Memphis pro tennis tournament renamed by new owners

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Michael Sheffield

Senior Staff writer- Memphis Business Journal

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Memphis' long-time tennis tournament will have a new name to go along with its new owner in 2015.

The tournament, now known as the Memphis Open, will be held Feb. 9-15 at the Racquet Club of Memphis. The tournament already has a commitment from Kei Nishikori, its two-time defending champion. Nishikori made it to the finals of the U.S. Open in September.

Gordon Smith, executive director and COO of the U.S. Tennis Association, said the tournament is currently looking for local sponsorships and hopes the long-standing relationship between the tournament and the city can flourish.

"This tournament has a great legacy, and it's one of the reasons we wanted to be here," Smith said.

The USTA partnered with the Racquet Club of Memphis, which has been home to the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships since 1977, to purchase the tournament from San Jose-based Sharks Sports & Entertainment earlier this year. It will again be an ATP World Tour 250 tournament, with a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw.

The USTA also named Erin Mazurek director of the tournament. Mazurek previously served as tournament director for the USTA Pro Circuit's Dow Corning Tennis Classic, a $100,000 women's event in Midland, Michigan, from 2002-2009. She was most recently director of private event sales with the Detroit Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment.

Smith said the grandstand court at the Racquet Club will be reoriented 90 degrees, and between 700 and 1,000 addition seats will be added. The lighting on the court will also be redone. In an effort to increase the tournament's attendance, ticket prices will also be cut between 15 percent and 20 percent "across the board."

Michael Sheffield covers bioscience and biotechnology; manufacturing; tourism and hospitality; and sports business. Contact him at msheffield@bizjournals.com.