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Another month, another new host country for the UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT). Argentina became the 22nd country to host the PTT. Other host countries for the 12 total events in October included the United States, Spain, Serbia, Italy, and Germany.
De La Fuente, Hidalgo Win First Events in Argentina
Gabriel Alejandro Hidalgo became the first player to win a PTT title in Argentina when he beat Mariano Kestelboim in the Buenos Aires final. Kestelboim would reach the final again the following week at the second men's $25K PTT (also in Argentina), falling to Santiago de la Fuente.
Argentina is one of nine new host PTT countries in 2022 along with Greece, Japan, Brazil, Slovakia, Italy, India, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
Belgrade Hosts Dual-Gender Event
The club Red Star Belgrade hosted a dual-gender event during the week of Oct. 10-16. Elitsa Kostova, a former world No. 130 on the WTA Tour, won the women's title while 22-year-old Luka Pavlovic captured the men's trophy.
"We are pleased that this coming week will be filled with high-quality matches and will bring together young, energetic competitors who are fighting for their place on the world tennis map," Red Star director Slobodan Vojinovic told a local newspaper. "The PTT is an introductory tour for aspiring professionals, and consists of players ranked from PTT 200 to 1,000. It is extremely important for players who are breaking through on the professional scene."
Serbia was one of the first European countries to host the PTT and plans to provide more playing opportunities for aspiring pros in 2023.
Repeat Champions Reign in Newport
Providers at the Tennis Club in Newport Beach hosted three PTT events during October. Aspen Schuman captured her second $25K PTT women's title of the year. Just 15 years old, she dropped just one set in six matches. The teenager is just starting her career and has played a few ITF junior and pro events, winning her first junior ITF trophy in September.
Megan McCray, an Oklahoma State University graduate, also snagged her second PTT Newport title of the season during the last week of the month. In men's Newport Beach action, Maciej Rajski picked up his third PTT title of the year. The 31-year-old also won PTT titles in September in Newport and in May in Denmark.
About the UTR Pro Tennis Tour
The PTT is open to players with a UTR Ranking of 200-2000, and wild cards can be awarded to those players with a UTR Ranking of 1-199 or above 2000. Every PTT event creates matchplay opportunities for up-and-coming, collegiate, and pro players thanks to a unique round-robin format. At every event, a group round-robin stage is followed by a World Cup-style playoff, guaranteeing multiple matches and counting all results towards the UTR Rating, the most accurate rating system in tennis. Every PTT event offers 4-5 matches and a minimum of $20,000 in prize money with an earnings guarantee for every participant.
For more information about UTR PTT and to see all of the results, click here.