Gard is Last Man Standing in BB&T Atlanta Open Wildcard Challenge
Earns spot the qualifying draw of the BB&T Atlanta Open
ATLANTA, July 19, 2017 – Former touring professional, Catalin Gard, was the last man is standing as the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open Wildcard Challenge came to a close on Wednesday at Atlantic Station. Gard defeated recent local high school graduate, Aleks Huryn, in three sets to receive a wildcard into the qualifying draw, that begins on Saturday.
Gard hopes that this year’s appearance in the qualifying will end with a ticket into the main draw, as Chris Eubanks did last year. Gard has competed in qualifying rounds of the tournament three times previously but has always fallen short of the main draw.
The Romanian had a slow start to the day, dropping the first straight five games to Penn-bound Huryn. Gard was able to claw his way back to make it a 5-4 contest late in the first set as he found his groove. Huryn turned up the volume on his serve and tried a new strategy to catch the veteran off-guard, by closing the first set out with a big serve and volley.
Entering the second set with a burst of energy, Gard began to put up a fight. Refusing to go down easy, the rallies became longer and the errors became fewer for Gard for the duration of the set. Though Huryn was able to break Gard in the first game, Gard responded by breaking back and then winning six straight games in quick fashion for a set score of 6-1.
Continuing his momentum into the deciding set, a determined Gard exhibited patience through more extended rallies. A frustrated Huryn was unable to hold off as Gard became more consistent. Huryn never found the range in the final set and Gard cruised to a final match score of 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
"It is always exciting to see a player emerge from our local tennis centers and get a chance to compete in the BB&T Atlanta Open qualifying draw,” stated Eddie Gonzalez, BB&T Atlanta Open Tournament Director. “Last year, Chris Eubanks came through seven matches in the Wildcard Challenge and then two matches in the singles qualifying draw to earn a spot in the main draw of an ATP World Tour 250 event.”
Wednesday, July 19 - Result
Catalin Gard def. Aleks Huryn 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 *
*Earns a spot in BB&T Atlanta Open Qualifying Draw
BE THERE!
The BB&T Atlanta Open has welcomed over 280,000 fans to Atlantic Station over the past seven years, establishing itself as one of the top ATP Tour tennis events in the US. Tickets for the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open can be purchased at http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com/.
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The BB&T Atlanta Open is held each year in July in Atlantic Station and is one of eight summer tournaments in the US Open Series. The tournament features men’s top world tennis players in singles and doubles competition. Approximately 40,000 fans attend the tournament and bring an estimated economic impact of $10.3 million to Atlanta. Nick Kyrgios won the 2016 singles championship while John Isner won the 2015, 2014 and 2013 titles. Andy Roddick won his last ATP World Tour title when he defeated Gilles Muller at the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open. Mardy Fish holds the title for 2011 and 2010.
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