ICTC Chosen as Beneficiary of the CLEVELAND OPEN
It has been 34 years since a professional tennis event was hosted in Cleveland, and some of our ICTC youth will be lucky to see first-hand some great professional matches. Inner City Tennis Clinics is the beneficiary of the Cleveland Open, sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, an ATP Challenger 90 event January 28 through February 3rd at Cleveland Racquet Club. Players will be fighting for a prize purse of $81,240 and the winner will take home 90 ATP Tour ranking points as well.
ICTC will have a chance to showcase our work on Friday night, February 1st as two of our staff members perform one of their poems, as well as flip the coin before the evening matches. They should take stage on court about 6:45 pm on center court.
The first-year event is being run by Topnotch Management, a sports agency based in the Larchmere neighborhood that manages some of the top ATP and WTA players in the world, including American #1 male, John Isner. The tournament is the brainchild of Shaker Heights resident and Topnotch Management president, Sam Duvall who explained, “Cleveland is a city that shows incredible support for its sports but hasn't been able to get out for a pro tennis event since 1985. We know there's an appetite for tennis here and we hope the Cleveland Open can become an annual part of the winter sports landscape here in the city.”
The week-long event features a 48-man singles draw packed with veterans and prospects alike. ATP stars Thomaz Bellucci and Victor Estrella Burgos, both of whom are multiple ATP Tour title winners. Americans will also have a strong presence, with Donald Young, Tim Smyczek, Tommy Paul, and the tournament will still be announcing a slate of exciting wildcards into the event, as well.
The tournament aims to support and engage the local community, both by making admission free for early round matches Monday through Thursday, and through its partnership with the Inner City Tennis Clinics. ICTC will receive 10% of ticket sales from Friday through Sunday of the tournament.
“The tournament has really felt the interest of the community and I know tournament week will be an exciting time here in the city. None of this would be possible without the support of Cleveland Clinic, ICTC and our other sponsors. The Cleveland Racquet Club is an exceptional venue, and we're looking forward to getting things started on January 28th”, said tournament director, Kyle Ross.
