(San Francisco) - This weekend, the University of San Francisco men's tennis team will host the annual Battle in the Bay Classic, a Division I college tournament. The 2011 event will mark the third year of the Tournament, which is played at the California Tennis Club in San Francisco. The event will open to the public Thursday, October 13 to Sunday October 16.
The Battle in the Bay Classic is inspired by competition at the highest level of singles and doubles play in NCAA Division I tennis – not just in the Bay Area, but all of California and beyond. All the programs in this years BBC are ranked in the NCAA D1 top 75, including the back-to-back National Champion and top-ranked USC Trojans. Also competing will be No. 7 Stanford, No. 14 California, No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 29 San Diego, No. 52 Boise State, No. 60 Saint Mary's, No. 66 San Francisco and No. 74 Pacific.
The Battle in the Bay Tennis Classic has been formed by the University of San Francisco men's tennis head coach Peter Bartlett, assistant coach Pablo Pires de Almeida and the California Tennis Club Director of Tennis Steve Jackson. All three of these established tennis professionals look forward to directing and establishing the Battle in the Bay as an annual event that pits the best collegiate players from Northern and Southern California.
The event was inspired by the Maze Cup, which showcases the best Northern California juniors vs. the best Southern California juniors. The Battle in the Bay continues that tradition by creating a competition at the highest level of NCAA Division I tennis singles and doubles play in all of California. Never before has a tennis tournament featured the top two singles players and top doubles teams from the State of California. The event will feature 32 of the best college players from Northern and Southern California facing off in a tournament format to see who will hold the title as the best singles and doubles players in the State for the year.
The Battle in the Bay Tennis Classic will not only have the best Bay Area college tennis student-athletes but it will also have the best former ATP pros playing a singles and doubles exhibition on Saturday night. This invitational tournament will be the first of its kind and will feature high-level tennis with local and national repercussions at stake. The Battle in the Bay Tennis Classic is an Intercollegiate Tennis Association sanctioned event that will count for NCAA Division I singles and doubles rankings. This makes each match an opportunity for all players to improve their individual rankings. This is going to be a unique experience that will showcase NCAA Division I level collegiate tennis at its very best.
Admission to the 2011 Battle in the Bay Classic is free. If you are not a CTC Member, please park outside the club and check in at the front desk. The CTC is located on the corner of Scott and Bush in Pacific Heights.
The first round of the Singles Main Draw is scheduled to commence Thursday at 10:15 a.m. Please visit, www.battleinthebayclassic.com for complete schedule and more information.
