REDWOOD SHORES, July 19, 2018 (Press Release)
Continuing its strong support for US-American tennis, Oracle announced on Wednesday it is adding a Chicago event to the Oracle Challenger Series, to be held at XS Tennis Village September 2-9, 2018 in conjunction with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
The Oracle Challenger Series launched earlier this year with events in Newport Beach and Indian Wells, California, with the mission of providing unparalleled opportunities for up-and-coming US-American tennis players to secure both ranking points and prize money.
As part of Oracle’s commitment to growing the game of tennis nationally, the Oracle Challenger Series will look to make a positive impact on the communities where its events are held by donating $5,000 to the local Chicago chapter of the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. The NJTL provides free or low-cost tennis and education programming to more than 225,000 under-resourced youth in the United States.
“We’re adding Challenger tournaments because American tennis players need more chances to compete at home and make a career out of the sport,’’ said Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. “Oracle also wants to improve the quality of tennis. We’re deeply committed to the sport and as part of the new event in Chicago, we’re providing assistance to create better access for Americans to play tennis.’’
“We are thrilled to welcome the Oracle Challenger Series to Chicago this September,” said Kamau Murray, President/CEO of XS Tennis Village and Executive Director of XS Tennis and Education Foundation. “We’re proud to work with Oracle on this great event and support the incredible work that they do to promote US-American tennis at all levels of the game. Their commitment to the sport goes hand-in-hand with our mission at XS to provide a positive pathway to future success through tennis.”
The Chicago tournament will be a joint ATP Challenger Tour/WTA 125K Series event and pay equal prize money ($150,000 per Tour) for a total of $300,000. Both the women’s and men’s draws will consist of 32 singles players, 16 qualifying players and 16 doubles teams. The event will be free and open to the public.
The 2018-2019 Oracle Challenger Series will begin in Chicago, with additional events to be added at a later date. The Series will culminate at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open, the largest ATP World Tour and WTA combined two-week event in the world, held annually at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where the two American women and men who accumulate the most points over the course of the Series will receive wildcards into their respective singles main draws.
The Oracle Challenger Series builds on Oracle’s commitment to help support U.S. tennis at both the professional and collegiate level. Oracle sponsors the Oracle US Tennis Awards, two $100,000 grants awarded annually to assist young players as they transition from college into the professional ranks. In addition to sponsoring the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, Oracle also hosts the Oracle ITA Masters tournament in Malibu, CA and the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships which will be held at the Surprise Tennis Center in Surprise, AZ in 2018.
