Rome Tennis Center to host USTA Pro Circuit event

Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open, a $60,000 women’s USTA Pro Circuit event, returns to the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College from Jan. 30-Feb.5 at the complex’s six-court indoor tennis facility.

The tournament will feature some of the best up-and-coming players inside the top 100-250 in the WTA world rankings, from the USA and around the world.

The tournament, which takes place immediately following the conclusion of the Australian Open, marks the first professional tournament of the year for Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. The acceptance list’s top seed was claimed by Hungarian Panna Udvardy, recent world No. 76 who competed in the first round of the Australian Open.

Six Americans have claimed top ten seeds in the tournament, including Elizabeth Mandlik, who holds 10 ITF singles and doubles titles, Emma Navarro, a former University of Virginia player who won the NCAA singles title in 2021 as a freshman, and Ann Li, who achieved a career-high world No. 44 ranking at the start of last year.

Sophie Chang, 2022 doubles champion, will also be returning to defend her title.

“We could not be more excited to kick off 2023 with our annual Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open,” said Ann Hortman, tournament director and director of Rome Sports. “We have been fortunate to see many of our competitors go on to compete on the Grand Slam stage and are looking forward to welcoming these rising stars back to Rome, Georgia.”

“Providing these players with access to a great facility and home to compete in is something we take great pride in,” added Colt Gaston, general manager of the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. “This gives our members and local players an amazing chance to see what top level tennis is all about.”

Members of the public are welcome to attend, and the tournament is currently seeking volunteers throughout the week. Tickets, volunteer information and ongoing tournament updates are available at www.RomeTennisCenter.com/Georgias-Rome-Tennis-Open.