The

Peachtree National Bank USTA Women's Challenger event,

the oldest women's tournament in the state, will bring

world class tennis to the Peachtree City starting this

weekend. The action will kick off with qualifying

beginning on Sunday afternoon. The main draw and the

qualifying rounds are filled with "grand slam"

caliber players from all over the world. "Grand

slam" players are those who have participated in at

least one of the grand slam events.

During the

week, there will be a day session that begins at 10 a.m.

and an evening session that begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday

will have a day session only beginning at 10 a.m. and the

finals will begin on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The

Challenger lost some star quality when Alexandra

Stevenson and Kristina Brandi both pulled out of the

tournament. Stevenson aggravated a shoulder injury during

her tremendous showing at Wimbledon and will take the

time off to heal. Brandi, a winner of the recent Heineken

Open, will also be unavailable to play.

There are

still plenty of promising players, most notably in

Canada's Jana Nejedly. Nejedly is currently ranked 85 and

is certain to give an aggressive showing during the week

long tournament.

The

international flavor of the players certainly adds to the

excitement of the action. Of the top 25 players in the

main draw, 14 of the young women are from other

countries. Australia has four players entered in the main

draw; Annabel Elwood, Evie Dominikovic, Lisa McShea, and

Cindy Watson. The girls are only separated by a total of

56 places in the world rankings and arefamiliar not only

with their style of play but the play of many of the

other girls.

On a local

level, Lindsay Lee of Norcross has made the qualigying

round. She is currently ranked 291 in the WTA and looks

forward to putting on a good display in her home state.

Though the

tournament action is sure to be supberb, there are plenty

of other events during the week to draw and entertain the

crowds. There will be a celebrity pro-am on Monday

evening, where local celebrities will take on the

entrants of the Challenger. The Pro-Am is scheduled to

begin at 6:30.

On

Wednesday, the Mike Patton Auto Mall "One Point High

School Tournament" will begin. Over 100 area

students will participate, trying to earn their way to

the final four on Sunday. The finals for the one point

tournament will be played between the singles final and

the doubles final of the Challenger event.

The Holiday

Inn Hotel and Suites will host a "Ladies Double

Clinic and Lunch" at 11 a.m. on Friday. Beth Choate

and Dot Cobb will offer tips on how to energize your

doubles game. Lunch will follow and prizes will be

awarded. Space for the clinic is limited but , like all

of the other events that coincide with the tournament,

there is no cost. To register for the clinic, call

770-486-9474.

Saturday

may be the biggest day of the entire week. The players

will be closing in on the finals and it will also be USTA

"Let's get into the game" day. There will be

face painting and caricature artists, balloon artists and

clowns, as well as clinics and activities to spark

children's interest in the game of tennis.

An event of

this magnitude is wonderful for the community. Very

rarely do cities the size of Peachtree City hold world

class sporting events with such a wide number of players

from other countries represented. It gives the area a

chance to show their hospitality to others, as well as a

chance to enjoy outstanding athletic performances.

The

Peachtree National Bank USTA Women's Challenger is also a

benefit for the David L. Harris Foundation. All the

proceeds from ticket sales will go to the foundation. The

foundation exists to help families with children who have

terminal cancer and was started by the Harris family

several years ago.

This is the

second consecutive year that the Peachtree City Tennis

Center, USTA and the Harris Foundation have worked

together.

Tickets are

available for the tournament at the Peachtree City Tennis

Center as well as Canterbury's, T.Buggs, and Elephant's

Tale in Peachtree City. They are also available at

FayetteSports and the Fayette Book Shop in Fayetteville.

For more information on the tournament, call

770-486-9474.

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