The 2024 edition of the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger Presented by Visit Tallahassee shifted into high gear Monday.
Singles qualifying ended with Bogdan Bobrov, Bruno Kuzuhara, Andres Andrade, Corentin Denolly, Gerald Melzer and Victor Lilov advancing to the main draw.
In the first night feature match on Stadium Court, top seed, JJ Wolf found himself in a battle with the 2023 Wimbledon Boy's Champ, Henry Searle.
Searle, a big soccer fan, fought like he was on the pitch. He saved break points and used his serve and forehand as a weapon to keep Wolf on his heels.
Wolf jumped back to even the second set and forced a tiebreaker, but it was Searle who played the big points the best in taking the 7-5, 7-6 (6) win.
"It gives me a lot of confidence going into the next round," admitted Searle.
RESULTS - APRIL 15, 2024
Men's Singles: First Round
H. Searle (GBR) d [1] J. Wolf (USA) 75 76(6)
C. Hemery (FRA) d [3] P. Kypson (USA) 76(2) 63
H. Habib (LIB) d [4] D. Kudla (USA) 76(6) 64
J. Schwaerzler (AUT) d G. Fonio (ITA) 62 64
[WC] S. Kozlov (USA) d G. Campana Lee (KOR) 46 63 60
Men's Qualifying Singles: Second Round
Qualifying - [2] B. Bobrov d [8] S. Kirchheimer (USA) 46 63 63
Qualifying - [3] C. Denolly (FRA) d [WC] I. Mayew (USA) 76(4) 63
Qualifying - [11] G. Melzer (AUT) d [4] K. Edmund (GBR) 26 60 63
Qualifying - [6] B. Kuzuhara (USA) d [10] A. Rybakov (USA) 76(3) 63
Qualifying - [7] A. Andrade (ECU) d T. McCormick (USA) 46 61 64
Qualifying - [12] V. Lilov (USA) d A. Rai (NZL) 76(5) 16 62
ORDER OF PLAY: TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024
STADIUM start 11 am
T. Sandgren (USA) vs [6] M. Damm (USA)
M. Krueger (USA) vs E. Quinn (USA)
[WC] K. Bigun (USA) vs [Q] B. Bobrov
Not Before 6:00 pm
Alternate vs [WC] E. Jose Ribeiro Lago (ITA) / D. Vale (POR)
T. Kodat (USA) vs [2] Z. Bergs (BEL)
COURT 1 start 11:00 am
O. Crawford (GBR) vs D. Popko (KAZ)
[Q] A. Andrade (ECU) vs F. Gomez (ARG)
T. Kwiatkowski (USA) vs [8] T. Boyer (USA)
[Q] G. Melzer (AUT) vs [LL] K. Edmund (GBR)
COURT 5 start 11:00 am
[WC] D. Vale (POR) vs [Q] C. Denolly (FRA)
C. Tabur (FRA) vs [Q] V. Lilov (USA)
[7] A. Ritschard (SUI) vs [Q] B. Kuzuhara (USA)
M. Damm (USA) / A. Rybakov (USA) vs [4] T. Fancutt (AUS) / H. Reese (USA)
Singles Main Draw – Monday, April 15
Doubles Main Draw – Tuesday, April 16
Proceeds from the tournament continue to benefit the Vogter Neuro-ICU. In 2019 the new state of the art Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit opened in the Mustian Surgery Center of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. This unit cares for patients of all ages who suffer neurological trauma (such as head injuries, strokes), require surgical intervention for life-threatening illnesses (brain tumors, aneurysms), and many other types of patients too numerous to name. Over the past 25 years funds have been contributed from the tournament and last year the D. Mark Vogter Memorial Endowment reached $1,100,000 in the corpus of the endowment.
A new fund was created in 2010—the Maria Yealdhall Challenger Tennis Fund was established with the Tallahassee Friends of Our Parks Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department. All monies collected from ticket sales are donated to this endowment each year and are used to assist in tennis related projects and programs throughout the city. Shade structures at Winthrop Park and at Tom Brown Park as well as several awnings at Forestmeadows are some of the improvements made with these funds.
A tournament of this size could not happen without committed volunteers who work every year. From ball kids/babes & dudes, who stand on the court for hours, to the food-Moms and hostesses, drivers, desk volunteers and organizers, thousands of hours are donated to make this tournament run smoothly. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer before, during or immediately following the tournament please contact Karen Vogter, Tournament Director, at KVogter@tallahasseechallenger.com
Forestmeadows Tennis Complex
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs operates many community centers throughout the City. Each of these offers a wide array of daily activities for youth and adults, from athletics to homework to cooking.
Address:
4750 North Meridian Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312
Phone: 850-891-4979
About the ATP Challenger Tour
It all starts here. The ATP Challenger Tour is the launchpad of men's professional tennis, featuring more than 180 tournaments across more than 40 countries. At this level, players develop their skills and earn valuable experience against strong competition, while fighting for critical points and prize money, all with the collective goal of progressing onto the ATP Tour. Since it was founded in 1978, the ATP Challenger Tour has been an intense battleground on a global stage, providing fans the opportunity to witness worldclass tennis and follow the journeys of the stars of tomorrow as they launch their professional careers. Live stream the action throughout the year via Challenger TV on www.ATPTour.com .
WHAT IS THE ATP CHALLENGER TOUR?
The ATP Challenger Tour is the second-highest level of men's professional tennis in the world. Since its inception in 1978, competition on the tour has been intense, with players fighting for critical PIF ATP Rankings points and prize money. These tournaments (196 events in 46 countries) give fans the excitement of watching world class tennis in a smaller, more intimate setting.
The purpose of the ATP Challenger Tour is to provide opportunities for players to develop their talents and skills from a young age, while gaining valuable experience against strong competition. The circuit has been the first step for the sport's most accomplished stars, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Regardless of talent and potential, every player must work their way up the PIF ATP Rankings, as they strive to reach the Top 100 and compete on the ATP Tour and in Grand Slam tournaments.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Tennis Challenger's top seed JJ Wolf falls in opener
