Strong field set for W80 Macon as ITF tournaments return to USA
The ITF World Tennis Tour ramps up a gear this week, with the first in a series of high-prize money tournaments taking place on American soil at W80 Macon, in central Georgia, on 19-25 October.
W80 Macon, which will be followed by W80 Tyler on 26 October – 1 November and W100 Charleston on 2-8 November, is the first ITF women’s tournament to be held in the USA since professional tennis was suspended back in March.
A strong line-up in Macon includes four current top 100 players – world No. 81 Misaki Doi, No. 91 Nina Stojanovic, No. 97 Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov and former Olympic singles gold medallist and current No. 98 Monica Puig – and a host of other notable players and emerging talents.
Eighteen-year-old Marta Kostyuk, who reached the third round on her US Open debut last month, is set to feature and will have an eye on a fourth ITF singles title – the biggest of her career – to add to her wins at W25 Dunakeszi in 2017, W60 Burnie in 2018 and W60 Cairo earlier this year.
Fellow 18-year-olds Caty McNally and Whitney Osuigwe will be targeting strong runs on home turf, while France’s Diane Parry will have a point to prove as she seeks to bring an end to a five-match losing streak at professional level in her first tournament since falling in the first round as a wild card at Roland Garros.
The likes of Eugenie Bouchard, Magdalena Frech and Lara Arruabarrena are all on the acceptance list for the qualifying event, along with Mayar Sherif and Clara Tauson, who both came through qualifying to reach the main draw – and in Tauson’s case, the second round – at Roland Garros.
Sara Errani, a finalist at Roland Garros in 2012, is also set to compete.
While Misaki Doi might be the top-ranked player due to compete at the tournament, the world No. 81 will be hoping to play her way into form in Macon having endured a difficult run in recent months.
The 29-year-old Japanese player has won just two of the nine matches she’s contested since March, falling in the first round at WTA tournaments in Lexington, New York and Rome, as well as at both Grand Slam events in the second half of the year at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows.
Second seed Stojanovic is hoping to bounce back from a four-match losing streak, having not won a match since reaching the second round in New York at the end of August, while Puig will hope the tournament can prove to be a positive step on her return from injury.
The Puerto Rican, who underwent elbow surgery last December, is looking for her first professional match-win since October 2019, having lost each of her three appearances since returning to action at the WTA event in New York in August.
Follow all the results from W80 Macon as they happen here, or visit the tournament page for the draws and event information.