FSU to Host USTA Clay Court Invitational at Disney World This Fall

Florida State University to host USTA Clay Court Invitational at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in November; Tournament features No. 1 USC, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 8 Duke, No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Cal, No. 17 Tulsa, No. 32 FSU, No. 43 Columbia, No. 62 Georgia Tech, UCF & Penn State.                                    

It was announced this week that the Florida State men’s tennis team will host the inaugural USTA Clay Court Invitational at Disney this November 2-4. The teams will compete at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Tennis Complex in Orlando.

“This is an unique opportunity to run a tournament that includes the best collegiate players and the best US Juniors players at the No. 1 tourist destination in the world,” said FSU head coach Dwayne Hultquist. “We are excited about our future with the USTA and Disney in running this event.”

Joining Florida State, who finished No. 32 last year, are No. 1 USC, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 8 Duke, No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Cal, No. 17 Tulsa, No. 43 Columbia, No. 62 Georgia Tech, UCF and Penn State. Fans will get a chance to watch some of the top players in the nation compete against one another in singles and doubles.

“We have a rich history of hosting tennis events that feature some of the fastest-rising stars in the game, such as Monica Seles and Jim Courier,” said Kevin Weickel, Manager of Sports Development for Disney Sports. “When you combine that tradition with the expertise of Florida State University and the USTA and a field loaded with tennis powerhouses, this event could quickly become one of the most prestigious in collegiate tennis.”

“As a former player, coach and now a fan of collegiate tennis this would be an event I would want to play,” said Virgil Christian, Director of Community Development and Facilities at the USTA. ”I cannot think of many better places in the country to hold such an event, at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disney in the wonderful city of Orlando.  This will be an exciting weekend on clay as the top players and coaches gather this November to compete in this inaugural event.”

What is unique is that eight USTA juniors will be competing in the tournament. There will be four draws of 16 singles and two draws of 16 doubles with the top two draws consisting of ranked players.

“We’re excited to bring a group of top juniors to this new event and to have them compete against some of the country’s top collegians,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development. “In teaming with Disney, ESPN Wide World of Sports and Florida State University, we have put together an amazing opportunity for our top junior and collegiate players to face off on clay this winter; it should be exciting to watch.”

For fans that would like to attend, please call Tami Brown in the FSU Tennis Office at 850-644-1893.

For more information, please visit Seminoles.com. You can also follow the team on Twitter @FSU_MTennis.