Third-seed John Isner, who defeated Donald Young at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger Presented by Comcast at Forestmeadows last week, brings his hot streak into the 2009 Tail Savannah Challenger. He claimed his first championship of the 2009 season in Tallahassee by defeating Young 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
Isner, the former Georgia Bulldog All-American, also recently won the USTA’s wild-card tournament and earned a slot to play in the French Open.
Isner advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Great Britain's James Ward. Earlier in the week he defeated Ramon Delgado in a suspended match 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(2).
The $50,000 tournament at The Landings Club, Franklin Creek Tennis Center, is being played on green clay courts and runs through Sunday, May 10.
The Savannah tournament is part of a seven-week stretch of clay court tournaments on the USTA Pro Circuit consists of 12 tournaments (seven women, five men) offering more than $400,000 in prize money, including six events featuring prize money of $50,000 or more that lead directly into French Open qualifying, which begins the week of May 18.
“As part of the player development process, it’s imperative to take advantage of clay court events, especially those players preparing to qualify for the French Open,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development.
“The clay court portion of the USTA Pro Circuit schedule has served players for much of the last three decades to develop specific aspects of their games to achieve the next level of world-class play,” said Brian Earley, Director, USTA Pro Circuit.
Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jelena Jankovic, Andy Murray, David Nalbandian and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. The USTA Pro Circuit is world-class tennis administered on the local level and played on local tennis courts as part of the fabric of communities nationwide — an opportunity for current and new fans to experience the excitement and intensity of the professional game in their neighborhood.