COSTA MESA, CAL–With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway for the U.S. Open and tour-level competition for aspiring players and a frequent battleground for established professionals.
Newport Beach native and rising tennis star Carsten Ball is the Number 2 seed at the Costa Mesa Pro Classic. The March 17 tournament at Costa Mesa Tennis Center also features 9th seed Daniel Kosakowski, a Downey resident and former stand-out player at UCLA. No. 1 seed is Germany’s Andre Begemann, 27, currently ranked 263rd in the world.
Eight players will enter the main draw from singles qualifying–the rest of the main draw will come from USTA exemptions and wild card events. The main draw for singles and doubles begins March 20.
Ball, 24, who played tennis at Corona del Mar High School, peaked at a career-high in the ATP World Tour rankings at No. 108 in July 2010. A prolific doubles player, he and Chris Guccione (who is the No. 4 seed at the Costa Mesa event) reached the doubles quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Open and the round of 16 at the 2011 Australian Open. He holds dual American and Australian citizenship, and has competed on Australia’s David Cup team. Ball’s father, and coach, Syd, won eight ATP doubles titles and advanced to the final round of the 1974 Australian doubles finals.
Singles qualifying begins Saturday, March 17 at 9 a.m. The singles main draw begins Tuesday, March 20 at 10 a.m. The event is free and families are encouraged to attend. The Costa Mesa Tennis Center is located at 880 Juniper Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 557-2011.