Welcome to the Inaugural AUSTIN125!

It’s officially November, and we’re thrilled to welcome y’all to the first-ever edition of the AUSTIN125 — a WTA 125 tournament taking place right here at the Austin Tennis Academy (ATA). The action kicks off today, November 3, with matches starting daily at 10:00 AM. For the first few days, play will take place across three courts, so there’ll be no shortage of tennis to take in.

The opening day features eight talented players competing in qualifying for four coveted spots in the main draw. Leading the field is Claire Liu, the top seed in qualifying, and a former Top 60 player making her return to the spotlight — and perhaps to the Grand Slam stage once again. Joining her in the action are two current Texas Longhorns, Eszter Meri and Christasha McNeil, who will battle for a chance to join their teammate Carmen Herea — the recent runner-up at the ITA All-American Championship — who received a Wild Card into the main draw. Former Longhorn Malaika Rapolu also received a main draw Wild Card and will compete tomorrow.

Six main draw matches are on today’s schedule, featuring five seeded players showcasing a mix of experience and rising talent.

No. 3 seed Renata Zarazúa, a spirited competitor from Mexico.
No. 5 seed Petra Marčinko, a young Croatian star and former junior world No. 1.
No. 6 seed Arantxa Rus, the seasoned Dutch veteran with multiple singles and doubles WTA titles.
No. 7 seed Whitney Osuigwe, an American standout and former Junior French Open champion.
No. 8 seed Darja Vidmanova from the Czech Republic, who made history at the University of Georgia as the first player in program history — and only the third woman in NCAA history — to achieve a career NCAA Triple Crown, winning team, singles, and doubles titles. She also held the No. 1 collegiate ranking in both singles and doubles during her playing days at UGA.

Talk about firepower for Day 1 of the inaugural AUSTIN125!

A big thank you to our amazing partners — DropShot, Racquet Lifestyle, USTA Texas, and Youth Impact Sponsor Dell Children’s — for making yesterday’s AUSTIN125 Kids’ Day a huge success! We had a fantastic turnout, with lots of smiles, energy, and a few tennis stars like Iva Jovic and Caroline Dolehide joining in the fun. It was a perfect day of celebrating tennis, community, and the next generation of players in the women’s game.