Aussie women to compete for wildcard
December 19, 2005
Nicole Pratt and Casey Dellacqua will compete against some of Australia's brightest tennis prospects for a main draw wildcard in the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts.
Pratt of Queensland and Dellacqua of Perth will receive first round byes for the play-off, which will be contested at Royal Pines Resort on Tuesday 27 and 28 of December.
They will be joined by Sophie Ferguson (NSW), Lauren Breadmore (VIC), Shayna McDowell (QLD) and Shannon Golds, who today defeated Natasha Kersten for the sixth position.
Tennis Australia’s recently appointed Director of Player Development Craig Tiley has made it a priority to provide Australian players with improved quantity and quality of competition at home.
This strategy is reflected in the wildcard play-offs which have been established for the Medibank Sydney International, Next Generation Adelaide International and Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts.
Tournament director Liz Smylie said the wildcard play-off was a great opportunity for an Australian player to be rewarded for their form and continue to adapt to the challenging weather conditions at the Gold Coast.
"Aside from the ranking points and prize money on offer at the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts, the winner will compete against some of the best players from around the world," Smylie said.
"We’ve got four Queenslanders in the mix, with Australia’s No.3 player Nicole Pratt as top seed, promising 16-year-old Shayna McDowell being rewarded for her results during the year, and Gold Coast locals Shannon Golds and Natasha Kersten taking part in an elimination match for the final position.
"With the calibre of this play-off field we’re going to see some fantastic matches and whoever wins will have the chance to really kick-start their 2006 season," she said.
December 19, 2005
Nicole Pratt and Casey Dellacqua will compete against some of Australia's brightest tennis prospects for a main draw wildcard in the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts.
Pratt of Queensland and Dellacqua of Perth will receive first round byes for the play-off, which will be contested at Royal Pines Resort on Tuesday 27 and 28 of December.
They will be joined by Sophie Ferguson (NSW), Lauren Breadmore (VIC), Shayna McDowell (QLD) and Shannon Golds, who today defeated Natasha Kersten for the sixth position.
Tennis Australia’s recently appointed Director of Player Development Craig Tiley has made it a priority to provide Australian players with improved quantity and quality of competition at home.
This strategy is reflected in the wildcard play-offs which have been established for the Medibank Sydney International, Next Generation Adelaide International and Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts.
Tournament director Liz Smylie said the wildcard play-off was a great opportunity for an Australian player to be rewarded for their form and continue to adapt to the challenging weather conditions at the Gold Coast.
"Aside from the ranking points and prize money on offer at the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts, the winner will compete against some of the best players from around the world," Smylie said.
"We’ve got four Queenslanders in the mix, with Australia’s No.3 player Nicole Pratt as top seed, promising 16-year-old Shayna McDowell being rewarded for her results during the year, and Gold Coast locals Shannon Golds and Natasha Kersten taking part in an elimination match for the final position.
"With the calibre of this play-off field we’re going to see some fantastic matches and whoever wins will have the chance to really kick-start their 2006 season," she said.