Vero Beach

Brian Battistone and Christian Vinck, two veteran tennis players who have both played in the main draws of Grand Slam tournaments, are among the leading entries into the Pre-qualifying event for the $25,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships that begins Wednesday at The Boulevard tennis club.
Battistone and Vinck are among 32 players competing for the right to earn a “wild card” entry into the qualifying rounds of the tournament, Vero Beach’s 25th annual professional tennis tournament that is a $25,000 event on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour and part of the U.S. Tennis Association’s competitive pathway. The qualifying tournament, which in previous years was played over four days featuring 128 players playing for eight main draw positions, was reduced this year by the ITF to 32 players competing over two days for eight main draw positions. This special pre-qualifying tournament was created by the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation in an effort to give more players competitive tournament opportunities and to help non-qualifying players earn entry into the qualifying tournament.
Battistone, 39, is a fan favorite around the country for his unique volleyball jump serve, his ambidexterous playing style and his double-handed tennis racquet. A native of Las Vegas, Battistone reached a career high ATP doubles ranking of No. 88 in 2010, the same year he competed in the main draw of doubles at the U.S. Open, partnering with Ryler deHeart, losing in the first round to eventual finalists Rohan Bopanna and Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi.
Vinck, 43, has played in the main draw of all four Grand Slam tournaments with his best result being a third-round showing at Wimbledon in 2000. In 1997, he famously defeated Andre Agassi in the final of the USTA Challenger in Agassi’s hometown of Las Vegas, during Agassi’s initial comeback from his ranking dropping to No. 141 in the world.
Vinck is the No. 2 seed in the event, followed by Battistone at No. 3. The top seed is 18-year-old Jan-Magnus Johnson of Naples, one of the top junior players in the United States.
Other notable entries include former Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation pupil Emilio Van Cotthem of Fort Pierce, Vero Beach Tennis Club owners James and Joseph Van Deinse, former Michigan State All-American J.P. Mullane, and Jack Vance, the runner-up at the 2017 Mardy Fish Main Draw Wild Card Championship at Sea Oaks.
The draws and schedule can be found on the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) website here: https://www.myutr.com/events/3744?t=2
Play begins on Wednesday, April 24 at 1 pm and is scheduled to conclude Friday evening. All singles matches will be two sets with a 10-point match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set.
A main draw doubles wild card event will also be held during this event. The doubles winners will receive a main draw wild card into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships. Doubles matches will be two “Fast Four” sets (first to four games, tiebreaker at 3-3, no ad scoring) with a match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set.
Admission is free for the pre-qualifying and doubles wild card events.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $25,000 ITF World Tennis Tour tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and is regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and the current U.S. Davis Cup captain. The event will be held April 29 – May 5 at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships for the event can be purchased at www.MardyFishChildrensFoundation.org Daily tickets for the April 29-May 5 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 29 – May 4 costing $10. Season tickets for every session of the event are $100. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures. Detailed sponsorship information can be obtained by emailing Tom Fish at Ttfish10s@aol.com or Randy Walker at RWalker@NewChapterMedia.com Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended entry-level professional events in the world.
Some of the past competitors at the USTA Vero Beach Futures have gone on to succeed at the highest levels of professional tennis, winning major singles and doubles titles, Olympic medals and Davis Cup championships and earning No. 1 world rankings. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who attained the world No. 1 ranking and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 2007, competed in Vero Beach in 1999. Thomas Johansson of Sweden, who reached the second round of the Vero Beach Futures in 1995, won the Australian Open seven years later in 2002. Nicolas Massu, the 1998 singles runner-up in Vero Beach, won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, beating Fish in the gold medal singles match. Kyle Edmund, the 2013 champion in Vero Beach, helped Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015. Other notable former competitors in Vero Beach include former world No. 2 Magnus Norman, former world No. 4 Tim Henman, 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic and most recently world No. 50 player and teen sensation Denis Shapovalov, who played in Vero Beach in 2016. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison and Frances Tiafoe.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,200 children in 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and two after school centers in Indian River County, Florida by funding after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.
Tournament sponsors for 2019 include Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank, Grand Slam Sponsors Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation and the Jake Owen Foundation, Cabana/Box Seat Sponsors John’s Island Real Estate, John Klein, Gene Simonsen, TeamChristopher.com, Dan Holman, Hadleigh Investments, Pene Chambers / Lynn Southerly, Lace and Bob Milligan / Mickey and Rob Stein, William Barhorst, CPA, Michael and Kathleen Pierce, The Pitcher Family, Shirley Becker, Scoreboard Sponsor Fit for Life / Syde Hurdus Foundation Backhand Sponsors Vero Beach Magazine, Rossway Swan, Nalzaro Music, Coastal Van Lines, Diamond Resorts International, Forehand Sponsors Karen and Steve Rubin, Mike and Meg Hickey / Premier Estate Properties, Shaklee / Suzie Sunkel, Indian River Animal Hospital – Charles B. Johnson, DVM, Marjorie Johnson, DVM, MS, DAVP, Serve Sponsors Cravings, Bistro Fourchette, Willem and Marion DeVogel, Foglia Custom Homes Topspin Sponsors Alex MacWilliam Real Estate, Eternal Water, Kit Fields Realtor, Patrick Williams / Tom Collins Insurance, Riverside Café, MinuteMan Press, Center Court Tennis Outfitters, Drop Shot Sponsors Treasure Coast Financial Planning, Inc., Peter and Judith Saidel, Deb Benjamin, Paul & Linda Delaney, Stewart Dunn, Susan Flannery (Aluma Tower), Tom Flannery (Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift and Company LLC, Jim & Suzi Keegan, Don Moyle, Dee Patberg, Fran Smyrk (Treasure Coast Sotheby’s), Gary & Beth Williams, ABCO Garage Door Company, Inc., Barker Air Conditioning & Heating, Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center, Coastal Comforts at the Village Shops, Colton, Williams & Reamy, CPAs, Complete Electric, Inc., Complete Restaurant Equipment, LLC, Glacier Clear Pool Service, Jack’s Complete Tree Service, Inc., Jimmy’s Tree Services, Ken’s Pool Service, ML Engineering, Inc., Nozzle Nolen, Inc., O’Haire, Quinn, Casalino, Chartered, Rich Look Lawn Care, Rick’s Custom Care, Statewide Condominium Insurance, Steve Supplee Construction LLC, Summit Construction of Vero Beach, LLC, Sunshine Furniture, White Glove Moving & Storage and Wilco Construction, Inc.