Dow Corning Tennis Classic Begins Next Week at Midland Tennis Center

February 5, 2012
By: Dave Rogers

Now in its 24th year, the Dow Corning Tennis Classic is the longest-running consecutively held women's event on the USTA Pro Circuit.

The event, slated to begin Tuesday, is considered the marquee women's tournament on the USTA Pro Circuit and attracts more than 15,000 fans each year.

Midland?s Bruce Rayce believes the Dow Corning Tennis Classic field is more than a search for the stars of tomorrow or the chance to see veterans migrating between the WTA Tour and the February USTA Pro Circuit Event in pursuit of wins and ranking.

"Tennis fans may be surprised to learn that with today's prize of $100,000, a surprising number of Dow Corning players are already good enough to play at the elite level, especially the Grand Slams," contends Rayce, a member of the Midland Community Tennis Center, host of the event February 5-12.

Of the 32 players in the singles main draw of the 2011 Dow Corning Tennis Classic, 11 made the main draw of the 2011 Australian Open; 15 were in the main draw of the 2011 U.S. Open; 16 were in the main draw of the 2011 French Open, and 17 made the main draw of Wimbledon, 2011.

?From this data it should be clear,? said Rayce, ?that although the Dow Corning Tennis Classic is a stepping stone to the big time in the minds of many spectators, it?s but a small step from there to the Grand Slams and based on 2011,about half the players are already there.?

"It's pretty well known that six Grand Slam Singles Champions played the Dow Corning Tennis Classic," said Mike Woody, executive of the MCTC and the Tournament. "But numerous players were also Grand Slam Doubles Champions while hundreds more successfully moved up to the WTA Tour -- we're that kind of event, the right platform to get to the bigs."

Box, Club seating and General Admission tickets for the 24th year of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic are available by contacting the Welcome Center 631-6151 or Pesi Kennett at Kennett@midlandtennis.com

The USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to tennis stardom and the Dow Corning Tennis Classic is truly emblematic of that. Five Grand Slam tournament singles champions played in the event early in their careers, along with 14 Grand Slam tournament doubles/mixed doubles champions.

The most notable Midland alumni include Justine Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and Olympic gold medal winner, three-time Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Grand Slam singles champion Mary Pierce, 2010 French Open singles champion Francesca Schiavone and 2011 French Open singles champion Li Na, as well as Anna Kournikova, a two-time Grand Slam tournament women's doubles and mixed doubles champion, and defending Midland singles champion Lucie Hradecka, who won the 2011 French Open doubles title.

The tournament began in 1989 at the $25,000 level and, seven years later, became one of five USTA Pro Circuit tournaments to raise its prize money as part of the 'Women's $50,000 Challenger Series' in 1996. Three years later, in 1999, the prize money was increased again, this time to $75,000.

Midland made its debut as the first-ever $100,000 women's event on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2010 and this year is the only women's tourney at that prize money level.