Mercer Tennis Classic Begins Monday With Qualifying Rounds
10/15/2023 7:49:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
Mercer's Teodora Ristic Scheduled To Compete At 3 p.m.
MACON - Professional women's tennis returns to Macon this week with the start of the Mercer Tennis Classic. The event will be held October 16-22 at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon.
Players from more than 20 countries are represented and will be competing for $80,000 and valuable ranking points.
"We have one of the strongest Pro Circuit fields every year," said Tournament Director and Mercer Men's and Women's Tennis Head Coach Eric Hayes. "(We are) excited to have a Mercer player competing in the qualifying draw!"
Atlanta resident Taylor Townsend is currently ranked No. 77 in singles and No. 8 in the world in doubles, and is coming off of a quarterfinal result at the US Open and an appearance in the finals of the 2023 French Open. Almost 40 players who have competed in the Macon event have gone on to compete for Grand Slams in 2023.
Singles qualifying will take place on Monday and Tuesday. Players must win two matches to earn a spot in the singles main draw. Mercer senior Teodora Ristic will take on Jenna DeFalco on Monday at approximately 3pm on Court 9 at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center. Ashley Lahey, ranked No. 330 in the world, is the top seed in qualifying. Lahey plays the fourth match on Court 11. Former Top 25 player, Varvara Lepchenko, is in the qualifying draw.
The women's event will feature a 32-player singles qualifying draw, a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw with a field made up of WTA professional players as well as up-and-coming juniors.
Play begins at 10am on Monday and continues all day.
NOTES:
Players from more than 20 countries are represented and will be competing for $80,000 and valuable ranking points.
"We have one of the strongest Pro Circuit fields every year," said Tournament Director and Mercer Men's and Women's Tennis Head Coach Eric Hayes. "(We are) excited to have a Mercer player competing in the qualifying draw!"
Atlanta resident Taylor Townsend is currently ranked No. 77 in singles and No. 8 in the world in doubles, and is coming off of a quarterfinal result at the US Open and an appearance in the finals of the 2023 French Open. Almost 40 players who have competed in the Macon event have gone on to compete for Grand Slams in 2023.
Singles qualifying will take place on Monday and Tuesday. Players must win two matches to earn a spot in the singles main draw. Mercer senior Teodora Ristic will take on Jenna DeFalco on Monday at approximately 3pm on Court 9 at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center. Ashley Lahey, ranked No. 330 in the world, is the top seed in qualifying. Lahey plays the fourth match on Court 11. Former Top 25 player, Varvara Lepchenko, is in the qualifying draw.
The women's event will feature a 32-player singles qualifying draw, a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw with a field made up of WTA professional players as well as up-and-coming juniors.
Play begins at 10am on Monday and continues all day.
NOTES:
- One former Macon champion in the main draw field - Kayla Day (2016)
- Main draws of singles and doubles will be released on Monday
- Again for 2023 are three evenings of night matches during the week. (Please check the order of play each day for specific matches and times.) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
- 10th Anniversary. The Mercer Tennis Classic will once again feature many of the best women tennis players in the world. It is the second biggest professional tournament in the state of Georgia in terms of prize money (ATP World Tour 250 event - Atlanta Open in July, is the largest). It is also the longest running professional women's tennis tournament in the state of Georgia. The event has been showcased on USTA.com and the Tennis Channel.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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