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Another month, another batch of UTR Pro Tennis Tour events. A whopping 28 events took place across five weeks in the U.S., Australia, Greece, Spain, Brazil, and Bulgaria with new host cities and countries alike.
College took center stage as hosts included SMU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State University, and Notre Dame college campuses. The PTT provides match and prize money opportunities for aspiring pros, which include players at all stages of their careers, including high-level juniors, college players, and even veteran pros.
College Players Steal the Show
SMU, Notre Dame, and OSU hosted their first PTT events (Texas A&M has hosted events previously), where all of the winners had college ties, including Veronika Miroshnichenko. She won at SMU and later captured the title in Newport Beach. Miroshnichenko is using her graduate student year of eligibility at LMU this upcoming season.
At 18, Bojana Pozder was the youngest student-athlete champion as she had just started her freshman year at Notre Dame. It’s an excellent start for the teenager from Wisconsin as she looks ahead to her first dual season in January.
Greece Hosts First PTT Events
The PTT arrived in Greece for men's $25K PTT events during the week of Aug 1-7 and Aug 8-14. Taking place on red clay in Athens, the first winner's check went to Aristotelis Thanos and the second to Osman Torski. Greece is one of eight new PTT host countries in 2022 which includes the United Arab Emirates, Italy, India, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Japan, Brazil, and Slovakia.
Yepifanova Grabs First Pro Trophy
In Boca Raton, Alexandra Yepifanova won all six of her matches to snag the first pro title of her career. The 19-year-old is entering her sophomore year at Stanford, playing primarily at the No. 2 position.
this tournament was so great there were players of all levels: some college girls some juniors, some pros," Yepifanova said. "I really enjoyed playing this tournament. I enjoyed playing the round-robin; you get a lot of matches, and it's really great to come out on top... I like that regardless of if you win or lose you get a lot of matches in."
She wanted to play the PTT to prepare for more tournaments this summer and to get ready for another year at Stanford. Yepifanova is accustomed to success already, having reached the final of the junior US Open in 2019 as a qualifier.
Aiava Raises First Giant Check
Destanee Aiava is a name that should ring a bell. In 2016, she became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the main draw of a Grand Slam when she earned a wild card into the Australian Open by winning the junior national championship that year.
The 22-year-old Australian has put together a great few weeks on the PTT, winning two titles in a row in Caloundra and Sydney and finishing as the co-winner in the third week (the final was unfinished). Her match win streak stands at 17.
Sweeny Continues Stellar Season
Dane Sweeny has had a stellar 2022 season, and the wins keep coming. The 21-year-old from Queensland won the PTT $25K in Caloundra without dropping a set. It’s his second PTT victory after winning his first last year in Brisbane. This year, Sweeny picked up his first Grand Slam qualifying win at the Australian Open and captured three ITF Tour titles, all in Caloundra.
Photo Roundup (Dallas)
About the UTR Pro Tennis Tour
The PTT is open to players with a UTR Ranking of 200-2000, and wild cards can be awarded to those players with a UTR Ranking of 1-199 or above 2000. Every PTT event creates matchplay opportunities for up-and-coming, collegiate, and pro players thanks to a unique round-robin format. At every event, a group round-robin stage is followed by a World Cup-style playoff, guaranteeing multiple matches and counting all results towards the UTR Rating, the most accurate rating system in tennis. Every PTT event offers 4-5 matches and a minimum of $20,000 in prize money with an earnings guarantee for every participant.
For more information about UTR PTT and to see all of the results, click here.