By Tien-Shun Lee
The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills will be hosting its first professional tennis tournament in 14 years next month, club officials announced Tuesday. Players seeded among the top 200 in the world, including Michael Chang, will compete in the tournament.
Established in 1892, the WSTC was the host of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships before it relocated to the National Tennis Center in Flushing in 1977. Tennis stars who have played at the club include Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, Virginia Wade, Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King.
“We want to have the West Side Tennis Club again as the premier place where tennis is played at its highest level,” said WSTC President Jack Leibler. “We are pleased that professional tennis is returning to the club after a hiatus of 14 years.”
A total of 32 male players from around the world will compete in the main tennis competition, which will be held from May 12 through May 17. A total of $50,000 will be awarded to top winners of the singles and doubles tournaments.
The highest-ranking player who will be competing in the tournament is Justin Gimelstob, a resident of Morristown, N.J. who is seeded 95th in the world. Other players who will be competing include Eric Taino from Jersey City, N.J., Thomas Blake from Connecticut and Chang, who is now ranked 135th in the world.
Chang won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17 and was ranked the No. 2 male, singles tennis player in the world in 1996. Now 31, he is on his farewell tour and plans to retire after this year.
“I remember when the U.S. Open was in Forest Hills and I remember the excitement that it brought to Forest Hills,” said Deputy Borough President Karen Koslowitz. “Now once again the excitement is back in Forest Hills. It's good for business, it's good for the people that live in the area.”
The WSTC is equipped with 38 courts of four different kinds of surfaces: Har-tru, or green clay, red clay, grass, and hard surfaces. Competitors will play on six Har-tru courts surrounded by bleachers.
Before the main tournament begins, a qualifying tournament will be held on May 10-11. The top four qualifying players will then compete in the main tournament.
In addition, two prequalifying tournaments will be held from May 2- 5. One of the pre-qualifying tournaments will be for members of the WSTC, and the other will be open to all players. Winners of the pre-qualifying tournaments will enter the qualifying tournament.
“Those pre-qualifying tournaments are going to have some pretty strong players, some top juniors that are ranked among the top 20 in the country,” said Dina Ingersole, the tournament director. “There will definitely been a lot of good tennis this weekend.”
Admission to the tournament will be free through the semi-finals. Admission to the finals, to be held on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 1 p.m. will cost $10.
On the opening day of the main tournament, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) is expected to make a speech, and Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) is scheduled to sing the national anthem.
“This is hallowed ground to the tennis world, and to have a professional tournament back here is as natural as playing baseball in Yankee Stadium,” said U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens). “We're thrilled to have tennis back where it belongs.”
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
