Iowa City's Old Capitol $25,000 Men's Tournament Begins Main Draw Play Tuesday; Klahn Sweeps Winnetka Challenger Titles; Arconada Wins Honolulu $60K

I spent the day traveling home from Wimbledon, and it's way past my London bedtime, so I'm going to keep this short. I'll have a recap Tuesday of the American results on the ITF Junior Circuit last week, with the results from the USTA Pro Circuit events in the United States covered today. Below is the press release preview of this week's $25,000 men's tournament in Iowa City, which is now in its second year. Tournaments like this one are vital to providing a pathway to a successful pro career, so if you have a chance to attend one, please consider it. You'll get a perspective on just how accomplished the players are and how challenging it is to actually make a living playing the sport.  The first round of qualifying is complete, with the final round on Tuesday, as well as four first round matches.

Old Capitol Tennis Championships Set For A

2nd Edition In Iowa City

IOWA CITY, IA – July 15, 2019 – Play is set to begin at the second annual Old Capitol Tennis Championships. Competition kicks off with first-round qualifying at the USTA Pro Circuit Tournament. The $25,000 prize money event is being played this week at the University of Iowa’s Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.

The field features ten players in the ATP top 700 led by American Sekou Bangoura at 380 in the world. Qualifying matches begin on Monday, July 15 at 10:00am, featuring 32 singles competitors vying for one of eight places in the main draw. Main draw play begins at 10:00am on Tuesday July 16, as 32 singles competitors and 16 doubles teams begin their quest for prize money and world ranking points.

The tournament hosts not only professional players, but former and current college players from universities across the country. One program that will be prominently represented is the University of Iowa. Kareem Allaf, Oliver Okonkwo, Will Davis are among some of the current Hawkeye Men’s Tennis athletes who are featured on this years entry list. Allaf who is entering his senior year was awarded a main draw wildcard in 2018 and reached the quarterfinals, having beaten the No. 8 seed in his 2nd round match.

In addition to the University of Iowa, more than 30 players past and present will represent college tennis, where over 20 schools across the country will be shown for. TCU’s Alex Rybakov and Ohio State’s John McNally lead the way for the college hopefuls and will begin their quest for the Old Capitol Tennis Championships title in main draw this week. The Qualifying draw features 26 players with past and/or present college ties, and represent 20 different schools.

The Old Capitol Tennis Championships is organized by the University of Iowa’s Sport and Recreation program and boasts a team of 20 students who are developing and executing tournament operations. The tournament provides students experiential learning opportunities on the Iowa City campus while exposing the Corridor to professional tennis. Iowa City and the University of Iowa are excited to bring a tournament of this magnitude to the city and to showcase the epicenter of Hawkeye Pride.

To follow all the action, go to the tournament website: oldcapitoltennis.com, Facebook: Old Capitol Tennis Championships and Twitter/Instagram: @oldcaptennis. Follow the USTA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @USTA (#USTAPro Circuit).

Prize Money/Points - $25,000 Men
SINGLES: Prize Money Points
Winner $3,600 150
Runner-up $2,120 90
Semifinalist $1,255 45
Quarterfinalist $730 18
Round of 16 $430 6
Round of 32 $260 0

DOUBLES: Prize Money (per team) Points
Winner $1,550 150
Runner-up $900 90
Semifinalist $540 45
Quarterfinalist $320 18
Round of 16 $180 0

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Set on the West side of Iowa City, the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex boasts 12 outdoor courts, 8 indoor courts, versatile fitness center, 2 turf fields, 2 conference rooms, tennis, soccer and field hockey locker rooms and an athletic training room. Come see why visitors and locals alike enjoy the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex as the states premier tennis facility. HTRC is located at 2820 Prairie Meadow Dr. in Iowa City. It is open Mondays through Fridays, 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturdays/Sundays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and can be contacted at 319-384-1215, recserv.uiowa.edu/facilities/hawkeye-tennis-recreation-complex. Information about the tournament: oldcapitoltennis.com

For further information please contact:

Alex Voss Tournament Director – 319-335-9179; alex-voss@uiowa.edu

At the ATP 80 Challenger in Winnetka Illinois, top seed Bradley Klahn won the singles title, beating No. 12 seed Jason Kubler of Australia 6-2, 7-5 in the final. Klahn didn't drop a set all week. Stanford's 2010 NCAA singles champion also won the doubles title with JC Aragone(Virginia). The unseeded pair defeated Christopher Eubanks(Georgia Tech) and Thai Kwiatkowski(Virginia), also unseeded, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

The women's title at the $60,000 women's tournament in Honolulu Hawaii went to No. 5 seed Usue Arconada, who defeated No. 2 seed Nicole Gibbs 6-0, 6-2 in the final. Gibbs was making her return to competition after having cancer surgery in May.  It was the biggest title of the 20-year-old Arconada's career, and her third title of the year, all since June; she has now broken into the Top 200 for the first time, at 183.

Former University of North Carolina teammates Jamie Loeb and Hayley Carter won the doubles title, with the unseeded pair defeating top seeds Arconada and Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

Great Britain's Mark Whitehouse won the singles and doubles titles at the $15,000 men's tournament in Norman Oklahoma, with No. 2 seed Whitehouse defeating Illinois rising senior Zeke Clark, the No. 6 seed, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. Clark was playing in his first Pro Circuit final after reaching his first semifinal last month at a $25K in Tulsa. No. 2 seeds Whitehouse and David Fox(Denver), also of Great Britain, won the doubles title, beating top seeds Alexander Cozbinov(UNLV) of Moldova and Ricardo Rodriguez of Venezuela 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in the final.