LOCAL TO GLOBAL: UTR PRO MATCH SERIES DEBUTS MAY 8 ON TENNIS CHANNEL
As the world begins reopening with caution amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal Tennis is doing its part to improve morale by safely bring tennis competition back to the forefront with a brand new initiative.
ATP world No. 8
Matteo Berrettini, WTA Top 20-player
Alison Riske and rising star
Amanda Anisimova headline the launch of the UTR Pro Match Series presented by Tennis Channel, a string of three-day prize money competitions marking the first live major sporting event with world-class athletes to air nationally in the U.S. since country-wide social distancing and isolation measures came into effect.
Held in the West Palm Beach, Fla. area, there will be no public access to the matches, which meet Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) compliance standards. A chair umpire will be present, with players receiving their own set of marked balls and designated off-court areas, while being responsible for providing their own drinks and towels.
Every match will air live on Tennis Channel and count toward a player’s UTR rating. The men’s tournament is set to run May 8-10, as Americans
Reilly Opelka,
Tennys Sandgren and
Tommy Paul join 2019 US Open semifinalist Berrettini, who has been staying in Florida since mid-March. In addition to Riske and Anisimova, the debut women’s tournament, slated for May 22-24, features former Grand Slam semifinalist
Danielle Collins, along with Australia’s
Ajla Tomljanovic.
“The world has changed and we must adapt and innovate,” said Universal Tennis Chairman & CEO Mark Leschly. “Local, individual and small group play will be the new normal for the foreseeable future. The UTR Pro Match Series showcases how tennis can be played locally, safely and have results count toward the UTR global rating.”
Andy Roddick, whose charisma and quick thinking has seamlessly harmonized with the
Tennis Channel Live team over the past two months, will provide commentary via Skype to kick off coverage on Friday, May 8. Competitors will provide insight to Los Angeles-based Brett Haber and Prakash Amritraj throughout the event by utilizing headset technology.
“We’re excited to work with our longtime partners UTR to bring professional tennis and high-quality live sports coverage back to millions of tennis fans in the United States and Europe during this uniquely challenging moment,” said Ken Solomon, president of Tennis Channel.
Italy's Berrettini will be making his first appearance since being upset by Sandgren in the second round of the Australian Open. Sandgren went on to reach his second quarterfinal at Melbourne Park, where he held seven match points over Roger Federer before falling to the Swiss in a five-set heartbreaker. Just before tour-play was suspended, Opelka triumphed at his hometown event in nearby Delray Beach for his second ATP title, while Paul climbed to a career-best No. 57 on March 2.
Riske, who lost to world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the round of 16 Down Under, was in Olympic-qualifying position as the No. 4-ranked American woman when the rankings were frozen. Anismova, No. 28, knocked off world No. 7 Elina Svitolina in her last match before withdrawing from Doha with gastrointestinal illness. Tomljanovic is currently stationed at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton with Berrettini, and Collins is a native of St. Petersburg, roughly 200 miles northwest of West Palm Beach.
Universal Tennis intends to expand the series internationally, with Tennis Australia already planning events based around local guidelines and restrictions.
