Mercer Tennis Classic: Top Four Seeds Advance to Singles Semis
10/20/2023 8:59:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
MACON - An exciting week in Macon is coming down the homestretch and semifinals in singles and the final in doubles are set at the Mercer Tennis Classic held this week at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon.
The singles semifinals and doubles final are slated for Saturday. And, for the first time in the history of the Mercer Tennis Classic, the top four seeds have advanced to the singles semifinals.
Top seed Taylor Townsend, ranked No. 77 in singles, is back in Macon this week and playing well. On Friday, she posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over American, Makenna Jones. Townsend took the net away from Jones and used her volleys and overhead to advance.
With the wind gusting over 20 miles per hour, Townsend said she had to make adjustments.
"I didn't really change my tactics, but it messed up my timing," she said. "It hasn't been windy all week, and today it was constantly gusting and not moving in any one direction, so it made it a little more difficult to find my contact point."
Kayla Day, the 2016 champ in Macon took 3 hours and 45 minutes to hold off University of Miami junior Alexa Noel. The pair played 353 points in the almost 4-hour marathon to end the day. An exhausted Day broke Noel to end the match.
Panna Udvardy of Hungary, a 2022 singles finalist, has spent a lot of time on the practice court this week. She spent three hours on court in her quarterfinal match to outlast Raluca Georgiana Serban, a Romanian who now plays for Cyprus.
Katie Volynets has been to Macon before and she apparently likes coming back. The 21-year-old has been the most consistent player all week. She hasn't dropped a set all week, has been getting her first serve in at a 70 percent rate and is converting 61 percent of her break points.
Following Saturday's singles semifinals, the doubles final will be contested with Jana Kolodynska/ Tatiana Prozorova vs. Sofiia Sewing/ Anastasia Tikhonova.
Notes:
About the John Drew Smith Tennis Center
The John Drew Smith Tennis Center (JDSTC) is regarded as one of the top 25 public municipal facilities in the nation by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. It has 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, a beautiful observation deck and pro shop. The facility is a haven for programming for juniors, adults, and everyone in the community. Historic John Drew Smith Tennis Center is renowned for hosting local, state, and national tennis events. Tennis players not only from the state of Georgia but all over the country, are familiar with JDS. Almost every competitive junior player from the state of Georgia in the last 40 years has played at this renowned facility. The activity is so extensive and the atmosphere is so conducive to tennis that, in 2005, Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) named John Drew Smith Tennis Center the Municipal Facility of the Year.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
For more information:
On-site PR contact: Rick Limpert (209) 920-7425 or email: Rick.Limpert@gmail.com
Website: www.ustamaconclassic.com
Twitter: @USTAMacon80K
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaconTennisClassic/
Instagram: mercertennisclassic
The singles semifinals and doubles final are slated for Saturday. And, for the first time in the history of the Mercer Tennis Classic, the top four seeds have advanced to the singles semifinals.
Top seed Taylor Townsend, ranked No. 77 in singles, is back in Macon this week and playing well. On Friday, she posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over American, Makenna Jones. Townsend took the net away from Jones and used her volleys and overhead to advance.
With the wind gusting over 20 miles per hour, Townsend said she had to make adjustments.
"I didn't really change my tactics, but it messed up my timing," she said. "It hasn't been windy all week, and today it was constantly gusting and not moving in any one direction, so it made it a little more difficult to find my contact point."
Kayla Day, the 2016 champ in Macon took 3 hours and 45 minutes to hold off University of Miami junior Alexa Noel. The pair played 353 points in the almost 4-hour marathon to end the day. An exhausted Day broke Noel to end the match.
Panna Udvardy of Hungary, a 2022 singles finalist, has spent a lot of time on the practice court this week. She spent three hours on court in her quarterfinal match to outlast Raluca Georgiana Serban, a Romanian who now plays for Cyprus.
Katie Volynets has been to Macon before and she apparently likes coming back. The 21-year-old has been the most consistent player all week. She hasn't dropped a set all week, has been getting her first serve in at a 70 percent rate and is converting 61 percent of her break points.
Following Saturday's singles semifinals, the doubles final will be contested with Jana Kolodynska/ Tatiana Prozorova vs. Sofiia Sewing/ Anastasia Tikhonova.
Notes:
- One former Macon champion is in the main draw field - Kayla Day (2016)
- Again for 2023 are three evenings of night matches during the week.
- 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.
- Tickets are available at www.ustamaconclassic.com
- The Mercer Tennis Classic has featured players with major titles, including 2014 Macon singles champ, Kateryna Bondarenko, of Ukraine, and her sister, Alona, who she teamed with to win the 2008 Australian Open Doubles title, and 2010 French Open singles champion Francesca Schiavone, of Italy, who was the tournament's top seed in 2018.
- Live streaming is available on USTA.com
- Tournament volunteers are needed and any help is always appreciated. Call Mercer tennis head coach and tournament director Eric Hayes at (478) 301-2269.
About the John Drew Smith Tennis Center
The John Drew Smith Tennis Center (JDSTC) is regarded as one of the top 25 public municipal facilities in the nation by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. It has 22 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, a beautiful observation deck and pro shop. The facility is a haven for programming for juniors, adults, and everyone in the community. Historic John Drew Smith Tennis Center is renowned for hosting local, state, and national tennis events. Tennis players not only from the state of Georgia but all over the country, are familiar with JDS. Almost every competitive junior player from the state of Georgia in the last 40 years has played at this renowned facility. The activity is so extensive and the atmosphere is so conducive to tennis that, in 2005, Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) named John Drew Smith Tennis Center the Municipal Facility of the Year.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
For more information:
On-site PR contact: Rick Limpert (209) 920-7425 or email: Rick.Limpert@gmail.com
Website: www.ustamaconclassic.com
Twitter: @USTAMacon80K
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaconTennisClassic/
Instagram: mercertennisclassic
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