1101 North 1st • Abilene, Texas 79601 • 325.676.2556 • 800.727.7704 •
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 14, 2017
Contact: Allison Causey, 325-665-1527
Abilene USTA Grand Slam Section Championships In Full Swing
Abilene, TX:For the past week, The Grand Slam, the nation’s largest youth tennis tournament, has taken over Abilene with over 2,400 people pouring into town. With matches each day, junior tennis players were eliminated in in each category of ages, narrowing the finals pool.
“This year’s Grand Slam has been truly remarkable. We’ve seen such a tremendous high level of play out of these young athletes,” Julio Godreau, director of Junior Texas for USTA Texas. “The matches I’ve had the privilege to see have been some of the most competitive I’ve seen in my career. These kids are to be commended for their hard work to even make it to this tournament. Many of these players competing here have outstanding national and ITF rankings. Finals are sure to be epic.”
Finals will all be played at Abilene Christian University. They will begin Thursday morning at 8:00 am and continue through Friday. A full schedule is attached below.
It is Abilene’s first year to host this group. This nine-day tennis tournament started last week. Approximately 1,000 Championship and Super Championship players (12U, 14U, 16U and 18U) from across the state of Texas are in Abilene with coaches, friends and family. Abilene is hosting the greatest junior tennis players in the state but the real advantage to Abilene is the economic impact this tournament will bring to the city. The economic impact of this tournament is estimated at almost $1.3 million per year.
“There are many people traveling to Abilene for the first time,” Debi Schultz, Director of Sales for the ACVB. The hundreds of people we’ve talked to during the duration of this event have been blown away by the friendly people and the hospitality we’ve provided. The ACVB actively worked to win this bid for over a year and a half. It is beyond rewarding to see it all turn out so beautifully. It would never have been possible without all of the volunteers, sponsors and support from the community.
“Abilene has been a wonderful host. Everyone is enjoying their time while playing some of the fiercest tennis in the nation,” Amanda Shaw, competitive coordinator for USTA Texas said. “The tournament could not have gone any better.”
SCHEDULE ON NEXT PAGE:
Grand Slam Finals Schedule(1st-5th place awards given for singles, 1st-4th place awards given for doubles)
B12 Singles / B12 Doubles
Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 2:30pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 2:30pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU
B14 Singles / B14 Doubles
Final / Thursday, 10:00am / ACU / Final / Wednesday, 3:15pm / Rose Park
Playoff / Thursday, 10:00am / ACU / Playoff / complete
Consolation Final / Thursday, 9:40am / ACU
B16 Singles / B16 Doubles
Final / Friday, 10:40am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 3:00pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 10:20am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 3:00pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 10:20am / ACU
B18 Singles / B18 Doubles
Final / Friday, 11:00am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 3:00pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 11:00am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 3:00pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 11:00am / ACU
G12 Singles / G12 Doubles
Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 2:30pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 2:30pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU
G14 Singles / G14 Doubles
Final / Thursday, 8:00am / ACU / Final / Wednesday, 2:30pm / HSU
Playoff / Thursday, 8:00am / ACU / Playoff / Wednesday, 2:30pm / HSU
Consolation Final / Thursday, 9:40am / ACU
G16 Singles / G16 Doubles
Final / Friday, 10:00am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 2:00pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 10:00am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 2:00pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU
G18 Singles / G18 Doubles
Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Final / Thursday, 2:00pm / ACU
Playoff / Friday, 9:00am / ACU / Playoff / Thursday, 2:00pm / ACU
Consolation Final / Friday, 9:00am / ACU
###