USTA Women's Pro Circuit returns June 12-18 to Sumter Palmetto Tennis Center with 60K event

Professional women's tennis players from across the world will be visiting Sumter for the 2023 Pro Circuit 60K Tennis Tournament at the Palmetto Tennis Center next week.

From June 12-18, the city's state-of-the-art Palmetto Tennis Center will host the 15th-annual United States Tennis Association Women's Pro Circuit event, said Shelley Kile, tourism and communications director for the City of Sumter.

Palmetto Tennis Center is a national tennis court complex in Palmetto Park, 416 S. Wise Drive, and is one of the largest tennis centers in the state with 24 lighted hard courts, four pickleball courts and eight clay courts currently under construction.

This will be Sumter's first 60K event, one of nine $60,000 events held in the U.S., according to Kile.

"Women ages 14-28 from more than 20 countries will participate in Sumter's 2023 Palmetto Pro Open $60,000 USTA Women's Pro Circuit Event," Kile said in a press release.

The USTA circuit for women is designed to help professional players gain the experience and ranking points needed to participate in major events around the world, according to the release. Previous Palmetto Pro Open players like Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka, Taylor Townsend and more have participated and continued to emerge as some of the top players on the circuit to the U.S. Open.

This has been one of four USTA Pro Circuit women's events held in South Carolina each year, according to Kile. The Palmetto Pro Open-Pro Circuit event debuted in 2008 as a 10K-128 player event and has grown since. In 2015, the event became one of three 25K events in South Carolina with a 64-player event.

"Our excitement has us all spinning for the 2023 Pro Circuit 60K Tennis Tournament to be held at the Palmetto Tennis Center," Kile said. "Singles and doubles competition of professional women players, most of them in the 18-23 age group, vying for prize money and points to qualify them for larger tournaments."

The tournament will begin with qualifying rounds on Monday, June 12, with the main draw at 10 a.m. daily (weather permitting) with singles matches in the mornings and doubles in the afternoon.

On Thursday evening, June 15, a feature doubles match will be played at 7 p.m. On Saturday, June 17, the competition will be taken to the stadium center courts with semi-finals and doubles finals. Sunday, June 18, will conclude with the singles final match.

"Don't miss out on this prestigious sporting event right here in Sumter," Kile said. "Admission for spectators is always free."

For more information, contact the Palmetto Tennis Center Tournament Director Brian Hodge at (803)-774-3969 or by email, Palmettotennis@sumtersc.gov.