.com.
The tournament is recruiting ball persons and volunteers for
the event in New Haven. Those wishing to participate should email ballkids@oraclechallengerseries.com. For more
information about the Oracle Challenger Series, visit www.oraclechallengerseries.com.
About the Oracle
The Oracle Challenger Series, which was created to offer
American tennis players unparalleled opportunities to secure both prize money
and ranking points, builds on Oracle’s commitment to help support U.S. tennis
for men and women at both the collegiate and professional level. The Series
features equal prize money in a groundbreaking tournament format that combines
the ATP Challenger Tour and WTA 125K Series. The Series offers an unmatched
potential prize of wild cards into the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open,
widely considered the top combined ATP Tour and WTA professional tennis
tournament in the world, for the top two American male and female finishers.
—with staff reports
#RoadtoIndianWells #WTA #WTA125KSeries #ATP @ATPChallenger @BNPPARIBASOPEN #BNPPO20 #TennisParadise
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