UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PLAYER AWARDED WILD CARD INTO THE 13TH ANNUAL
USTA/URSULA BECK PRO TENNIS CLASSIC
DECATUR, IL, June 6, 2011 – University of Illinois men’s tennis team member Dennis Nevolo
from Gurnee, Illinois received a wild card entry into the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic
which begins August 2nd. Nevolo earned All-American honors as a junior and had a career high
ranking of 7 in the nation. Nevolo defeated Lance Vodicka in the wild card final held last weekend
during the 90th Central Illinois Open. By reaching the final, Vodicka also receives a wild card
into the qualifying event. Vodicka played for the Saint Louis University Billikens and reached a
high of 728 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles computer.
According to Ursula Beck tournament director Chuck Kuhle, winning a wild card is one of the reasons
the Central Illinois Open is always popular venue. "Our tournament is successful because the
top prize is a wild card into a Futures tournament. Because of this, we attract a lot of the college
players from the Midwest. This tournament is one of the strongest in the area that doesn’t offer
prize money or ATP points."
The family of Darrell Beck has again agreed to sponsor the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic.
The tournament will be held August 2nd-7th with qualifying beginning July 29th at the Fairview
Tennis Complex.
The USTA sponsors and directs USTA Pro Circuits, including the USTA/Ursula Beck Pro
Tennis Classic, which draws aspiring tennis professionals from around the world.
The Decatur Community Tennis Foundation will again host the USTA/Ursula Beck Men’s Pro
Tennis Classic. Admission is free and open to the public.
The USTA/Ursula Beck Men’s Pro Tennis Classic began in 1999 and has developed into one of the
premier tournaments on the United States Tennis Association Professional Circuit. Each year, 150
players from over 20 countries participate in the ten-day event. Professional players from the
Decatur Futures have gone on to compete at all of tennis’ Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon,
U.S. Open, French Open and the Australia Open.
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Chuck Kuhle, Tournament Director Patrick Kuhle, Local press aide
(217)423-7020 (217)521-1525
chuck@decaturathleticclub.com p.kuhle@yahoo.com
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