The 2018 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, Vero Beach’s $15,000 “Futures” professional tennis tournament – one of the longest-running and best attended events on the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit – will be played April 20-29 at the Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club.
It will mark the 17th time that Grand Harbor has hosted the event, returning as the site last year after a hiatus of seven years. The event benefits the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games.
“We are excited to once again host at Grand Harbor in Vero Beach some of the world’s most talented young tennis players as they attempt to earn ATP ranking points and make their way up in the world of pro tennis,” said Tom Fish, Chairman of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation. “We are very grateful for all of the support from the Vero Beach community to help raise money for our foundation that benefits children in Indian River County and beyond.”
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.
Tournament tickets and sponsorships 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
The annual USTA Vero Beach Futures has an economic impact of approximately $500,000 per year on the Vero Beach local economy. 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 in Vero Beach 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.
Last year, Calvin Hemery of France won the singles title defeating top American teenager Sam Riffice in the final. Recent notable tournament entries include 2016 Wimbledon sensation Marcus Willis of Great Britain, who reached the singles and doubles quarterfinals last year, and Denis Shapovalov of Canada, the ATP World Tour’s Most Improved Player in 2017, who reached the semifinals in Vero Beach in 2016.
Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club is majestically set upon the Indian River in Vero Beach, and overlooks a mile of scenic Intracoastal Waterway. Grand Harbor presents exceptional value with two nationally acclaimed golf courses, an oceanfront beach club, a richly appointed Mediterranean-style clubhouse, 10 Har-Tru court tennis complex and fully equipped fitness center. A diverse enclave of home designs captures the essence of a romantic Mediterranean Village. A 144-slip, deep water protected, Marina is also located in the Grand Harbor Community for boating enthusiasts. Exciting new construction began in 2016 with plans for more than 200 new residences including condominiums, courtyard homes, estate homes and direct riverfront homes with prices from the mid 400′s to over two million. For more information please visit www.GrandHarbor.com or www.grandharborverobeach.com.
USTA Pro Circuit
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.
World-Ranked Mexicans, Top American Juniors, “King of the Hill” Champion Highlight This Week’s Mardy Fish Wild Card Tournament At The Boulevard
Two world-ranked players from Mexico, top American junior players and the recently-crowned “King of the Hill” champion highlight the field at this week’s “Wild Card” tournament for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships being held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach.
The winner of the event will receive a “wild card” invitation to play in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit “Futures” event that will be held April 21-30 at Grand Harbor Golf and Beach Club.
Mexico’s Carlos Ramirez Uterman and Mauricio Resendiz Dominguez, who both currently have ATP World Tour rankings, highlight the “Wild Card” singles field, along with highly-regarded American junior Williams Howells, who competed in the main draw of last year’s Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, and 16-year-old Ivan Yatsuk of the United States. James Van Deinse of the Vero Beach Tennis Club, winner of the 22nd annual “King of the Hill” competition last week to earn a main draw doubles wild card into the Mardy Fish Futures, is also competing.
Admission to this “Wild Card” tournament is free and play begins Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 11 am and includes two of the “King of the Hill” finalists competing in evening matches – Van Deinse playing Viju George of the United States at 6 pm and Uterman playing Bryant Mohns of the United States at 7 pm.
Play continues with quarterfinal matches starting at 9:30 am on Wednesday, March 1 and semifinal matches later on Wednesday night at 6 pm. The final match will be played Thursday night, March 2 at 6 pm.
All matches are best of three sets with a 10-point Super Tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set.
The full event draw can be found below.
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.
2017 “Wild Card” Tournament For Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships
Draw
Mauricio Resendiz Dominguez (MEX)
Vs. Bye (Next Match 9:30 am Wednesday)
11 am Tuesday
Emilio Van Cotthem (USA)
Vs. Richard Torres (USA)
6 pm Tuesday
James Van Deinse (USA)
Vs. Viju George (USA)
11 am Tuesday
Sage Leaman (USA)
Vs. Joel Link (GER)
William Howells (USA)
Vs. Bye (Next Match 9:30 am Wednesday)
Noon Tuesday
Alejandro Valencia (COL)
Vs. Drew Bochte (USA)
Noon Tuesday
Ivan Yatsuk (USA)
Vs. Dave Weltz (USA)
7 pm Tuesday
Bryant Mohns (USA)
Vs. Carlos Ramirez Uterman (MEX)
The Boulevard To Host Wild Card Tournament For Mardy Fish USTA Pro Circuit Futures
The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida will host the second of two wild card singles events for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, Tuesday, Feb. 28 through Thursday, March 2. The event will be held the day after the conclusion of the qualifying rounds for the $15,000 F9 USTA Pro Circuit event in Orlando, Florida.
The winner of the event will be awarded a main draw singles wild card, or direct entry, into the 2017 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships to be played April 25-30 at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, located across the street from The Boulevard.
Entry fees, that benefit the non-profit Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, are $60. Credit card entries are now being accepted at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com and cash/check entries can be facilitated by emailing Randy Walker at RWalker@NewChapterMedia.com and Christophe Delavaut at christophedelavaut@mac.com Matches, played on clay courts, will be best-of-two sets with a 10-point super tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set.
The Boulevard was the previous tournament site for the USTA Vero Beach Futures event from 2009 until last April.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) is a non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games. The foundation 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.
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.
Tickets for fans for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships are available for advanced sale at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Admission for children 18 and under is free. Fans can follow news and developments on the tournament on Facebook and on Twitter at @VeroFutures. 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.
Draws, Schedule Announced For Wild Card Events For Mardy Fish Children's Foundation Championships
The following is the singles draw and schedule for the wild card tournament for the $10,000 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championship at the Tennis Resort at ESPN Wild World of Sports at Disney Tennis in Orlando. The winner of this event will receive a main draw wild card into the $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Vero Beach, Florida – The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships – to be played April 22 – May 1 at The Boulevard Tennis Club. The doubles draw will be made Saturday at 9:30 am (Email Randy Walker at Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com if you wish to be a last minute entry). The winning doubles team will also receive a main draw wild card into the Mardy Fish doubles draw in Vero Beach. The doubles schedule will be played around the singles draw and will be completed on Sunday.
FIRST ROUND MATCHES
Friday, April 1 at 3 pm
Daniel Levitan vs.
Antonio Balau
Leo Aro vs.
Lucas Oncins
Rafael Cunha vs.
Gabriel Andrew
Igor Schattan vs.
Xande Moutran
Vasco Belaunde vs.
Reece Wild
Gabriel Sanchez vs.
Jack Najjar
Chris Evans vs.
Tayjhon McGee
Ben Adrian vs.
Carlos Pinel
ROUND OF 16 MATCHES
Saturday 9 am
Levitan/Balau winner vs.
Adam Ambrozy
Aro/Oncins winner vs.
Chanon Phunsawat
Chunha/Gabriel winner vs.
Kyle Frankel
Schattan/Moutran winner vs.
Andrew Blair
Belaunde/Wild winner vs.
Jordi Redelijk
Sanchez/Najjar winner vs.
David Crisovan
Evans/McGee winner vs.
Ivan Yatsuk
Adrian/Pinel winner vs.
Jonathan Medina
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday 1 pm
SEMIFINALS
Sunday 9 am
FINAL
Sunday 1 pm
The draw for the wild card tournament in Palm Beach Gardens at BallenIsles Country Club is available here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=184980#&&s=7Draws3