World-ranked ATP professionals, top college players and juniors will be competing June 20-23 at the $10,000 U.S. Grass Championships Presented by Doner at the Wessen Lawn Tennis Club in Pontiac, Michigan. The event is an open prize-money tournament, serving as a test event for a potential larger official professional grass court tennis tournament down the road.
John Mullane of White Lake, Michigan, a former All-American from Michigan State, will take on the ATP World Tour No. 584 Deiton Baughman of Carson, California, a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team this year, in the feature 6 pm match Wednesday in the opening day of play. Mullane and Baughman are among 33 players from around the country competing in this tournament and vying for the $3,000 first prize. The tournament features three ATP world-ranked players in all, led by No. 1 seed Evan Song of Henderson, Nevada, ranked No. 442 on the ATP World Tour, Baughman, the No. 2 seed, and No. 3 seed Jordan Parker of Detroit, ranked No. 1,520. University of Michigan standout Connor Johnston and Michigan State star Jack Winkler are also in the field, as well as internationally-ranked junior players Sebastian Gima of Romania and Joshua Lapadat of Canada.
Play starts at 11 am on Wednesday with first round matches. A feature 6 pm feature match will be played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night in advance of Saturday’s finals.
In 2015, Mullane reached the doubles semifinals of the NCAA Championships with partner Harry Jadun and thus becoming the first pair of All-Americans in doubles in Michigan State tennis history. Once ranked No. 1,745 on the ATP World Tour, Mullane recently returned to international competitive tennis for the first time in three years last week by reaching the second round of qualifying of the USTA Pro Circuit event in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Baughman is fresh off reaching the singles final at the USTA Pro Circuit event in Buffalo, N.Y. In February, he was selected by U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier to be a practice partner for U.S. Davis Cup team in their first round match against Serbia, sparring with team members John Isner, Sam Querrey, Stevie Johnson and Ryan Harrison. Baughman has won three ITF Pro Circuit “Futures” singles title and nine in doubles. He played in the main draw of doubles at the Miami Open in 2014 and the U.S. Open in 2015.
The general public are invited to attend the matches, including a special $90 daily package to play on the grass (an organized clinic or open play) including an open-grill dinner with a beverage, plus court-side match viewing. A “season-pass” to play and watch tennis and dine each day of the event cost $250. The club does enforce an all-white clothing rule, just like the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon.
This first-year event is branded the U.S. Grass Court Championships, to reflect the club’s future ambitions to one day host a bigger event, potentially a ITF Transition Tour event, ATP Challenger or ATP World Tour event.
The Wessen Lawn Club, located just 30 minutes from downtown Detroit, features 24 perennial-rye grass courts, the exact type of specific grass courts as Wimbledon. The latitude and climate of Pontiac is also very close to that of London, sitting at 42 degree latitude vs. 51 degrees latitude for London allowing for the perennial rye grass to be in the same condition as at the All England Club and providing for an excellent North American training stop for any player planning to play in Wimbledon, Wimbledon qualifying or in the Wimbledon junior championships. Many tennis observers have called the facility, including an immaculately decorated clubhouse, as one of the best tennis clubs in the country.
“We’d like to be a stop for player who want to get a few days under our immaculate grass courts before taking off on a direct flight out of Detroit to Britain,” said Bill Massie, the owner and architect of the Wessen Lawn Tennis Club to WorldTennisMagazine.com here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/14624. “Our goal is to get a few players who want to get while also giving other players a competitive opportunity on grass to gain experience on the surface and a chance to earn some prize money.”
For information on tickets, sponsorship, tournament entries and hospitality on the grass courts during the event, contact Randy Walker at 917 770 0843 or Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com
