MNO Tennis Series W35 Hosted at the Polo Club of Boca Raton
Apr 15, 2025
From April 7-13, the 3rd edition of the MNO Tennis series W35 took place at the prestigious Polo Club of Boca Raton (platinum of America and platinum of the world). Players from 9 countries participated, with rankings from 172 in the world and up. MNO Tennis aims to help tennis players by providing them with the opportunity to earn their first WTA points and jumpstart their careers.
Above: Packed crowd at the Polo Club of Boca Raton for the tournament. Photo credit: Julie Schkoda.
The tournament was part of the 2025 Roland Garros wild card challenge, which will last for five weeks and will award an American man and woman a main draw singles wildcard to the French Open!
The Field and Competition
After a week full of tennis, even more condensed on Wednesday to catch up on the delay due to the rain the previous day, the tournament resumed and ended late at night after an epic 3-setter between qualifier Fiona Crawley, an American tennis player who competed for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, and Mexican player Maria Portillo Ramirez. The match concluded with the victory of Portillo Ramirez on the score 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) at 10:24 pm.
Above: Fiona Crawley. Photo credit: Julie Schkoda.
Qualifier Jamie Loeb reached the semi-final and lost to the winner of the tournament, Whitney Osuigwe. Whitney Osuigwe defeated Akasha Urhobo in the final and lifted the 2nd trophy of her career. On the doubles, the pair Mcadoo/Urhobo reached the final and were opposed to another Osuigwe (Victoria) and Smith. After a nail-biting final, Akasha Urhobo and Rasheeda Mcadoo became the doubles champions of the MNO Tennis W35.
Coin Toss, Trophies, and Ambassadors
The tournament was supported by a team of volunteer-ambassadors from the Polo Club. Their mission was to provide support, service, and guidance for the players and their entourage during the tournament. Brian Tunick, in addition to giving an opportunity to talented young players to start their pro journey on the tour, created a customized coin for the tournament with Lion Order Gold.
Above: Lion Order Gold's customized coin for the tournament. Photo credit: Julie Schkoda.
The coin was tossed by the great Bob Mcadoo before the singles final on Sunday in front of 300 people watching the match. A unique trophy was designed, taking over the laurels of the Polo Club logo and merging it with the MNO Tennis logo.
The Sponsors
The tournament was supported by MNO Tennis, PPCI, BAANK, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Coolibar, Hand & Ortho, and Lion Order Gold.
Above: The Coolibar ball kids. Photo credit: Julie Schkoda.
The Next Edition of the MNO Tennis Series is scheduled for November 17th with the return of its W50.
Photo Gallery - Finals
Top photo above features (left) champion Whitney Osuigwe, (right) runner-up Akasha Urhobo with individual photos of each following below. Bottom photo (middle) features Bob Mcadoo between Osuigwe and Urhobo. Photo credit: Julie Schkoda.
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Article and photos courtesy of Julie Schkoda, a sports marketing expert with 12 years of experience at Lacoste HQ (Paris) and Lacoste USA (NYC). Schkoda is owner of 1999 Consulting LLC, based in Miami, specializing in sports marketing, sponsorship, activations and events.