The Progress Tour Wild-Card Series kicked off the year at Cardiff Metropolitan University, running from January 4th - 7th. It is the third consecutive year, the tour has begun on the indoor hard courts of the thriving University programme in the Welsh capital.
Fifty three male and female players made up the field, with ages ranging from 13 through to 38 years; including up and coming junior players, top 30 ITF World ranked Juniors, current and past NCAA college players, current ATP ranked players and a former Main-Draw Wimbledon player; epitomising what the tour is all about - providing competition for every strata of British player. Players competed for a share of the £3250 prize fund and Wild-cards into $25,000 professional events taking place in the UK next month.
Players at the lower UTR levels worked their way through qualifying rounds over the first two days of the event, before the tableau commenced and the highest level UTR players joined the fray. A strong field saw top 30 ITF Junior; Felix Gill coming through four matches without dropping a set, overcoming ATP World ranked opposition in both the Semi-Final and Final; a tight victory over Surrey's Andrew Watson 6-3 7-6. Felix secured £1,000 Winners cheque and a Main Draw Wild-card into the forthcoming ITF Pro Series events.
In the Women's event, Esther Adeshina, past winner at Millfield Progress Tour in 2018, took the title after Danielle Daley bowed out in the final, having picked up an injury. Esther picked up the £500 winners cheque and Main-Draw Wild-card into the forthcoming ITF Pro-Series events in the UK.
In all, 64 matches were completed over the four day event, with every participant being offered three level-based/progressive matches. Sportiii Analytics (https://www.sportiiianalytics.com/) also provided video/data analysis of all matches, giving players the opportunity to benefit from ATP/WTA Tour level statistics. To see full event results, visit https://courthive.com/t/e7d1c074-30ed-4296-b50f-6875186a79c2?
The Progress Tour aims to offer British players more opportunities to compete and earn on home soil, giving players the chance to earn player support and Wild-cards. With results now being processed through the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) system as well as the incoming World Tennis Number (WTN), the events offer broad appeal to every level of British player.
The tour moves onwards to Millfield School at the end of the month, and with a prize fund of £3250 and more Wild-cards up for grabs, it looks set to be a cracker! Click to find out more information on Millfield and other forthcoming events - https://www.theprogresstour.com/find-an-event