Matthew Segura, the great nephew of Hall of Fame tennis legend Pancho Segura, Ivan Yatsuk, the ATP-ranked, 6-foot-5 Belarussian-American, and Brian Battistone, the volleyball-style serving, double-grip-racquet wielding former top 100-ranked doubles player, highlight entries into the Mardy Fish USTA Futures “Wild Card” tournament held Wednesday, Feb. 28 through Friday, March 2 at Sea Oaks tennis club in Vero Beach.
Segura, Yatsuk and Battistone are among a group of aspiring players from around the country in the singles field of this tournament that will award a main draw singles “wild card” (tournament entry) into the 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit “Futures” event held April 20-29 at Grand Harbor Golf and Beach Club in Vero Beach.
Play will begin Wednesday with opening matches starting at 11:30 am with a feature match at 4:30 pm. Quarterfinal matches will be played starting at 2 pm on Thursday followed by the semifinals at 10 am on Friday and the final on Friday at 5 pm.
The full draw and schedule can be seen on TennisLink here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=220421#&&s=7Draws3
Matches will be best-of-three set matches with a 10-point Match Tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set until the final, which will be a traditional best-of-three-set match. Admission is free.
Segura, 17, is one of the top junior players in the nation and hits with a two-handed forehand and backhand just as his recently-passed great uncle Pancho did during his Hall of Fame career. Segura played in the Vero Beach Futures last year as a 16-year-old and reached the third round of the qualifying tournament.
Yatsuk, 17, was the winner of the Mardy Fish Futures wild card singles tournament played at The Boulevard with a dramatic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 14 minutes over Germany’s Joel Link. With his wild card entry, he subsequently lost in the first round to Wimbledon hero Marcus Willis of Great Britain. He currently holds an ATP ranking of No. 1882.
Battistone, 38, is best-known for having the most unique serve and most tennis racquet in tennis. He uses a volleyball-styled jump serve where he leaps into the court, switches his racket hand in mid-air and hits the ball before landing on court. He also uses a unique two-handled racquet, unlike anything seen anywhere else in the sport of tennis.
Other entrants include former NCAA doubles finalist for USC and former ATP top 200 doubles player Nick Rainey, Vero Beach Tennis Club’s James and Joseph van Deinse and former Mardy Fish Children’s Founation pupil Emilio Van Cotthem. Players from eight states, including Eddie Lewis from Anchorage, Alaska, are in the field of 18 players.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation will also host a second wild card singles tournament at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida, April 9-11. A special doubles wild card tournament will also be held at The Boulevard Club on April 21-22. All wild card tournaments are open to all entrants, but players must have sign-up and receive an official ITF pin number to compete in the main draw of the tournament.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are now on sale and can be purchased at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com Tickets for the qualifying rounds from April 20 – April 23 cost $10, while tickets for the main draw of singles and doubles from April 24 – 29 are $20, with “night session” tickets starting at 5 pm from April 24-27 costing $10. Season tickets that include both the qualifying and main draw events cost $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 events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments.
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. Six former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young and Ryan Harrison.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 1700 children grades KDG-8th 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. Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, collaborates with various community organizations, including Boys and Girls Club of Indian River County, Dasie Hope Bridgewater Center and LOTA Sports. Kids on Courts After School Tennis program is facilitated by LOTA Sports offering progressive tennis instruction from world class professionals. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends. Fish achieved a career-high ranking of No. 7 in 2011 and won 14 career ATP singles and doubles titles in his career. After retiring from the ATP World Tour in 2015, Fish now competes on the celebrity pro golf tour and the PowerShares Series legends tennis tour while serving as a coach for the USTA Player Development Program and a TV commentator for ESPN.
Ivan Yatsuk
Ivan Yatsuk, 16, Wins Epic "Wild Card" Final To Qualify For Mardy Fish USTA Futures
Ivan Yatsuk, the 6-foot-3, 16-year-old, Belarussian-born American from Bradenton, Fla., defeated Germany’s Joel Link 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 14 minutes Thursday night at The Boulevard in the final of the Vero Beach “wild card” tournament for the 2017 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships.
By winning the final, Yatsuk will be awarded a “wild card” free entry into the 32-player singles field at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event that will be held April 21-30 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club. Yatsuk will be seeking his first ATP ranking points when he competes again in Vero Beach in April.
“I’ve never been happier,” said Yatsuk after the tournament win Thursday night.
Yatsuk was born in Belarus, but moved with his family to the United States when he was three. His parents do not play tennis at all and he randomly picked the sport when he saw a tennis racquet as a young child. Armed with a huge first serve and strong groundstrokes, Yatsuk has pro aspirations and has played mostly in qualifying events on the USTA Pro Circuit as well as wild card tournaments and not playing in junior tournaments.
After losing the first set 6-4, in front of an interested crowd of approximately 100 fans at The Boulevard, Yatsuk became more aggressive to win the second set against his 19-year-old German opponent, who had beaten him in all four previous meetings, including a 12-and-under tournament in Florida years ago. In the third set, played in cooler temperatures and blustery winds, Yatsuk broke Link at 4-4, benefitting from Link serving three double faults to lose the game.
“I got a little lucky,” admitted Yatsuk of the double faults from Link.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 (www.MardyFishFoundation.com), the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Advance tickets – and sponsorships – for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Season tickets for all 10 days of the competition are available for $100. Daily by-one-get-one free tickets for the qualifying rounds April 21-24 are for sale for $10, with daily tickets for the main draw sessions April 25-30 for sale for $20. A special “Happy Hour” ticket is available for $10 after 5 pm for night sessions on Tuesday, April 25 – Friday, April 28 that includes a featured 7 pm night match. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments. The 2016 event featured 13 players who played Davis Cup for their country and was won by Jonas Luetjen of Germany, who defeated Latvian Davis Cupper Martins Podzus in the final.
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 among others. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Six former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young and Ryan Harrison.
Sixteen-Year-Old Sensation Yatsuk To Play Germany’s Link For Mardy Fish “Wild Card” Title Thursday Night
Sixteen-year-old, six-foot-three sensation Ivan Yatsuk of Bradenton, Florida will face 19-year-old Joel Link of Germany Thursday at 6 pm in the final of the “wild card” tournament for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at The Boulevard tennis club in Vero Beach.
The winner of the Yatsuk – Link match will be awarded a “wild card” or free entry into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the $15,000 U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit “Future” event to be held April 21-30 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
Admission is free to fans wanting to watch the singles final Thursday. The Boulevard bar and grill will be open and offering two for one cocktails.
Yatsuk, who was born in Belarus and who has lived in the United States since the age of three, has blitzed through his three matches this week with his bullet serve and groundstrokes that has had fans comparing him to a young Milos Raonic or John Isner. Yatsuk beat No. 2081-ranked Carlos Utermann of Mexico 6-2, 6-2 in Wednesday’s quarterfinals and top U.S. junior William Howells 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Link has been the No. 2 junior player in Germany behind junior rival Alexander Zverev, now ranked No. 20 in the world. The part-time resident of Sarasota defeated American Rigu George 6-1, 6-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals and No. 1563-ranked Mauricio Resendiz Dominguez of Mexico 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals. Link has been a recent practice partner for Roger Federer and Bernard Tomic.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and 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 a U.S. Davis Cup standout.
Advance tickets – and sponsorships – for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Season tickets for all 10 days of the competition are available for $100. Daily by-one-get-one free tickets for the qualifying rounds April 21-24 are for sale for $10, with daily tickets for the main draw sessions April 25-30 for sale for $20. A special $10 “Happy Hour” ticket is available for $10 after 5 pm for night sessions on Tuesday, April 25 – Friday, April 28 that includes a featured 7 pm night match. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Approximately 3,000 fans annually attend the event, which is seen as one of the best-attended events in the world on the “Futures” level of professional tennis tournaments. The 2016 event featured 13 players who played Davis Cup for their country and was won by Jonas Luetjen of Germany, who defeated Latvian Davis Cupper Martins Podzus in the final.
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 among others. Former Vero Beach competitors have combined to win 19 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. Six former Vero Beach players have gone on to play Davis Cup for the United States – Roddick, Fish, Taylor Dent, Jared Palmer, Donald Young and Ryan Harrison.