Tennis: On the Futures circuit, you move up or move out

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - For the professional tennis players competing on the

United States Tennis Association circuits, what really matters is to earn

ranking points, not big paychecks.

There are no big paychecks, anyhow, on the USTA Challenger, Futures

and satellite tours.

“The prize money hasn’t changed in years,” James Handly, USTA

supervisor of circuits, said of the bottom feeders of pro tennis.

There are millions of dollars in prize money available on the ATP

Tour, especially in Grand Slams, but it’s a different story in the minor

leagues of tennis, which is making a stop this week at the Costa Mesa

Tennis Center.

“These tournaments are intended not to be moneymakers,” Handly said.

“The goal is to get ATP points so you can go to higher events. That’s the

big situation for them. You move up or move out to make room for other

guys coming up.”

Satellite tournaments are the entry level and are played as a group of

four one-week tournaments with a separate point system. Those points are

not converted into ATP ranking points, however, until the end of the

four-tournament segment.

“To get a point in satellite, you know how difficult it is?” 2000 U.S.

Open winner Marat Safin asked rhetorically. “It’s very difficult. I was

playing qualies (qualifying tournaments). I couldn’t pass one round in

the qualies. To get one point, you have to pass two or three rounds in

the main draw.”

The USTA Futures circuit is the next step up, then it’s the

Challengers, before players crack the ATP Tour.

This week’s $15,000 Costa Mesa Pro Classic, a Futures event, has

narrowed its singles field to eight players with today’s quarterfinals at

10 a.m.

Losers in the quarterfinals take home $435, while semifinal losers

earn $720. The tournament champion Sunday will pocket $1,950, with the

runner-up cashing out at $1,350. As a comparison, Safin won $800,000 for

capturing the U.S. Open title.

In Thursday’s second round, top-seeded Ronald Agenor (Haiti) defeated

qualifier Nicolas Brochu, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2, but second-seeded Robert

Kendrick was upset by New Zealand’s Mark Nielson, 2-6, 7-5, 1-1

(default). Handly defaulted Kendrick because of verbal abuse to an

umpire.

In other matches, South Africa’s Wesley Whitehouse beat Brandon

Kramer, 6-2, 6-1; Chad Carlson upset third-seeded Matthew Breen, 7-6 (2),

6-3; qualifier Bertrand Contzler of France swept Jeff Greenwald, 6-1,

6-3; lucky loser Jason Cook (Woodland Hills) knocked off Alex Reichel,

7-5, 2-0 (retired); fourth-seeded Jeff Williams went through Diego Ayala,

6-3, 6-4; and fifth-seeded Daniel Willman of New Zealand defeated

Israel’s Oren Motevassel, 6-4, 6-1.