Delray Beach

Coco Gauff To Play Billie Jean King Cup Match For USA In Hometown of Delray Beach, Florida

February 3, 2023 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The USTA announced that Coco Gauff and the United States Billie Jean King Cup Team will play at the Delray Beach Tennis Center April 14-15 in a 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifying competition vs. Austria.

Billie Jean King Cup – celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023 – is the ‘World Cup of Tennis,’ with more than 100 nations competing every year. The Qualifying competition is one of nine being held around the world in April, with the winners of each advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this fall to compete for the title. The United States leads all nations in all-time titles, with 18.

The Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that begins Friday, April 14, with two singles matches. Two reverse singles matches and a doubles match will follow on Saturday, April 15, with an amended Saturday schedule possible if one nation clinches victory in the third or fourth singles match.

Gauff is set to compete for the American team and Captain Kathy Rinaldi, who will nominate a total of four or five players to compete against the Austrians. The historical roster of U.S. Billie Jean King Cup participants is a veritable tennis hall of fame, and the U.S. currently has nine players ranked in the singles Top 50. The final team nominations will be made no later than March 13.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, February 7, via Ticketmaster.com, and are available for as low as $25 per day. Single- and two-day ticket packages are available. Visit usta.com/billiejeankingcup for more information.

USTA members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance through an exclusive presale beginning today and running through Monday, or while supplies last.

Billie Jean King Cup events have had demonstrative effects on the local communities they’ve visited in recent years, with last year’s Qualifying event held in Asheville, N.C., generating an anticipated $8 million for the local economy.

“The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is thrilled to host the Billie Jean King Cup in The Palm Beaches,” said George Linley, Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “This is a premier international team tennis event that will be exciting for sports fans around the world as well as our local hospitality and business community which will benefit greatly from the economic impact brought by an influx of visitors.”

The U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team has played at the Delray Beach Tennis Center three times before, in 2005, 2007 and 2013, when the competition was known as Fed Cup. The U.S. went 3-0 in those competitions, with the 2013 matches featuring Serena and Venus Williams. The Americans last played in Florida in 2017, defeating the Czech Republic in Tampa en route to winning the title that year.

“We are excited to welcome the Billie Jean King Cup to Delray Beach,” said Laura Bowen, Executive Director of USTA Florida. “From Chris Evert to Serena Williams, Florida tennis courts have served as the proving ground for many great champions of the women’s game. We can’t wait to cheer on Florida’s own Captain Kathy Rinaldi, the incredible Coco Gauff and the entire U.S. team, as they show the world the power of women’s tennis to inspire, engage and win over a new generation of players and fans.”

Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team.

After Delray Beach Return, Juan Martin del Potro Faces Next Test In Indian Wells

March 2, 2016 by tennisbloggers

Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

Juan Martin del Potro made his return to tennis last month in Delray Beach, Florida after an 11-month absence due to recurring wrist problems. While he didn’t win the tournament, which nobody, not even himself, should have expected, he came out of the event with a very positive outlook and is eager to continue his progression towards playing full time on the ATP World Tour again.

In his post-match press conference after his loss to Sam Querrey in the semifinals of the ATP 250 event, del Potro was clearly disappointed, yet still exclaimed his satisfaction with the overall result he came up with this week. Beating a Top 30 player, a promising young American, and an inspired qualifier en route to the semifinals in Delray Beach were all impressive results for the Argentinian in his return event. While Denis Kudla and Jeremy Chardy didn’t play their best tennis in their matches against del Potro, it was still an impressive feat for him to knock out two Top 70 players in his first live match action since Miami in 2015.

In the loss to Querrey, the American was able to dominant his service games and crush the ball from anywhere on the court, forcing del Potro to move around and hit more backhands than he would have liked. The American only lost nine points on serve throughout the match and didn’t have to face a single break point, allowing him to relax on del Potro’s service games and apply pressure. The pressure built up at the latter stages of both sets, allowing Querrey to break at 5-5 in both sets, giving him the 7-5, 7-5 win. Querrey’s high level of play in the match can give del Potro some relief as it was arguably the best match that Querrey had played all week.

Despite the loss, Del Potro stated in his post-match press conference that he felt as if he had “won more than a tournament,” a sign that he is more than happy with where his game currently is. The 2009 US Open champion confirmed that he will be accepting a wild card to play in the masters level event in Indian Wells, and is well aware of what he needs to work on to improve his game before then.

The competition in Indian Wells surely will most likely be tougher than what del Potro came across in Delray Beach, and will possibly give a better test as to where he truly is with his game. While the entire tennis world is glad to have one of the best players in the world back on tour, no one is happier that del Potro is back on the court than del Potro himself, stating that he is “so glad to play tennis again.” After both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, he expressed how tired he was, but his happiness could not be hidden behind his exhaustion.

Del Potro stated that he has “many positive things to take from” his experience in Delray Beach as he looks forward to continuing to take the next steps in his comeback.

Sam Querrey Beats Rajeev Ram In Delray Beach Final

February 21, 2016 by tennisbloggers

by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

In the first all-American final on the ATP tour since April of 2015, Sam Querrey defeated Rajeev Ram 6-4, 7-6 in the Delray Beach Open final. Playing in good conditions with a neutral crowd, Querrey proved to be the better player on the day, crushing his serve and simply playing at a more consistent level throughout the match.

The first set saw Ram jump out to a quick lead by breaking Querrey in the first game of the match. This was a surprise in itself as Querrey came from not facing a single break point in the semifinals against Juan Martin Del Potro, to being broken in the first game of the final. Querrey was not phased, though, as he managed to break right back in the next game to get back on serve. Aside from one game at 3-3 where Querrey was taken to deuce, the set was straightforward until Ram served at 4-5. After going up 40-15 in the game, Ram dropped four consecutive points as Querrey managed to break to win the set, 6-4.

The second set got off to a similar start as the first as Ram opened it up by breaking Querrey, this time at love. Ram was able to consolidate in his first service game of the set, but came across trouble serving at 2-1. Querrey managed to fight back from 40-30 to win three points in a row to get the break and level the set at 2-2. This time, both servers were able to see things through to the tiebreak with only a few hiccups along the way. Ram saved a break point at 2-3, while Querrey double faulted on consecutive points after going up 40-15 in his 5-5 service game. Both players were able to hold their nerve in those respective situations, though, sending the second set to a tiebreak.

Ram got off to a good start in the tiebreak, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and eventually holding a 5-2 lead. From there, Querrey managed to win three points in a row to get back on serve in the tiebreak, before saving a set point with an ace at 5-6. After the second change of ends with the score at 6-6, Querrey earned a match point and took advantage of it by hitting an impressive running forehand passing shot that just barely clipped the baseline to win the title.

Querrey and Ram both stated in their press conferences that they felt a little nervous throughout the match, mostly because of the fact they know each other so well. Querrey claimed that what got him through the match and to the title was simply the willingness to win, as he claimed that he had to resort to “ugly tennis” to get the win. Playing at a level below his best yet still managing to win a tournament gives Querrey loads of confidence as he heads into an important part of the season with the Indian Wells-Miami double coming up.

The title for Querrey is his eighth on the ATP World Tour, six of which have come on American soil, but his first since the summer of 2012. The win will cause Querrey’s ranking to jump to No. 43 in the world, the highest his ranking has been since September of 2015.

After a down season in 2015 in which Querrey lost in the first round of half the events he played in, he has been able to get off to a decent start this season, making the veteran American feel great about where his game is right now. The title in Delray Beach was preceded by a semifinal run in Memphis where he was only stopped by Kei Nishikori in a three-setter. Looking forward, Querrey has plenty of room for his ranking to improve in 2016 as he has very little to defend. Other than trying to defend two finals appearances, both of which will come before Wimbledon, he only has second round points to defend for the rest of the year, which Querrey is one bright side of “having a crappy year.”

For Ram, he is disappointed to have lost in the final, but making it that far was surely a pleasant surprise for him. Battling past Bernard Tomic in the first round, fighting back from a set and a break down in the quarterfinals against Benjamin Becker, and beating Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals will be enough for Ram to look back at this week as a huge positive, although he did state that “you never come into a tournament hoping to lose in the first round” when asked if he was pleased with his run this week.

Not only are the match results impressive for Ram, but he will also now jump to a new career high ranking of No. 60, blowing past his previous career high of No. 78. This run will give Ram the confidence needed to continue his success throughout the rest of the 2016 season as he will look to defend his title in Newport in the summer and attempt to finish in the Top 100 in back-to-back years for the first time in his career.

Ram stated that he feels as if he is currently playing the best tennis of his career and has high hopes for the rest of the 2016 season. His plan for the rest of the year is to see where he is ranked after Miami and schedule accordingly his events in Europe. He wants to be well rested for the grass court season and North American hard court swing in the summer, the time of the year in which he feels that he plays his best tennis.

After an event in which many people around the tennis world expected Kevin Anderson, Del Potro, and Dimitrov to have the best weeks, it is two Americans who come out on top and head into the rest of their seasons with confidence.

John Patrick Smith Upsets Ivo Karlovic In Delray Beach Open First Round

February 16, 2016 by tennisbloggers

by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

Australian qualifier John-Patrick Smith was able to upset Ivo Karlovic on Monday in the first round of the Delray Beach Open with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win. After battling through two qualifying rounds to earn his spot in the main draw, Smith now has a great opportunity to have a great run in Delray.

The match started off in an unexpected manner as Smith was the one dominating his service games, allowing him to apply pressure in Karlovic’s. The Australian was able to break at love early and only lose three points on serve throughout the set to run out to a one set lead.

The second set was tight throughout as neither player was able to get a break chance until the Croat made an inroad in Smith’s final service game of the set at 3-4. Karlovic took advantage of the only break point of the set and won the second, appearing to end the possible upset bid.

Smith, though, kept his composure and was able to continue his fight into the third set holding his first two games with ease before earning three break points at 2-1. Smith was able to convert on the third and win the 16 point game, before going on to hold comfortably two more times. At 5-2 up in the third, Smith was able to seal the upset, getting another break to close out the match.

Smith’s impressive win over Karlovic was just his third Top 100 win and fourth win at the ATP level. The previous three wins, one of which came against countryman Bernard Tomic, all came in Newport in 2015 as Smith made a dream run to the semifinals before losing to eventual titlist Rajeev Ram.

Smith’s run through qualifying in Delray saw him win two tight three setters against two very different opponents. In the opening round, he fought off an inspired performance from the Russian youngster Andrey Rublev before wearing him down with his veteran experience for a 4-6 6-3 6-0. The final round saw Smith dispatch the Colombian veteran Alejandro Falla in a topsy turvy match. Falla dominated the second set, but Smith dominated the first and third sets, breaking four times and saving all five break points he faced, allowing him to earn a spot in the main draw.

Smith had the unfortunate luck of getting what appeared to be the worst draw for the qualifiers in Karlovic, as Radu Albot drew Benjamin Becker, and Tatsuma Ito and Dennis Novikov drew each other. The Australian proved that theory to be wrong, though, with his three set win over the Croat.

While John-Patrick Smith may be a relatively unknown name to the majority of tennis fans, he is a hero to those who spend most of their attention following matches at the lower levels of tennis. Smith’s old school style of play is a pleasure to watch as he keeps his opponent and the crowd guessing as to what shot he will hit next. His competitive yet composed style of play has propelled him to a great amount of success already in his career, but he continues to improve each year and looks for more success.

Smith first splashed onto the scene with four dominant years of tennis at the University of Tennessee. He accumulated numerous impressive records during his time playing college tennis, including being named the Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year across all sports in 2011, becoming the first Tennessee Volunteer to win the award since Peyton Manning in 1998.

Smith was also able to lead Tennessee to conference championships in 2010 and 2011, also making the NCAA finals in 2011. Individually, Smith was able to reach the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles during his time in college, while making the NCAA doubles final in 2010 and 2011. Once his time was done in Knoxville, Smith left as the career combined wins leader with 152 singles wins and 146 doubles wins, for a total of 298.

His success in college quickly transferred to the pro circuit as he was able to win his first futures title in April of 2012, before winning his first challenger title in July. 2012 was also a very successful year for him in doubles as he won five titles and made two finals, all with countryman John Peers.

2013 was more of the same for Smith as he managed to make six more doubles finals, winning three of them. He was also able to make his main draw debut at a major, losing in the first round of the Australian Open to Joao Sousa, before making five quarterfinal appearances on the challenger circuit and winning another futures title.

Smith’s career really began to take off starting in 2014, as he made it through the qualifying draw of an ATP event for the first time at Indian Wells, giving him the confidence and momentum that sent him into the Top 200 for the first time in his career. From there, he was able to make a challenger final and two more semifinals in 2014.

2015 was another big year for the Australian as he was able to qualify in Delray Beach, at Wimbledon, and at the US Open, while also winning a challenger, making a challenger final, and making his aforementioned semifinal run in Newport.

At only 27 years of age, Smith has possibly not even reached his prime yet. He certainly still has some goals to achieve as he is still searching his first win in a main draw of a major and is looking to crack the Top 100. His career high ranking is No. 108 in the world, and his win over Karlovic in Delray Beach will help propel him a little closer to the elite level of the Top 100.

While Smith continues to set new goals for himself with each new year of his career and aspires to keep getting better, he can look back at his previous accomplishments and be proud of where he has gotten in his career so far. The biggest testament of success that Smith may have in his career is that his year-end singles ranking has increased every year since he began playing on the tour full time. His 2015 year-end ranking of 129 is better than where he currently sits, but if Smith can continue to have more results like he is having right now in Delray Beach, he will have no problem increasing his year-end ranking again, possibly entering the Top 100 for the first time.

Delray Beach Junior tennis: breadsticks, bagels, and Moral Kombat

April 8, 2008 by Erwin Ong

Only John Butler and his team — the same one who brought us the Volley Girls and courtside graffiti — could have come up with the wildest press release I have ever seen in my short journalism life. I guess the point of the piece is to bring attention to the happenings at the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 12 Spring National Championships in Delray Beach, Fla (and to not end up in the round file). Lest this story be forgotten, I am doing my part to preserve it on the internets. Whoever you are, Marlena Hall, I would love to pick your brain…
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Day 1 of Nationals contests the inner grit of Players’ “Moral Kombat”
Delray Beach—Question: What do you get when you put the upper portion of the number “2”, on top of a breadstick which rests on top of a bagel? Answer: A question mark.
Confused? Watching Keisha Clousing (5) (Wheaton, IL) compete in the USTA Boys’ & Girls’ 12 Spring National Championships hosted by the City of Delray Beach, April 6-12, 2008, against Nikki Kallenberg (Naples, FL), was certainly a conundrum. After winning the first set 6-1, Clousing lost her clout and momentum in the second and couldn’t garner a game. Luckily to the grace of the sport, the rules allowed a ten-minute “recharge” where players could smooth things over with their coaches and parents and figure out the strategy necessary to prevail in the 3rd set. As these little legions prepared to re-enter the battlefield, each player walked on court believing they were going to win, but somewhere along the baseline, confidence was punctured and mental strength was challenged. But it was Keisha Clousing’s coach, Joey McWilliams, who helped “motivate” her to believe this simple, none-pressure packed statement: “Keisha, you are the 5th seed of this National tournament. You need to win this.” And *poof*, Clousing conquered—6-1, 0-6, 6-2.
Ah, now the “breadstick” joke is making sense. Whilst on the topic of food, it seems necessary to speak on Keisha Clousing’s nutritional preparation prior to her Day 1 afternoon victory. Just twenty minutes prior to her match , Keisha felt a roar in her tummy. What was on the menu? Six McNuggets and an ice cream parfait. Perhaps this meal contributed to the slight tardiness to her match, but make no matter, Clousing was calm about her chances. “I can always rely on my serve, especially my placement of it. I’m a good all-court player and like my feel on my forehand and backhand. But if my serve is on, I’m OK,” Clousing swanked. I then asked her what she would advise her opponent [Kallenberg] if she was her coach, she replied, “I’d tell her to stay positive, especially in the third set. She played really well and had the momentum in the second set. I would have made her keep it up.” Healthy comments from a not-so-healthy tournament eater. But for purely positive poise and great mental strength, we have made a ‘healthy choice’ to award you, Ms. Keisha Clousing, as our Day 1 Girls’ 12 Player of the Day!
On a separate pair of chromosomes, two fired-up ‘dura’cells, Benjamin “General” Tso (17) (Lexington, MD) and Andrew Mason (Webster, NY) displayed energizer strength as they kept ‘going and going and going’ all the way to a third set. But as the “General” realized his 17th-seeded flag was potentially under enemy control, he sounded an order to capture the third set which catapulted him to a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 conquest. Tso may have won his ‘flag’ but in the 12s Nationals, an optimistic and self-constructive sense of self when defeated often indicates future success in tournament scuffle. Because Andrew Mason built his temple on a foundation of “Moral Kombat”, we’d like to award him, Andrew Mason, as our Day 1 Boys’ 12 Player of the Day!

A closer look at the courts of Delray Beach

February 19, 2008 by Erwin Ong

The organizers of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships love to push the marketing envelope. Sometimes, us fans end up with fashion anthrax; other times, we end up with a love letter, S.W.A.K.

We swooned after seeing photos of the tourney’s show court backdrop; the blue waves were the brainchild of ITC director John Butler. He partnered with Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hall, who underwrote the fee of trio of artists involved with the project: Doug Hoekzema of Pompano Beach and Angel Mir and Brandon Opalka of Miami.

The waves were digitally designed and printed on vinyl. They then beefed up the mural with airbrushing and painting by hand.

On the court, extending out from the end zone walls from six to ten feet, the artists painted waves directly on the surface. (Take that, Zurich!) The court took three days to prep another three days to paint.
More: See more close-ups of the mural after the cut…

Week 6 Preview: Costa do Sauipe, Delray Beach, Marseille

February 11, 2008 by Around the ATP Team

Costa do Sauipe (Brasil Open)

Main Draw Singles

Main Draw Doubles

As expected, the only ATP tournament played in Brazil is full of clay court specialists. Carlos Moya comes back to play there after missing it last year; he is the top seed. He has an interesting first round match against Santiago Ventura, but he’s the favorite to go through to the second round. Agustin Calleri is in his quarter and that should be a great match if both get that far, though the Argentine would have to beat tough guys like Sergio Rotiman and Pablo Cuevas. In the second quarter, Igor Andreev is by far the biggest favorite even though Jose Acasuso’s in the same section. Two Brazilians are also in that same quarter with tough first round matches. Marcos Daniel faces Peter Luczak, who’s played a semifinal at the Brasil Open before and Bellucci faces Nicolas Lapentti.
In the third quarter, Potito Starace’s back after his ban for betting on tennis matches. In the same quarter, we’d have to mention both Fabio Fognini and Gustavo Kuerten, who will open against Carlos Berlocq. In the last quarter, the favorites are second seed Nicolas Almagro, who has a good draw, and Filippo Volandri; both of these players really good on clay. Nicolas Massu and Guillermo Coria are both in this quarter as well.
This year’s tournament should be really interesting, considering it will be the last time the three-time Roland Garros Champion Gustavo Kuerten plays the tournament in his own country. It’s also important to remember that the tournament might be played in another city (São Paulo) in 2009, so it might be the last year for the event in Costa do Sauipe. Also, none of last year’s semifinalists are playing at ths year’s event.
Delray Beach

Main Draw Singles

Main Draw Doubles

While Delray Beach is typically the week right after the Australian Open, it was pushed back two weeks this year and instead follows the First Round Davis Cup ties; in fact, the draw is full of players who will be arriving from all corners of the globe.
Headliner and top seed James Blake is already on his way from Austria and will arrive home in Florida to see quite an easy draw. He opens against compatriot Robert Kendrick, but despite the inevitable jetlag, it’s hard to see him not coming through this section of the draw.
In the second quarter, although Dudi Sela is the highest-ranked player and #4 seed, he will be coming off a disappointing Davis Cup tie in Israel and faces potentially formidable competition in Robby Ginepri (if he’s healthy from the neck/back problems that plagued him during the Australian season) and #8 seed Mardy Fish (if he brings his brain down to Delray Beach).
The third quarter of the draw is led by American seeds Sam Querrey and Vince Spadea. It’s likely that the two will play each other in the Quarterfinals.
The fourth quarter is probably the most interesting. Tommy Haas is the #2 seed and makes his first appearance of 2008 after missing the entire Australian season due to his recovery from another shoulder injury. Whether he is 100% fit to play and fully recovered remains to be seen. If he wins, he could face another interesting story in defending champion Xavier Malisse, still coming back from injury after missing most of last year, who has had great success in Delray Beach in years’ past – it is where he was finally able to claim his first ATP Title in 2005 after a dismal record in finals. Malisse has also played two other finals in Delray and has won the doubles title. Florian Mayer will be coming from Davis Cup duties in Germany, giving rising American Donald Young a chance to finally make a splash in an ATP tournament.
Marseille

Main Draw Singles

Main Draw Doubles

Marseille is by far the strongest event of the week, featuring more prize money and a field that includes three top 10 players in Novak Djokovic, Richard Gasquet, and new top 10er Mikhail Youzhny, all coming off of Davis Cup play this weekend.
Novak Djokovic heads the draw but his fitness is in question after retiring in today’s Davis Cup match. If Djokovic is fit, he should make the quarters where he would face the always tough Paul-Henri Mathieu in a very intriguing match. This little section also contains tough Frenchmen Michael Llodra, Marc Gicquel, and defending champion Gilles Simon. In the second quarter, Andy Murray returns after leaving his country high and dry in Argentina due to a “knee injury.” Also in this quarter, 2007 Brazil Open runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero makes an interesting decision to play indoors instead of in Brasil on his beloved clay, and more tough Frenchmen including Nicolas Mahut and Sebastien Grosjean could be dangerous.
The third quarter of the draw is full of good players and potential title threats. Defending finalist Marcos Baghdatis, whose coach stepped down last week, faces a difficult second round match between either Ivo Karlovic and Feliciano Lopez, which should be an exciting encounter (not). Should Baghdatis make it through to the quarterfinals, he will likely face Youzhny in a rematch of an excellent quarterfinal match at this event last year. However, Youzhny has a tough opener in rising Croatian Marin Cilic, who has posted excellent results this year.
The stars of the fourth quarter are France’s top 2 players – Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who will be looking to meet in the quarterfinals, which would be an interesting rematch of their Australian Open Round of 16 match and quite a big deal in France. But first, Tsonga must get past Mario Ancic, a former top player who is trying to come back from various ilnesses and injuries. Also in this quarter, Robin Soderling returns to the tour after an extended injury break. Soderling will open against tough Fin Jarkko Nieminen, a semifinalist here last year.