Sept 30, 2022

2022 Mercer Tennis Classic Singles Player Field


MERCER UNIVERSITY - John Drew Smith Tennis Center - OCT 17 - OCT 23, 2022

USTA Pro Circuit 60K Event


MACON, Georgia, (September 30, 2022) Professional women’s tennis returns to Macon in October with the Mercer Tennis Classic held Oct. 17-23 at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in Macon.

Please note, there will be a special one day, lead in event on Sunday, Oct. 16.


On the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 16, the special One-On-One Doubles Shootout will take place. See Mercer Tennis Classic players play in this Shootout where $5000 in prize money will be doled out for this one day, unique and innovative scoring event. One-On-One Doubles Tennis is the crosscourt serve-and-volley Singles game including the doubles alley. Players are required to serve-and-volley on both serves or there is a loss of point; Half volleys are allowed. All players are awarded TWO POINTS for winning volleys and overheads — hit in the air — that the opponent cannot touch or reach.


Be among the first to see this format:


The 2022 player field has been released.

“We will once again have an elite field in singles and doubles,” stated Tournament Director and Mercer Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach, Eric Hayes.”

More than 30 players who have competed in the Macon event have gone on to compete for Grand Slams in 2022.

2022 Initial Player Field:

2022 Mercer Tennis Classic - Oct. 17-23, 2022

Main Draw Entry List


1 USA Madison Brengle 51

2 Anna Kalinskaya 52

3 CHN Lin Zhu 63

4 CZE Linda Fruhvirtova 77

5 HUN Panna Udvardy 83

6 SWE Rebecca Peterson 101

7 AUT Julia Grabher 102

8 CHN Yue Yuan 104

9 HUN Reka Luca Jani 107

10 FRA Chloe Paquet 112

11 USA Katie Volynets 116

12 USA Elizabeth Mandlik 123

13 JPN Moyuka Uchijima 125

14 USA Emma Navarro 127

15 Elina Avanesya 128

16 KOR Sujeong Jang 129

17 SWE Mirjam Bjorklund 134

18 GBR Jodie Anna Burrage 137

19 (Special Exempt, if needed)

The women’s event will feature a 32-player singles qualifying draw, a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw with a field made up of WTA professional players as well as up-and-coming juniors.

Player field notes:

5 players ranked in the WTA Top 100

Two former Macon champions in the field - Brengle (Defending champ 2021), Peterson (2015)

Brengle has been ranked as high as No. 35 in the world

Emma Navarro, from Charleston SC, is up to a career high ranking of 127

All of these players played either the main draw or qualifying of the 2022 US Open

New for 2022 are three evenings of night matches during the week. (Please check the order of play each day for specific matches and times.)

Tuesday October 18 - Macon Night, High Performance Clinic

Wednesday October 19 - Honoring Randy Stephens Tennis Center for USTA Facility Award

Thursday October 20 - Mercer University Night

Now in its tenth year, 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 - Truist 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 the Tennis Channel.

Tickets will be available onsite and online this year. $5 per day and $20 for the entire week.

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 and radio information to be released soon.

Tournament volunteers are needed and any help is always appreciated. Call Mercer tennis coach and tournament director Eric Hayes at (478) 301-2269.

About the John Drew Smith Tennis Center

The John Drew Smith Tennis Center (JDSTC) is regarded as one of the top 25 public municipal facilities in the nation by Tennis Magazine and the United States Tennis Association. It has 24 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, a beautiful observation deck and pro shop. The facility is a haven for programming for juniors, adults, and everyone in the community. John Drew Smith Tennis Center is renowned for hosting local, state, and national tennis events. Tennis players not only from the state of Georgia but all over the country, are familiar with JDS. Almost every competitive junior player from the state of Georgia in the last 30 years has played at this renowned facility. The activity is so extensive and the atmosphere is so conducive to tennis that, in 2005, Racquet Sports Industry (RSI) named John Drew Smith Tennis Center the Municipal Facility of the Year.

About the USTA Pro Circuit

With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today's top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For more information:

On-site PR contact: Rick Limpert (209) 920-7425 or email: Rick.Limpert@gmail.com Website: www.ustamaconclassic.com

Twitter: @USTAMacon80K

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaconTennisClassic/ Instagram: mercertennisclassic