USTA Nationals invade Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - 224 of the countries best 16-year-old girls will compete for the USTA Clay Court Nationals at the Athletic Club of Alabama. The event begins July 10 and ends July 17.

“We were fortunate enough to grab this event a couple of years ago,” Tournament Director Eddie Jacques said during a media event. “Growing up in this sport and being able to participate in things like this and then being able to host is really special for us here at the club and just the whole city in general.”

The event is expected to sell over 1,000 hotel rooms per night in Huntsville for families in town for the event equaling an estimated economic impact of $887,000.

“There’s only four of these a year for these tennis players,” Jacques said. “In years past, the first year that we hosted, we had a girl we’ll probably see on TV here coming up pretty soon. It’s neat to see the development. These girls aren’t going to the U.S. Open this year, but we might have a younger one down the road follow-up and make the U.S. Open or Wimbledon.”