History

The Lubbock Tennis Challenger is a United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Circuit event that features men who play regularly on the ATP tour and in the Grand Slam championships as well as represent their respective countries at Davis Cup and in the Olympics. Ranked in the top 200 in the world, tournament participants demonstrate a high level of play and provide excitement for spectators.

The USTA Pro Circuit features weekly tournaments spread from January through the end of November, providing players from over 100 countries the competition and experience necessary for them to transition to the game’s highest level. It is the most comprehensive developmental professional tennis circuit in the world involving over 2,000 tournament players each year. The Men’s events are divided into Futures ($10,000 and $15,000) largely designed for younger players and Challengers ($50,000 and $75,000) geared toward those attempting to join the ATP. Each event has 32 players in the main singles draw and 16 teams competing in doubles. A Challenger tournament enables players to earn ATP world ranking points. In fact, a player can earn a top 100 ranking by playing solely in Challengers. Since 1978, many of the best young tennis players have launched—and many established stars have re-started—their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. Pro Circuit alumni include Andre Agassi, James Blake, Michael Chang, and Andy Roddick to name a few.

Lubbock has been a part of the Pro Circuit Series since 2002. This year marks the fourth annual Challenger event. Lubbock is one of twenty-four Men’s Challenger tournaments held in the United States and the only professional tennis tournament in the South Plains.

Sam Querrey, Michael Russell, Amer Delic, Robert Kendrick, Donald Young, Jan-Michael Gambill, Bobby Reynolds, Rajeev Ram, Jeff Morrison, Cecil Mamiit, Thomas Blake, Brian Vahaly, Scoville Jenkins, Benjamin Becker, and Mashiska Washington are just a few of the tennis stars that have competed here in Lubbock.