Strong field set for Amos Tennis Classic at Mercer

A strong and deep field will take to the courts at Mercer’s Leroy Peddy Tennis Center on Oct. 23 for the opening of the W.L. Amos Sr. Tennis Classic, a USTA Pro Circuit 50K event.

The tournament will include a 32-player singles draw and 16 doubles teams.

“There are some of the best players in the world, and many of them will be playing the late rounds of the majors in the years to come,” said tournament director Eric Hayes, also the head tennis coach at Mercer. “I’ve been running these USTA Pro Circuit tournaments for 14 years, and I’ve never seen an entry list this loaded.”

The tournament includes $50,000 in prize money, WTA ranking points and a spot in the first major of 2017, the Australian Open. Leading the entry list, which was released this week is Russia’s Irina Khromacheva, who is ranked 96th in the world.

The field also includes Samantha Crawford, an American who is ranked No. 106, along with Jennifer Brady, Julia Boserup, Grace Min and Taylor Townsend. Former U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin is also entered, along with defending singles champion Rebecca Peterson of Sweden.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Strong field set for Amos Tennis Classic at Mercer."