The USTA National Campus celebrates two years of tennis in Lake Nona at the start of 2019, and with more than 200 events and thousands of visitors, the campus has cemented itself as a premier sports destination.
The year starts off strong with two top-tier events taking place the very first week of 2019. First, the National Winter Championships, which start in late December and conclude on Friday, Jan. 4, will feature some of the top junior players in the country. The National Winter Championships is one of five Level 1 junior tournaments held during the year, where players battle for the coveted USTA golden balls. The USTA National Campus will host both the boys’ and girls’ 16-and-under and 18-and-under divisions.
Also kicking off the 2019 event calendar is the Orlando Open, a USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger event, which will be held at the USTA National Campus from Dec. 31-Jan. 6. The Orlando Open is the first USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger of the season and will feature the highest level of tennis on display to date at the USTA National Campus, with a prize-money pool of more than $54,000. The campus has previously hosted a number of $15,000- and $25,000-level USTA Pro Circuit events. The Orlando Open, a hard-court tournament, will be played at the campus’ 12-court Collegiate Center.
The event will include at least six American players who received direct entry into the 48-person main draw. Those players include JC Aragone, a three-time national champion at the University of Virginia who utilized a 2017 US Open qualifying wildcard to reach his first career Grand Slam main draw, and Mitchell Krueger, who made his Grand Slam debut at the 2018 US Open and is an Orlando resident who trains at the USTA National Campus. Additional Americans can gain entry into the tournament either via wildcard or through a four-person qualifying draw.
Beyond those two tournaments, tennis fans can gear up for another exciting college tennis season at the USTA National Campus. On top of another impressive slate of College MatchDay showdowns, the Collegiate Series brings even more elite college tennis programs to the courts in Lake Nona. Those matches begin in January and continue throughout the spring with College MatchDay kicking off in February with the annual Florida vs. Florida State rivalry match.
The USTA National Campus will also once again play host to all UCF men’s and women’s home tennis matches. The college tennis season concludes in May with the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships coming to the USTA National Campus for the first time. For more information on USTA National Campus events, please visit ustanationalcampus.com.
January also begins the new year of programming for both kids and adults at the USTA National Campus. The new session officially begins on Jan. 2, and drop-in classes are always available.
All of the programs that have become staples on the courts in Lake Nona will once again be available, with options for players of all ages and skill levels. All available programs can be found at reserve.ustanationalcampus.com.
