Collegiate tennis stars highlight Mardy Fish Children's Foundation event

A slew of ambitious up-and-coming American tennis players highlight the player field for the 2024 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit ITF World Tennis Tour event.

The tournament, which will be held April 22-28 at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club at Timber Ridge, has been held in Vero Beach since 1995

Since 2016, it has benefited the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit foundation benefiting children named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, a former top 10 tennis star, U.S. Davis Cup hero and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games.

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Olathe, Kansas, the reigning USTA National Boys 16s champion who won the 2024 Australian Open junior doubles title earlier this year, is among the cadre of promising Americans who are scheduled to compete at the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club along with fellow American up-and-comers Kaylan Bigun of West Hollywood, Calif., a singles quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and U.S. Open juniors last year, Stanford University commit Alexander Razeghi of Humble, Texas, a doubles semifinalist at the U.S. Open junior championships in 2023, and Victor Lilov of Raleigh, N.C., the runner-up at the 2021 Wimbledon junior championships. Christian Langmo of Boca Raton, Fla., a former standout at the University of Miami, is the leading entry in the tournament with an ATP ranking of No. 425

Of the 24 entries before the qualifying rounds, 18 are American and also include former Northwestern star and 2018 Mardy Fish semifinalist Strong Kircheimer of Highland Park, Ill., current Duke standout Duke Garrett Johns of Atlanta, former University of Georgia and Notre Dame standout Tristan McCormick of Berwyn, Pa., and 2022 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation champion Sekou Bangoura of Bradenton, Fla.

Jaycer Lyeons from Tyler, Texas, who last year went from being the last player accepted into the main draw of the tournament to reaching the singles final, is also in the main draw singles field. Mitchell Lee from Oakland, Calif., who won the Mardy Fish “Wild Card” event at the Sea Oaks Beach & Tennis Club earlier this year to qualify, will make his pro tennis event debut in Vero Beach.

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Ecuadorian Andres Andrade reached the doubles quarterfinal at the ATP Tour’s U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston last week with former University of Florida teammate and Vero Beach competitor Ben Shelton, is among three former Florida Gators scheduled to compete.

Andrade, a quarterfinalist in Vero Beach last year, will be joined by Duarte Vale of Portugal, a semifinalist last year in Vero Beach, as well as Will Grant of Boca Raton, Fla.

Among the players scheduled to play in the qualifying rounds of the tournament set for April 22 and April 23 are four-time Mardy Fish wild card singles winner Matthew Segura of Apopka, Fla., Venezuelan Davis Cupper Brandon Perez and Gianni Ross of Chicago, the most outstanding player on the University of Virginia’s 2022 NCAA Championship team.

Lachlan Gaskell from Delray Beach, Fla., the runner-up to Lee at the Mardy Fish Sea Oaks “Wild Card” event will also be competing in the qualifying rounds of the tournament.

“We are very excited about our singles field which is filled with young and promising American players and lot of players who tennis fans in Vero Beach are familiar with from past events,” said event co-tournament director Tom Fish, the father of Mardy Fish. “We have guys who have played big matches at ATP events, junior Grand Slam champions and finalists, great college players, Davis Cup players from other countries and those wanting to get a foothold in pro tennis.

"It will be a very entertaining event with some highly-competitive tennis and all benefits at-risk kids in Indian River County.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Collegiate tennis stars highlight Mardy Fish Children's Foundation event