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Mallory Cecil
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There are only two pro events in USTA Southern that have major men's and women's tournaments and one is coming to Lexington, Ky. in July. The world-class action will be hosted at
University of Kentucky Boone Tennis Center July 18-26.
The $100,000 Fifth Third Tennis Championships consist of USTA Pro Circuit touranments, dubbed the minor leagues of tennis. Male players with world rankings from 141 through 349 have already committed to the tournaments. Commitments by similarly ranked women players will be released soon.
Among the Southern stars playing in the tournament are No. 159 Donald Young, No. 221 Scoville Jenkins, Jordan Cox, Bradley Cox, Eric Quigley, Nicholas Monroe, Tennys Sandgren, Davy Sandgren, Lindsay Lee-Waters (winner of the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Charlottesville, Va. in April), Mallory Cecil and Lindsay Burdette.
2008 champion Melanie Oudin, of Marietta, Ga., is having a fantastic 2009; she advanced to the Wimbledon round of 16 and was named to the U.S. Fed Cup team.
The only notable pro event in the Southern Section that includes men's and women's tournaments is the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup that ran concurrently in Memphis, Tenn. in February.
Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 are scheduled for qualifying in Lexington. The main draw starts on Monday, July 20. Tickets are $8 per day or a week-long pass for $30. For more information, go to the
tournament web site.