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New York Empire Sets Roster at 2019 World TeamTennis

Posted on March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 by Allison Kelly

Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning to Host Home Matches for World TeamTennis Franchise

NEW YORK (March 12, 2019) – The New York Empire presented by Citi and head coach Luke Jensen today announced its player roster and new venue for the upcoming 2019 World TeamTennis (WTT) season. The fourth-year WTT franchise will play its home matches at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, a world-class facility in the Bronx, and the flagship home to New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL).

At the WTT draft in Indian Wells, Calif., the Empire protected 6-foot-10 ace specialist, John Isner. The 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist will play his eighth season of WTT and third with the Empire. He’s currently the No. 9 ranked player in the world and is second all-time in aces served on any surface.

Holding the first pick of this season’s WTT draft, the Empire chose Kirsten Flipkens, from Belgium, who will make her return to the Empire roster after sitting out the 2018 WTT season. Flipkens, a former World No. 13 and Wimbledon semifinalist, is no stranger to team tennis as she’s played a remarkable 16 years of Fed Cup action for her native country. This will be her second season playing in WTT.

With the Empire’s second-round pick, the team selected 20-year-old American Ulises Blanch. A former world No. 2 ranked junior, Blanch won his first career ATP Challenger Tour title in Perugia, Italy in 2018, not dropping a single set en route to victory. The 6’3” Blanch, who was a semifinalist in Boys’ Singles at Wimbledon in 2016, will bring a fresh, youthful look to the Empire’s men’s singles position.

Neal Skupski, the current No. 34 ranked doubles player, is returning to the Empire for his fourth consecutive season and will again serve as the team’s doubles specialist. In 2018, Skupski played 110 games of men’s doubles and 114 games of mixed doubles, serving up 26 aces along the way.

WTA Tour veteran, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, achieved a career-high doubles ranking of No. 4 in the world in 2010 and has won 18 tour doubles titles and five in singles. After being named WTT’s Female Rookie of the Year in 2018, Martinez Sanchez returns as a member of the team’s successful mixed doubles pairing with Skupski.

“We wanted to pick a team of players who could play in this format, which is fast, furious and pressure-packed,” said Jensen. “We wanted to protect our veteran players and we did that with Flip. When you get the highest ranked WTA player available, you’ve got an anchor. To fill the rest of the roster with successful, veteran tour players and then to go young with Ulises is just really exciting. He’s got a lot of firepower and he will learn from our other veteran players.”

With both new and familiar faces on the roster, the Empire is moving to a new home this summer. In June 2015, the $26.5 million Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning opened its doors in the heart of the Bronx. The Cary Leeds Center provides more than 6,000 hours of free tennis court time annually to the community’s under resourced youth. Last year more than 15,000 players walked through its doors for play and programming.

“We are delighted to work with New York Empire of WTT to provide aspirational experiences for our juniors, bring in a dynamic event for the community to enjoy and utilize the world-class Victor Kiam Stadium at the Cary Leeds Center,” said George Guimaraes, NYJTL CEO & President.

The New York Empire will kick off the 2019 schedule with five home matches during the season’s first eight days, hosting the San Diego Aviators on opening day, Sunday, July 14. The Empire face expansion franchise, the Vegas Rollers, on July 16 ahead of the Orange County (Calif.) Breakers on July 18 and Washington (D.C.) Kastles on July 19. The first homestand comes to a close on July 21 against the second of two new WTT teams, the Orlando Storm.

The Empire’s home slate closes out with matches on Monday, July 29 against the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers and Tuesday, July 30 when the Philadelphia Freedoms visit.

New York Empire Schedule (home matches in bold)

Date

Sunday, July 14
Tuesday, July 16
Wednesday, July 17
Thursday, July 18
Friday, July 19
Saturday, July 20
Sunday, July 21
Tuesday, July 23
Wednesday, July 24
Thursday, July 25
Saturday, July 27
Monday, July 29
Tuesday, July 30
Wednesday, July 31

Opponent

San Diego Aviators
Vegas Rollers
at Springfield (Mo.) Lasers
Orange County (Calif.) Breakers
Washington (D.C.) Kastles
at Washington (D.C.) Kastles
Orlando Storm
at Vegas Rollers
at Orange County (Calif.) Breakers
at San Diego Aviators
at Orlando Storm
Springfield (Mo.) Lasers
Philadelphia Freedoms
at Philadelphia Freedoms

New York Empire Roster (Franchise Players in bold)

Name
Ulises Blanch
John Isner
Kirsten Flipkens
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Neal Skupski

WTT Season

1st
9th
2nd
2nd
5th

Nationality

USA
USA
BEL
ESP
GBR

It promises to be an animated affair when the Empire face the Washington Kastles during a home-and-home match series on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 as New York Head Coach Luke Jensen will face his brother, Murphy, the longtime coach of the Kastles. During their playing days, the Jensens displayed their popular brand of “Rock and Roll Tennis” on their way to a world No. 6 ranking and multiple ATP doubles titles.

New York Empire tickets will start as low as $10 for children age 16-and-under, and $25 for adults. The New York Empire offers both reserved box seats and general admission seating, along with hospitality packages, which include food and beverage service. A limited number of VIP tables are also available.

Season tickets and hospitality packages are available now by emailing info@nyempiretennis.com or calling the New York Empire office at (844) 5-EMPIRE (844-536-7473). Individual match tickets will go on-sale this spring.

For more information on the New York Empire, visit www.NYEmpireTennis.com. For more information on World TeamTennis, visit www.WTT.com.

Follow the New York Empire on Instagram: instagram.com/NYEmpireTennis; Twitter: twitter.com/NYEmpireTennis; and like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYEmpireTennis

For more information on World TeamTennis, visit www.WTT.com.

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About New York Empire:

The New York Empire presented by Citi competes in the World TeamTennis League. WTT is in its 44^th season as the innovative leader in professional team tennis competition. Team matches consist of five sets, with one set each of men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. One point is awarded for each game won and overall match scoring is cumulative. The Presenting Sponsor of the New York Empire is Citi. Official Sponsors include Bloomberg, Empire BlueCross BlueShield HealthPlus, Deborah Slaner Larkin, NYU Langone Health and USTA Eastern.

About Citi:

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

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About World TeamTennis (WTT)

World TeamTennis showcases the best in professional tennis with the innovative team format co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. Recognized as the leader in professional team tennis competition, WTT features many of the world’s best players competing annually for the King Trophy, the League’s championship trophy named after King. Since the League’s debut, virtually every major champion of the Open era has played WTT, including Andre Agassi, Venus and Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Stefanie Graf, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters, Bob and Mike Bryan, Martina Hingis, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Naomi Osaka. WTT will kick off its 44th season in July 2019. Learn more about the history and league champions of World TeamTennis on the history page.

About NYJTL:

NYJTL celebrates the diversity of the children who participate in every program, providing 3,000,000 hours of year-round programming that serves youth from all five boroughs. During the critical summer months, NYJTL operates in 39 community tennis sites. All NYJTL Community Tennis and Afterschool programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

New York Empire Media Contacts:

Chris Madigan, BZA PR on behalf of New York Empire: chrism@bzapr.com; 203.918.1652

Colin Bradley, BZA PR on behalf of New York Empire: colinb@bzapr.com; 860.490.2710

NYJTL Players Compete in the Tie Break Tens Challenger USA at the BNP Paribas Open

Posted on March 11, 2019March 14, 2019 by Allison Kelly

Not even the snowstorm in the early morning hours of March 4, 2019 could stop the finalists of the Tie Break Tens Challenger USA from getting to their destination– the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Cancelled flights, early trains to the Philadelphia airport, and Los Angeles rush hour traffic proved only to be mere inconveniences. On March 5 the players woke up to a clear, bright morning.

At 9 AM, the players arrived at the BNP Paribas Open, also known as Tennis Paradise. Soon after, Keisha, Imani, Deliala, and Alani stepped onto Court 2 of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, outfitted in brand new FILA tennis apparel, including skirts, tanks, polos, and shoes. Shawn, Romero, Christian and Charlie, also in their new FILA apparel, ran drills to acclimate to the outdoor court, situated in the Coachella Valley. The Tie Break Tens Challenger was set to begin.

After two hours and 10 round-robin matches, Deliala Friedman and Charlie Robertson proved triumphant as the winners of the 2019 Tie Break Tens Challenger USA! Their victories were sealed by a trophy presentation from Cy Dofitas, US Grassroots and Promotions Manager of Wilson Racquet Sports. But the trip of a lifetime wasn’t over yet.

The players spent the day living like the pros, dining in the VIP Players Lounge and watching the BNP Paribas Open qualifiers. During the afternoon, the players got exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the Wilson Tennis photo shoot with Serena Williams and Roger Federer. On behalf of Wilson, each player was gifted a Clash Racket, their newest edition that utilizes revolutionary racket technology. Keisha said of the experience, “My heart lifted when we were able to play on [grass courts] to try out our new rackets. We even got a hello from the one and only Roger Federer and saw little Olympia playing on the grass.”

Back at the Tennis Garden, a brief bout of rain threatened to end the evening early, but the skies cleared in time for Tie Break Tens Inaugural Eisenhower Cup, headlined by eight of the world’s top Mens players including Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka. As the tournament began, the kids got their 15 minutes of fame as their interview with an announcer was broadcast to the stadium’s nearly 8,000 spectators. Cary Leeds Center Director of Tennis Liezel Huber and Tournament Director Mark Oljaca also basked in the limelight when the Tie Break Tens Challenger sponsorship video broadcast on the big screen as well.

Both the Cary Leeds Center and NYJTL would like to extend the most grateful thank you to Tie Break Tens, the team at FILA including Lauren Mallon, Senior Global Marketing Manager, and Wilson Tennis for their incredible generosity in organizing this opportunity for our players. As Keisha described it, “It really is Tennis Paradise.”

Welcome to New York: TB10 Challenger Launches Stateside

Posted on January 14, 2019January 16, 2019 by joe

London, January 15^th, 2019 – Tie Break Tens, the fast-paced, short-form tennis format, is excited to announce the launch of their grassroots tennis initiative, TB10 Challenger, in New York City this January. Designed to increase participation in tennis across age groups, TB10 Challenger tournaments will be held across all five NYC boroughs over the next few months.

Launched as a tennis format in 2015, Tie Break Tens is a quick-fire version of the sport that anyone can play. Unlike conventional tennis, Tie Break Tens matches are comprised solely of tie breaks – no games, no sets, just exhilarating ten- point breakers in which every point counts. Tie Break Tens are working in partnership with the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) programme to deliver tournaments across the city during January and February 2019. Leading sporting goods companies, Wilson and FILA, will partner the Challenger Series USA and will support the roll-out of the tournaments with fantastic prizes for players, merchandise, equipment and marketing support.

The competition will heat up on February 1-2 with tournaments taking place at the prestigious Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in The Bronx. Eight lucky players will earn the opportunity to fly to Indian Wells for an all expenses trip of a lifetime to the BNP Paribas Open. Finalists will have the opportunity to live like a professional player and compete on one of the world-renowned courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“We are delighted to expand the Challenger into America, following a successful launch in the UK which saw hundreds of young people enjoying competing in tennis, often for the first time. Our main objective is to drive participation in tennis through our quick, fun format because anyone can play whatever level of tennis they might be.” said Felicity Barnard, CEO of Tie Break Tens.

George Guimaraes, NYJTL CEO & President said, “We welcome the TB10 Challenger initiative and hope to use the player-friendly format as a way to drive tennis participation, inspire healthy competition, and create flexible short-form match play for our children. We are looking forward to getting more children out on the court and seeing TB10 tournaments roll out across NYC”.

As part of the strategy, TB10 are encouraging players to upload content to their website and the TB10 PLAY zone which will host scores, photos and videos. TB10 will be awarding participants with fantastic prizes, including signed kit from previous TB10 players Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal.

For further information on Tie Break Tens or to enter the Challenger Series USA please contact:

Joe Ceriello, NYJTL Marketing & Communications, (917) 693-6672; jceriello@nyjtl.org

About Tie Break Tens:

Tie Break Tens is a quick-fire version of tennis that anyone can play. Unlike conventional tennis matches, Tie Break Tens matches are comprised solely of tie breaks – no games, no sets, just exhilarating ten- point breakers in which every point counts.

The Tie Break Tens series sees world-class players going head to head in fast-paced, action-packed knock out tournaments at prestigious venues around the globe for winner-takes-all prizes of $250,000 each. So far, TB10s has visited London, Vienna, Madrid, Melbourne and New York City.

For more information, please visit www.tiebreaktens.com or email us at enquiries@tiebreaktens.com

About NYJTL:

In June 2015, the $26.5 million Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning opened its doors as the flagship home of NYJTL in the heart of the Bronx. The Cary Leeds Center provides more than 6,000 hours of free tennis court time annually to the community’s under resourced youth. Last year more than 15,000 players walked through its doors for play and programming.

NYJTL x AD LOVE Draw for Love Challenge Winner Announced!

Posted on December 19, 2018February 6, 2019 by Allison Kelly

NYJTL and AD LOVE would like to announce Conor from the Bronx as the winner of the Draw for Love Challenge! Conor got to see his design go from crayon on paper to a high quality screenprint. The design has been screen printed on a 100% medium-weight ring-spun cotton dark grey long sleeve tee. All profits from the sale of the t-shirt benefit NYJTL’s transformative tennis and education programs.

Get yours here.

NYJTL and AD LOVE, a grassroots tennis apparel company, partnered for the NYJTL x AD LOVE Draw for Love Challenge! Over 1,000 participants in the ACES Afterschool Program submitted drawings featuring elements of New York City, love, and of course, tennis. After much deliberation, Conor’s design stood out above the others based on the inclusion of the three elements and his artistic execution.

The T-Shirt Design Challenge gave students a chance to not only to express themselves creatively, but to see their design benefit the entire under-resourced population that participates in NYJTL programs. Arts and design are increasingly being adopted into traditional STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to stimulate innovation. Research conducted by Michigan State University suggests that children involved in arts programs used their artistic skills “such as analogies, playing, intuition and imagination to solve complex problems.” The challenge presented an opportunity to foster a child’s artistic expression for the benefit of their peers and their community, with the hope that these children will continue to apply creativity and innovation to other areas of academia and their future career paths.

NYJTL Strengthens School Year with Fall Festival Celebration!

Posted on October 2, 2018October 9, 2018 by joe

(Tuesday, October 2, New York) – New York Junior Tennis & Learning is expanding its STEAM offerings throughout its ACES Afterschool and Community Tennis Programs at this year’s Fall Festival. After three years of running the very successful NYJTL STEAM Expo, the organization is including STEAM activities in its outdoor back-to-school Fall Festival Monday, October 8. Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics are at the core of all ACES Afterschool teaching.

Arthur Ashe, founding father of the National Junior Tennis & Learning model, knew that tennis was the hook to teach children about things more important than tennis and NYJTL has learned that their expertise in sports, activity, and motion combined with STEAM learning is the perfect recipe for fun, engagement, and long-term skill acquisition.

“STEAM is infused in all of our everyday activities, including tennis. That’s why it made sense to include it in our fall festival offerings,” said Jen Wohl NYJTL Chief Education Officer. “Making STEAM activities accessible, engaging, and fun is the best way for young children to learn.”

The event runs from 10 am to 3 pm and takes place in Crotona Park, home of the NYJTL flagship, the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the heart of the Bronx.

Over 1,000 children from NYJTL’s five borough network and local Bronx children and families will experience the outdoor celebration that incudes tennis, STEAM activities, African Drum Dance, Zumba, face painting as well as experience the interactive Bronx museum bus where children and families learn the science behind the workings of the local Bronx River.

In addition, due to NYJTL’s partnership with First Book, children who attend the event will enjoy visiting reading tents. Children will be able to leave the day with a free book of their own to bring back home.

As part of its mentorship and volunteer training, high performance players from the Intensive Training Program and Advanced Training Program will give back time by assisting the on-court tennis training element for the day.

NYJTL believes that life skills gained through tennis and education are a catalyst for long-term academic achievement and the non-profit is investing heavily in the model of combined sports and education learning.

About New York Junior Tennis & Learning

In June 2015, the $26.5 million Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning opened its doors as the flagship home of NYJTL in the heart of the Bronx. In April 2017, the center completed its final phase of construction and opened the Pershing Square Stadium, the Victor Kiam Stadium, and the Dalia and Larry Leeds Viewing Bridge. The Cary Leeds Center provides more than 6,000 hours of free tennis court time annually to the community’s under resourced youth.

NYJTL celebrates the diversity of the children who participate in every program, providing 3,000,000 hours of year-round programming that serves youth from all five boroughs. All NYJTL Community Tennis and Afterschool programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

For more information, contact:

Joe Ceriello, NYJTL Marketing & Communications, (917) 693-6672; jceriello@nyjtl.org

Cary Leeds Center Welcomes the World with US Open Junior Qualifying Tournament

Posted on August 31, 2018September 21, 2018 by joe

BRONX, N.Y., Aug. 31, 2018 – Players from 28 nations spanning the globe, all vying for a spot in the US Open Junior Tournament, converge at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. Thirty-two of the strongest boys and girls in each draw will play for one of eight spots into the main draw tournament. The final eight matches are scheduled to begin at 10 am on Saturday, September 1. All match times for the tournament can be found at https://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html.

Assemblyman Michael Blake, NYJTL President & CEO George Guimaraes, and USTA Junior Tournament Director Lew Brewer gathered to welcome the first-round competitors on the new Victor Kiam Stadium Court. Young, rising American player Katrina Scott, scheduled to play the opening match on that stadium, hit the first “official” ball fed by Assemblyman Blake to symbolize the kick off of the tournament.

“The Cary Leeds Center is a state-of-the-art facility,” said US Open Junior Tournament Director Lew Brewer. “It is more than capable of hosting world-class events and makes for a great host for the US Open Junior Qualifying Tournament.”

The event attracts elite college coaches from all over the county scouting for talent to fill their next year’s rosters.

“It’s incredible being here,” said Steve Denton, 1982 US Open Doubles Champion and head coach of Texas A&M, “I knew Cary Leeds from his Yale days and stayed with the Leeds family in 1976 while I was playing a collegiate tournament.”

The move from the park courts outside of the National Tennis Center to its new home in the Bronx is receiving strong praise from the players and USTA staff.

NYJTL Board Member Carlos Cuevas, a long time Bronx resident and former NYC City Clerk, remembers “a time when no one would walk in this park, and it warms my heart to see the Bronx prosper and grow to such extraordinary heights”.

“I want to thank the NYJTL and the USTA for introducing the great sport of tennis to a brand new audience in my district, while providing Bronx residents a unique opportunity to witness world-class tennis from the future generation of tennis champions firsthand,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

In addition, the Cary Leeds Center is hosting the “Little Mo” North Regionals, simultaneously utilizing all 22 courts in Crotona Park. The “Little Mo” brings in over 130 young competitors who will someday aspire to be compete a few courts over.

“Pairing these events serves as inspiration for our kids to dream big and set goals for the future,” said MCB Foundation Tournament Operations Manager, Matt Cody.

About New York Junior Tennis & Learning

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs. Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching 85,000 K-12 New York City youth. NYJTL celebrates the diversity of the children who participate in every program, providing three million hours of year-round tennis and education programming serving youth from all five New York City boroughs. All NYJTL Community Tennis and Afterschool programs are offered at no cost to participants.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level – from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

For more information, contact:

Pat Mitsch, USTA Communications, (914) 656-9021; Mitsch@usta.com

Joe Ceriello, NYJTL Marketing & Communications, (917) 693-6672;

jceriello@nyjtl.org