Tennis and Rockin’ Blues Events Featuring One-On-One Doubles Prize Money Tournaments Begin in March

January 15, 2014 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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One-On-One Doubles Tournaments, piloted by USTA/FLORIDA, will return to the Sunshine State in its music filled format. The Grand Prix Circuit of Events will be played at The Kiwi Tennis Club, in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. on Friday, March 7; at Hawks Landing Tennis Club in Plantation, Fla. on Saturday, April 5; at Buckhorn Springs Tennis and Swim Club in Valrico, Fla. on May 3; and at Avila Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Fla. on Oct. 25. This unique tennis event integrates rockin’ blues music throughout the three-to-four hour event. A live rockin’ blues concert and a  reception party for the tournament players, event partners and guests will finish the festivities at each tournament. Each tournament will offer $4,000 in prize money and give out Grand Prix points for each tournament. The player with the most Grand Prix points will earn an all-expense paid trip to New York City to compete in the National One-On-One Doubles Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Nov. 9.

The prize money and points breakdown, per tournament, are as follows: $2,000 for the winner (100 points); $1,000 for the finalist (80 points); $750 for third place (60 points); and $250 for fourth place (40 points).

This event has been hosted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2009 and 2010. Jared Palmer, 2001 Wimbledon Doubles Champion, won the 2009 tournament in New York.

One-on-One Doubles, endorsed by USTA, is a half-court, serve-and-volley singles game played on a doubles court. This game brings the full arsenal of tennis shots into a new fast-paced, spectator-friendly sport. Having been played at USTA, USPTA, ATP and ITA national tournaments, One-on-One Doubles is making a name for itself as the third game of tennis. Since 2005, One-On-One Doubles Tournaments have been hosted at the annual ITA National College Coaches Convention.

In the summer of 2012, Tennis Channel aired a Professional One-On-One Doubles Tournament, hosted by the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club, won by Michael Pernfors, 1986 French Open Singles finalist. The game’s founder, Ed Krass, is also the director of the College Tennis Exposure Camps.

"The tournaments will consist of some of the state’s and nation’s top players going after the One-On-One Doubles titles," said Krass. "This will surely be a great mix of tennis and music to entertain the fans."

Whitney Kraft, director of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, is looking forward to hosting this national event, as he said, “One-on-One Doubles events are a blast! The tournaments are a natural addition to any tennis clubs’ schedule—both for regular play and special events. We're excited to host our third One-On-One Doubles Tournament event this upcoming November in New York, including another great live band. Kudos to Coach Krass and the Florida Section for their innovative collaboration with the upcoming events throughout the state."

A portion of each event’s proceeds will benefit a worthy charity. The Kiwi Event charity is the Scott Center for Autism at Florida Institute of Technology; The Hawks Landing event’s charity is the Wounded Warrior Project; The Buckhorn Event charity will benefit ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease and its research for a cure) with more charities to be named for future events.

For more information about the Tennis and Rockin’ Blues Events, contact Ed Krass at oneononedoubles@yahoo.com or call (813) 684-9031. All players can register, starting mid-January, at www.florida.usta.com/tournaments/adult. For more information about One-On-One Doubles Tournaments, visit www.oneononedoubles.com.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
USTA NTC

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