The Marcus Willis run in Vero Beach has come to an end.
The No. 2-seeded 26-year-old sensation from Wimbledon last summer was defeated Friday in the quarterfinals of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club, falling to No. 6 seed Julien Cagnina of Belgium 6-1, 6-3.
Willis is known for his grass-court style of play, and was simply outmatched by Cagnina, who has much more experience on the clay courts. Cagnina has been ranked as high as No. 255 in the world and has won nine professional singles titles on the ITF Pro Circuit.
“He came out of the blocks very quickly,” Willis said of Cagnina, who won seven of the first eight games of the match. “In these conditions I find it tough to play well, but he did.”
Willis, ranked No. 401 in the latest ATP World Tour rankings, worked his way back into the match early in the second set, but Cagnina wouldn’t let him get a foothold. The Belgian, ranked No. 547 in the world, lost just two of his last 14 service points of the match, and continuously applied pressure on the Willis serve. In the end, Cagnina’s advantage on the clay courts was too much and he knocked Willis out of the event.
“In the second set I got back into it and started playing a bit better, but sometimes you need some luck,” Willis said. “But that’s tennis, it’s fine. You learn and get back on the practice court and go again.”
Willis was defeated in doubles late Thursday night when he and the best man at his recent wedding, Josh Milton, were defeated by Vero Beach resident Daniel Garza of Mexico and Kaichi Uchida of Japan 6-4, 6-3.
Cagnina will face 18-year-old Sam Riffice of Roseville, Calif., in Saturday first semifinal. Riffice easily advanced into a semifinal for the first time in a professional event with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over two-time Vero Beach finalist Facunda Mena of Argentina. It marked the seventh straight win for Riffice this week at Grand Harbor after winning four matches in the qualifying rounds and three matches in the main draw.
In each of his first two matches, Riffice dropped the first set before rolling comfortably in sets two and three. On Friday, Riffice rolled straight from the beginning, getting a break in the third game of the match and, at one point, winning seven games in a row.
“I don’t think I could’ve played a much better first set. I definitely executed my game-plan perfectly,” Riffice said.
Riffice is one of the protégés of Vero Beach resident Ivan Lendl as part of Lendl’s role in the USTA Player Development program. As Riffice was blasting groundstrokes from all corners of the court, Lendl watched quietly and expressionless courtside, just like he is seen on television at all the major tournaments with his other coaching client, world No. 1 Andy Murray.
Vero Beach has been a hot spot for young American players, who train with Lendl at the Windsor Club, where he lives. Last year, another teenager tutored by Lendl, Vasil Kirkov, reached the semifinals at this event. Now, it is Riffice’s turn to succeed here.
“I’ve been lucky to be able to train with the USTA and this group of four of five kids my age, and we all want the same thing,” said Riffice, who is on the verge of cracking the top 1,000 in the ATP World Tour rankings with his results this week.
The most exciting match of the day came when top-seed Calvin Hemery of France escaped a scare in his quarterfinal against Venezuelan Davis Cupper Ricardo Rodriguez, eventually winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes.
Rodriguez had been on a roll, losing only two games in the qualifying rounds, saving two match points in his opening round upset of No. 5 seed Uchida of Japan coming back from a set down in a three-set win over Lukas Ollert of Germany. Rodriguez, playing on his 24th birthday, appeared poised to post another comeback win when he fought off three match points at 40-0, with Hemery serving for the match at 5-4 in the final set and broke serve to even the match. However, he let his next service game slip and Hemery successfully served out the match on his second opportunity.
“Ricardo Rodriguez is a very great player,” Hemery said after the match. “He saved three match points. I think ‘I’m gonna die,’ but I continue to fight and finally I have the win. I am so happy.”
Hemery is now into his second consecutive semifinal and has won nine of his last 11 matches. The 22-year old Frenchman will be looking to go one step further this week than he did last week in Orange Park, Fla., where he lost in the final to Felipe Mantilla of Colombia.
“I want to take my revenge here and win the tournament,” Hemery said, “but first I’m going to think about my semifinal and concentrate. Then we will see.”
Hemery’s semifinal match will take place against Gavin van Peperzeel of Australia. Van Peperzeel beat Hungarian Davis Cupper Peter Nagy 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final quarterfinal that finished at 9:30 pm Friday night. Play will start at 1 pm on Saturday – and hour later than originally advertised – due to singles and doubles play on Friday going later in the night.
The full Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships tournament schedule is as follows. Tournament information can also be found at www.TennisVeroBeach.com
To see Friday’s full schedule, click here: https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/pdfs/20170424_VeroBeach_M_OP.pdf
To see all updated draws, click here: https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-tennis-events/men-s-tournament-information.html
Saturday, April 29 – 1 pm, Main draw singles semifinals
Sunday, April 30 – Noon, Singles and Doubles Finals
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been 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 (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 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 buy-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. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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.
Corporate sponsors and donors for the 2017 tournament include PNC Bank, Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Indian River Medical Center, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation, Indian River Oxygen, Citrus Grillhouse, Coastal Van Lines, Rossway Swan, Publix, Ryan A. Jones and Associates, Tom Collins Insurance Agency, Vocap Partners, Riverside Café, Center Court Outfitters, David Walsh and Associates Real Estate, Peter Bernholz Family, John’s Island Real Estate, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, Steve and Karen Rubin, Rob and Mickey Stein, William Barhorst, Dan Holman, John Klein, Mello Financial Services, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Captain Hiram’s Resort, Absolute Protection Team, Minuteman Press, Technifibre, TeamChristopher.com, Fit for Life Strength, Diamond Resorts International, Wilson, Don Herrema and Lori Ford.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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
Marcus Willis
Marcus Willis Wins Mardy Fish Singles Opener; Plays Singles, Doubles On Thursday
Marcus Willis made a successful singles debut Wednesday night at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships defeating 16-year-old wild card Ivan Yatsuk of Bradenton, Fla. 6-3, 6-1 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
Willis, last year’s Wimbledon Cinderella story advancing from a Wimbledon pre-qualifying tournament to a second-round match against Roger Federer on Centre Court, was never threatened by the hard-serving six-foot-four Belarussian born player, breaking him in the opening service game and cruising to the victory in just over an hour in front of over 300 fans.
“He has lots and lots of weapons,” said Willis of Yatsuk. “He was tough. I had to really dig deep there.”
Willis will play twice on Thursday, playing Collin Johns of Columbus, Ohio in his second round of singles at approximately 4 pm, but not before 3 pm. He and partner Josh Milton will also play their quarterfinal doubles match against Vero Beach’s Daniel Garza of Mexico and Japan’s Kaichi Uchida at 7 pm.
Willis reflected on his experiences at Wimbledon in his post-match press on-court interview, saying, “I signed in for Wimbledon pre-qualies and then I did alright there. So that was good. I ended up getting killed by Federer in front of everyone but it was a great experience nonetheless.”
Of the experience of playing Federer on Centre Court, an experience that millions of people dream of doing, “I looked up for a second and thought I was playing tennis on the Xbox for a second. That’s what each player is playing for. Experiences like that”
While the No. 2 seeded Willis had little trouble reaching the second round, top seed Calvin Hemery of France had a much more difficult time defeating University of Florida commitment Oliver Crawford of Spartanburg, S.C., 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 after a two hour and 34-minute battle.
“Oliver played very good. He made the life hard,” Hemery said. “I’m very happy to win today.”
Hemery failed to close out the win while serving at 5-3 in the final set, but persisted through the next game to break Crawford’s serve the next game to win the match.
Hemery is currently being housed by a local family in Grand Harbor with friend and doubles partner Julien Cagnina of Belgium, and he is enjoying every minute of his stay here. Hemery was very popular and personable with fans at the official tournament party and pro-am on Monday night, even pro-actively asking children in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation programs to hit tennis balls with him. He has even tried his hand at hitting some golf balls.
“I enjoy my week here, it’s very, very nice,” said Hemery, who is turning into a crowd favorite. “You have a beautiful tournament.”
Hemery, ranked No. 298 in the world, has accomplished some impressive feats during his time on tour. The 22-year old Frenchman has played in four ATP World Tour events, including playing doubles at the French Open in 2016.
The most impressive moment of his career so far, though, came in Bastad, Sweden last year when he reached the second round of the ATP World Tour event there, and battled the former world No. 3 David Ferrer of Spain, eventually losing in three sets.
Ty Trombetta of Hollywood, Fla., making his fifth appearance in the main draw in Vero Beach this week, advanced into the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Arthur Surreaux, a native of France who lives in Miami.
“I’ve been rolling so far. Hopefully I can continue,” said Trombetta, who also won four matches in straight sets in the qualifying tournament to reach the main draw.
Trombetta will take on the No. 6 seed Cagnina on Thursday in the second round, and he will be in search of his second quarterfinal appearance in Vero Beach.
“This is one of the really nice Futures,” Trombetta said of the event.
Ricardo Rodriguez of Venezuela, like Trombetta, came through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw this week. In his first round match on Wednesday, Rodriguez, a member of Venezuela’s Davis Cup team, defeated the No. 5 seed from Japan, Kaichi Uchida, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2).
Rodriguez saved two match points when Uchida had a 40-15 lead while attempting to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set. The Venezuelan was able to turn it around in his favor, though, and come back to get the win to set up a second round encounter against Lukas Ollert of Germany.
Thursday’s play will begin at noon with all eight second round singles matches taking place. Each session starts at noon through the remainder of the event with the singles and doubles finals on Sunday, April 30.
The full Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships tournament schedule is as follows. Tournament information can also be found at www.TennisVeroBeach.com
To see Thursday’s full schedule, click here: https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/pdfs/20170424_VeroBeach_M_OP.pdf
To see all updated draws, click here: https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-tennis-events/men-s-tournament-information.html
Thursday, April 27 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles continues
Marcus Willis vs. Collin Johns at approximately 4 pm (not before 3 pm)
Thursday, April 27 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match (Taco and Margarita Night in Food Court)
Marcus Willis/Josh Milton vs. Daniel Garza/Kaichi Uchida on Stadium; Peter Nagy vs. Felipe Mantilla on Grandstand
Friday, April 28 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles continues
Friday, April 28, – 3pm to 5 pm (Kids Day)
Friday, April 28 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match
Saturday, April 29 – Noon, Main draw singles semifinals
Sunday, April 30 – Noon, Singles and Doubles Finals
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been 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 (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 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 buy-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. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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.
Corporate sponsors and donors for the 2017 tournament include PNC Bank, Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Indian River Medical Center, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation, Indian River Oxygen, Citrus Grillhouse, Coastal Van Lines, Rossway Swan, Publix, Ryan A. Jones and Associates, Tom Collins Insurance Agency, Vocap Partners, Riverside Café, Center Court Outfitters, David Walsh and Associates Real Estate, Peter Bernholz Family, John’s Island Real Estate, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, Steve and Karen Rubin, Rob and Mickey Stein, William Barhorst, Dan Holman, John Klein, Mello Financial Services, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Captain Hiram’s Resort, Absolute Protection Team, Minuteman Press, Technifibre, TeamChristopher.com, Fit for Life Strength, Diamond Resorts International, Wilson, Don Herrema and Lori Ford.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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
Wimbledon Sensation Marcus Willis Arrives In Vero Beach, Draws 16-Year-Old Wild Card Ivan Yatsuk
From Wimbledon’s Centre Court playing Roger Federer last summer to a rained soaked stadium court Sunday at Grand Harbor, Marcus Willis has arrived in Vero Beach.
The Wimbledon Cinderella story from last year summer, Willis arrived in Vero Beach and helped officials with the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships Sunday make the singles main draw, where he is the No. 2 seed.
Willis, himself, pulled the chip out of the pewter Grand Harbor Cup trophy that determined his first round opponent, 16-year-old Ivan Yatsuk of Bradenton, Fla., the winner of the wild card singles tournament at The Boulevard last month.
Willis, a native of Slouth, Great Britain, was one of the stories of the tennis world last summer, winning six qualifying matches to reach the main draw of Wimbledon before defeating the No. 54 player in the world, Ricardas Berankis, in straight sets in the first round. That win earned Willis a match-up against one seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, a scenario that millions have dreamed of but only a handful have experienced.
After playing sporadically in the months since then, Willis, ranked No. 404 in the ATP World Tour rankings, is returning to tournament play at this $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures-level event.
“It’s a lovely place, isn’t it?,” said Willis Sunday of Grand Harbor and Vero Breach. “It’s just great to be back on court.”
Willis has only played in six tournaments since his run at Wimbledon, but he made them count. He won a singles and doubles title in Kuwait in November, and also made the final of his most recent tournament, taking place in Shrewsbury, England in February.
In the time since his last tournament, Willis became a father as he and his wife Jenny welcomed daughter Martha May on March 18th.
“There is more to life than hitting a tennis ball around,” Willis said. “I’ve got a reason to succeed now. Not that I didn’t before, but it gives me some extra motivation.”
Willis hopes this tournament and being a father will be a jump start for the rest of his career.
“Play as many tournaments as I can. Stay healthy and try to get my ranking up there,” Willis said about his goals for this year. After playing in Vero Beach this week, Willis hopes to play in some ATP World Tour and challenger-level events during the upcoming grass court season, via wild card invitations thanks to his run at Wimbledon last year that earned him massive media attention and book and movie offers.
Also headlining the main draw this week will be two young American wild card entries, American teenagers Vasil Kirkov and Patrick Kypson, both of whom are part of the USTA’s Player Development program and coached by Vero Beach resident and Hall of Famer Ivan Lendl.
Kirkov, 18 from Tampa, was the sensation from last year’s Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships when he reached the semifinals of the event as a lucky-loser, getting into the main draw after losing in the qualifying round and gaining entry after another player withdrew due to injury. Kirkov’s run in Vero Beach last year saw his ATP World Tour ranking increase by more than 1,000 spots.
Kypson, 17 from Raleigh, N.C., is another promising youngster and he will be making his first appearance in the main draw in Vero Beach. In last year’s event, he fell in the qualifying rounds, but would go on to have very promising results over the next 12 months, including winning a doubles title in Niceville, Florida in November.
Sunday’s rain postponed all the third round qualifying matches, which will resume Monday at 10 am. The final round of the singles qualifying will be held on Tuesday, along with select first round singles and doubles matches in the main draw.
In the doubles wild card tournament concluded Sunday after the rain came through Vero Beach, Isaiah Strode of San Diego and Miles Seemann of Santa Barbara, Calif., won the title – and the entry into the main draw doubles tournament – defeating Rafa Gentil of Brazil and Kurt Thein of Miami 4-2, 4-3 (8-6) using the “FAST4” scoring format.
Monday is highlighted by the Pro-Am starting at 5 pm, with two spots still available for players who want to play with and against tournament players. Tickets to watch the pro-am and be part of the “Tournament Party” are also still for sale for $90 at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com or at the tournament front gate.
The full main draw of singles is as follows in draw order:
(1) Calvin Hemery, France vs Qualifier
Raleigh Smith, United States vs Qualifier
Lukas Ollert, Germany vs Naoki Nakagawa, Japan
Qualifier vs (5) Kaichi Uchida, Japan
(3) Peter Nagy, Hungary vs Daniel Nolan, Australia
Winston Lin, United States vs Felipe Mantilla, Colombia
Qualifier vs Genaro Alberto Olivieri, Argentina
(WC) Junior Alexander Ore, United States vs (8) Gavin van Peperzeel, Australia
(7) Connor Smith, United States vs Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna, Argentina
Qualifier vs Qualifier
Shanve Vinsant, United States vs (WC) Patrick Kypson, United States
Qualifier vs (4) Facundo Mena, Argentina
(6) Julien Cagnina, Belgium vs Gianni Ross, United States
Arthur Surreaux, France vs Qualifier
(WC) Vasil Kirkov, United States vs John McNally, United States
(WC) Ivan Yatsuk, United States vs (2) Marcus Willis, Great Britain
The full Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships tournament schedule is as follows. Tournament information can also be found at www.TennisVeroBeach.com
Monday, April 24 – 10 am, Final round singles qualifying
Monday, April 24 – 5 pm-7 pm Tournament Pro-Am (2 spots still available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com)
Monday, April 24 – 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm “Tournament Party” (tickets are still available at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com)
Tuesday, April 25 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles starts
Tuesday, April 25 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match – “King of the Hill” winner/runner-up James Van Deinse (Vero Beach Tennis Club), Mike Alford (Quail Valley) first-round doubles match
Wednesday, April 26 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles continues
Wednesday, April 26 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match
Thursday, April 27 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles continues
Thursday, April 27 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match (Taco and Margarita Night in Food Court)
Friday, April 28 – Noon, Main draw singles/doubles continues (Kids Day!)
Friday, April 28 – 7 pm, Feature Night Match
Saturday, April 29 – Noon, Main draw singles semifinals
Sunday, April 30 – Noon, Singles and Doubles Finals
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been 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 (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 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 buy-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. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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.
Corporate sponsors and donors for the 2017 tournament include PNC Bank, Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Indian River Medical Center, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation, Indian River Oxygen, Citrus Grillhouse, Coastal Van Lines, Rossway Swan, Publix, Ryan A. Jones and Associates, Tom Collins Insurance Agency, Vocap Partners, Riverside Café, Center Court Outfitters, David Walsh and Associates Real Estate, Peter Bernholz Family, John’s Island Real Estate, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, Steve and Karen Rubin, Rob and Mickey Stein, William Barhorst, Dan Holman, John Klein, Mello Financial Services, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Captain Hiram’s Resort, Absolute Protection Team, Minuteman Press, Technifibre, TeamChristopher.com, Fit for Life Strength, Diamond Resorts International, Wilson, Don Herrema and Lori Ford.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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.
Schedule for Monday, April 24
Stadium
Jose Ricardo Martinez, Mexico vs. (15) Sam Riffice, United States
(5) Eduardo Agustin Torre, Argentina vs. Daniel Garza, Mexico
Christian Vinck, Germany vs. Lorenzo Joaquin Rodriguez, Argentina
Grandstand
Oliver Crawford, United States vs. Zion Heaven, United States
(6) Jonathan Chang, United States vs. Boris Kozlov, United States
Dariusz Lipka, Poland vs. (16) Mauricio Resendiz, Mexico
Court 1
Mac Kiger, United States vs. Matthew Segura, United States
(1)Ricardo Rodriguez, Venezuela vs. Brian Berdusco, United States
Court 2
Kurt Thein, United States vs. (11) Ty Trombetta, United States
Arnav Mohanty, United States vs. (14) Alexandre Rotsaert, United States
(2) Patrick Daciek, United States vs. Richard Torres, United States
Court 3
(7) Pavel Krainik, Canada vs. Jason Legall, United States
(4) Collin Johns, United States vs. Haydn Lewis, Barbados
Trent Bryde, United States vs. (13) Rowland Phillips, Jamaica
Court 4
Dejon Bivens, United States vs. (10) Mark Whitehouse, Great Britain
(3) Alex Blumenberg, Brazil vs. Marcelo Arturo Rodriguez Mojica, Panama
Wimbledon Cinderella Marcus Willis To Play Mardy Fish Children's Foundation Tennis Championships
Marcus Willis, the inspiring Cinderella story from Wimbledon last summer, leads the list of entries into the 2017 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event to be played April 21-30 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Florida.
Last summer, Willis, inspired by meeting a new romantic partner Jennifer Bate at a concert, won six matches in pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds to advance into the main draw of Wimbledon, where he reached the second round before losing to Roger Federer on Centre Court. The story of Willis was one of the best stories in tennis in 2016 – receiving global media coverage, a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd and high praise from Federer.
“This story is gold‚“ Federer said last summer of the Willis Cinderella story. “I think it’s one of the best stories in a long time in our sport. This is the kind of stories we need in our sport.”
Other leading entries into the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships include Peter Nagy, a member of Hungary’s Davis Cup team, Naoki Nakagawa, the 2014 U.S. Open junior doubles champion from Japan, Connor Smith, a former Ohio State All-American and the 2014 singles champion in Vero Beach, and Facundo Mena, the 2014 and 2015 singles runner-up in Vero Beach from Argentina.
Willis is currently ranked No. 409 in the ATP World Tour rankings and will be competing in his first tournament since he became a father to a baby girl last month with Bate, now his wife.
“We are excited to welcome these amazingly talented players from all around the world to Vero Beach where they continue their pursuit of ATP ranking points, prize money and tennis glory in their professional tennis careers,” said Tom Fish, co-tournament director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “It’s exciting to have in our field someone as inspiring as Marcus Willis, whose run last year at Wimbledon was something right out of a Hollywood screenplay. It proves that there is very little that separates players competing in events like our Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships and having the opportunity to play at Wimbledon on Centre Court against Roger Federer.”
Play will begin at Grand Harbor on Friday, April 21 at 8 am for the opening round of the 128-player qualifying tournament, which in 1998 featured future U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick playing his first ever professional matches. The qualifying rounds will continue Saturday, April 22, Sunday, April 23 and Monday, April 24 with play starting at 10 am. The 32-player singles and 16-team doubles main draw tournament will start on Tuesday, April 25 with matches starting at Noon each day through the finals on Sunday, April 30. Special 7 pm night matches will be played Tuesday, April 25 through Friday, April 28, with special “Happy Hour” night tickets being sold starting at 5 pm.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships has been 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 (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 buy-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. Tickets are also sold at the front gate. 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.
Corporate sponsors and donors for the 2017 tournament include PNC Bank, Boston Barricade, George E. Warren Corporation, Indian River Medical Center, Jake Owen Foundation, Syde Hurdus Foundation, Indian River Oxygen, Citrus Grillhouse, Coastal Van Lines, Rossway Swan, Publix, Ryan A. Jones and Associates, Tom Collins Insurance Agency, Vocap Partners, Riverside Café, Center Court Outfitters, David Walsh and Associates Real Estate, Peter Bernholz Family, John’s Island, Gene Simonsen, Michael & Kathleen Pierce, Steve Rubin, Rob Stein, William Barhorst, Dan Holman, John Klein, Mello Financial Services, Ocean Drive Elite Physiques, Rosato Plastic Surgery, Captain Hiram’s Resort, Absolute Protection Team, Minuteman Press, Technifibre, TeamChristopher.com, Fit for Life Strength, Diamond Resorts International, Wilson, Don Herrema and Lori Ford.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing 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.
