LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of Kentucky All-Americans Tom Jomby, Eric Quigley and Jesse Witten will all be in action on Monday night at the 2017 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships as part of Big Blue Night Presented by NetGain Technologies.
The night session will kick off at approximately 7 p.m. ET with a doubles exhibition match featuring Kentucky men’s basketball greats Rex Chapman, Kyle Macy and Cameron Mills in addition to current women’s tennis assistant coach Federico Sabogal.
In addition to the three alums, two current UK men’s tennis players, Trey Yates and William Bushamuka will be playing first round matches in the afternoon session.
Witten and Yates both advanced through the qualification draw, as Witten got through with two straight-set wins. Yates won his first match over former UK men’s basketball All-American Kyle Macy 6-0, 6-0 – and advanced into the main draw as a lucky loser after the withdraw of a player in the field of 32.
Following the exhibition match, Witten and Jomby will play on courts one and two, followed by Quigley on court one following the conclusion of Witten’s match to close the night.
Some of the best young tennis players in the world will once again take center stage in Lexington this summer, as the United States Tennis Association’s Pro Circuit comes to town July 31 through Aug. 1 at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center on the University of Kentucky’s campus. The 2017 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championship is a $75,000 challenger for the men, and $60,000 for the women – ranking it as one of the most prestigious prizes along the road to the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadow this summer.
Tickets are available now online at the tournament’s official website, lexingtonchallenger.com – and can be purchased in week-long packages, or single-day increments. Tickets are $10 per day, and $50 for a week-long pass. The qualifying rounds are free of charge, which take place the weekend before the main draw begins.
The USTA has 94 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. On average, more than 1,100 men and women from 79 countries compete on the USTA Pro Circuit annually for more than $3 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.