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Saint Leo Affords Up-Close Look At Tennis Tournament

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By CRISTINA LEDRA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2008

The first major round of the Westgate Printing USTA Grand Slam Futures Tennis tournament kicks off today at Saint Leo University, giving fans an opportunity to see both men and women play in one tournament.

"It's good tennis and you'll be able to see it up close," said Gregg Gruhl, the tournament's director. "Saint Leo has a nice little campus, so it's not like you're sitting far away. The seating is right there."

Qualifying rounds in the United States Tennis Association tournament took place Monday at Saint Leo and Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and the tournament concludes with the men's and women's finals Sunday. Both of those rounds are at Saint Leo.

Local athletes in the tournament include Wesley Chapel resident Stephanie Herz, 18, who was the No. 1 12-and-under player in the world when she was 11, and 23-year-old Tampa resident Ryler De Heart, a University of Illinois graduate.
Florida graduate Alexis Gordon, 24, will make her professional debut at the tournament. She was ranked No. 1 in 2004.

Although this tournament, which was hosted at Hillsborough Community College before moving to Pasco County this year, is a lower level tournament on the USTA circuit, Gruhl said some of the top-seeded players could qualify for the U.S. Open thanks, in part, to points they earn this week.

The highest-ranked men's player in the tournament is Serbia's Dusan Vemic at No. 153 and the highest-ranked women's player is India's Sunitha Rao at No. 194.

The purse for the men's tournament is $10,000 and $25,000 for the women.

Reporter Cristina Ledra can be reached at (813) 948-4203 or cledra@tampatrib.com.

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