2-week fall tournament series in south Florida

MNO Tennis, an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for talented players to launch their professional careers, recently concluded its two-week Fall tournament series in south Florida. MNO, short for "Miss No Opportunity," owns three dates on the ITF Tour, including a W35 tournament in April, a M15 tournament at the Mission Bay Tennis Center (November 11-17), and a W50 tournament hosted by the Polo Club of Boca Raton.

The MNO Tennis Series M15 tournament was a crucial week for tennis players seeking to earn their first ATP points. The tournament attracted NCAA players and those already competing on the ITF World Tour, including top junior players. This year, three players capitalized on the opportunity to ignite their ATP careers: Benjamin Willwerth, Maximus Dussault, and Noah Johnston.

Above: Benjamin Willwerth. Photo courtesy of Julie Schkoda.

Benjamin Willwerth, 17, ranked 47th in Junior ITF, recently signed with the University of Arizona to play for the Sun Devils. He received a wild card entry from the USTA and defeated the sixth and first seeds en route to the semifinals, where he was stopped by the tournament winner, Stefan Dostanic. Maximus Dussault also received a wild card entry to play in the qualifying rounds and reached the second round of the main draw, earning his first ATP point. Noah Johnston, 16, ranked 53rd in Junior ITF, won three matches in three days and secured his first ATP point. He has since signed with the University of Georgia.

The MNO Tennis Series continued on Monday, November 18th, with its inaugural W50 tournament hosted by the Polo Club of Boca Raton. The field featured an impressive lineup, including top seed Carlota Martinez Cirez, local next-gen players Akasha Urhobo and Mayu Crossley (from Evert Academy), and Christina McHale (Olympian and former world No. 24). McHale came out of retirement after 27 months to compete in singles and doubles. Local player Mayu Crossley reached the semifinals.

Above: Akasha Urhobo. Photo courtesy of Julie Schkoda.

This marked the first time the Polo Club of Boca Raton hosted a pro tennis tournament. The Polo Club, a Platinum Club of America, offered players the opportunity to compete on six of their 21 manicured hard-tru courts. Four courts were streamed live on ITFTennis.com, with lines persons and chair umpires officiating on each court.

The tournament received positive support from sponsors, including Davenport & Company LLC, Daisy, Baank, Coolibar (sun protection you wear), Clarins, and Waterdrop.

Above: Mayu Crossley. Photo courtesy of Julie Schkoda.

The 2024 champions of the MNO Tennis Series M15 are Stefan Dostanic (singles) and Santiago Villaruel/Jeremias Rocco (doubles). For the MNO Tennis Series W50, Whitney Osuigwe lifted her first ITF W50 of 2024 (her third career title), while Alicia Herrero Linana/Anna Rogers won the doubles.

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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). Owner of 1999 Consulting LLC, based in Miami, specialized in sports marketing, sponsorship, activations and events. Top photo features Ilgiz Valiev.