19 Oct, 2023
2023 Mercer Tennis Classic:
Day, Townsend, Udvardy Advance to Quarters
University of Georgia’s Alexandra Vecic Falls in Second Round
MERCER UNIVERSITY - John Drew Smith Tennis Center - OCT 16 - OCT 22, 2023
USTA Pro Circuit 80K Event
MACON, Georgia, (October 19, 2023) The quarterfinals in singles and semis in doubles are set at the Mercer Tennis Classic held this week at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon.
The singles final eight is a mix. A rising 25 year-old from California, a Cypriot, a college player, last year’s singles finalist and more…
In a week where Taylor Townsend, who is currently ranked No. 77 in singles and No. 8 in the world in doubles, is the top-seed, much has been expected out of the Atlanta resident. She delivered big-time on Thursday. She avenged a loss two weeks ago in Rome, Ga. to McCartney Kessler and seemed to tidy up things in her game. It was about taking the net and aggressive play and it looks like fans in Macon can expect more of that as the week progresses.
Kayla Day, the 2016 champ in Macon continued her efficient play winning 78% of the points on her first serve and converting five of nine break points for a 6-4, 6-1 win.
2022 singles finalist, Panna Udvardy of Hungary was again impressive with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Yullia Starobdubtseva of Ukraine. Perhaps no player has spent more time on the practice court in Macon this week than Udvardy and the extra work appears to be paying off.
University of Georgia player, Alexandra Vecic’s tournament ended on Thursday at the hands of University of Miami player, Alexa Noel. In a battle of two college players, Noel had a little too much for Vecic, who had played long matches just to get into the tournament, 6-4, 6-0.
Results:
Kayla DAY (USA) [2] Tatiana PROZOROVA 6-4 6-1
Raluca Georgiana SERBAN (CYP) Hailey BAPTISTE (USA) [5] 6-7(5) 7-6(0) 6-4
Katie VOLYNETS (USA) [3] Maria MATEAS (USA) 6-3 6-2
Renata ZARAZUA (MEX) [8] Alana SMITH (USA) 6-1 6-2
Alexa NOEL (USA) Alexandra VECIC (GER) 6-4 6-0
Taylor TOWNSEND (USA) [1] Mccartney KESSLER (USA) 6-1 6-4
Panna UDVARDY (HUN) [4] Yuliia STARODUBTSEVA (UKR) 6-2 6-4
Sofia SEWING (USA) [2] / Anastasia TIKHONOVA Victoria OSUIGWE (USA) / Whitney OSUIGWE (USA) 3-6 6-3 [11-9]
Makenna JONES (USA) Ann LI (USA) [6] 6-3 6-4
Catherine HARRISON (USA) / Elvina KALIEVA (USA) Jaeda DANIEL (USA) / Mccartney KESSLER (USA) 4-6 7-6(2) [13-11]
Jana KOLODYNSKA / Tatiana PROZOROVA Akasha URHOBO (USA) / Mia YAMAKITA (USA) 6-3 6-3
Raluca Georgiana SERBAN (CYP) / Renata ZARAZUA Melany Solange KRYWOJ (ARG) / Julia RIERA (ARG)
On and off the court activities: Monday’s included the Volunteer’s Clinic which featured the pros hitting with and giving tips to sponsors and volunteers. High School Day, where high school kids came out all morning to watch the action.
On Tuesday, the Macon Area Tennis Association gave out its annual awards to area players and coaches.
The Mercer Tennis Classic was honored for its 10th anniversary by the USTA.
Notes:
Well attended night matches each evening.
10th Anniversary. The Mercer Tennis Classic will once again feature many of the best women tennis players in the world. It is the second biggest professional tournament in the state of Georgia in terms of prize money (ATP World Tour 250 event - Atlanta Open in July, is the largest). It is also the longest running professional women’s tennis tournament in the state of Georgia. The event has been showcased on USTA.com and the Tennis Channel.
Tickets are available at www.ustamaconclassic.com
The Mercer Tennis Classic has featured players with major titles, including 2014 Macon singles champ, Kateryna Bondarenko, of Ukraine, and her sister, Alona, who she teamed with to win the 2008 Australian Open Doubles title, and 2010 French Open singles champion Francesca Schiavone, of Italy, who was the tournament’s top seed in 2018.
Live streaming on USTA.com
Tournament volunteers are needed and any help is always appreciated. Call Mercer tennis coach and tournament director Eric Hayes at (478) 301-2269.