Wimbledon has kicked off this week with the qualifying event in Roehampton, and a number of UTR Pro Tennis Tour players are part of the action.
The UTR Pro Tennis Tour (also known as the PTT) was launched in 2021 by UTR Sports as a developmental tour for aspiring pros. Each $25K tournament offers guaranteed prize money and multiple matches (thanks to the unique round-robin format) in cities around the world. There have been over 670 events held in 28 countries awarding more than $14M in prize money.
Any player in the 200-2,000 ranking (by UTR Rating) is eligible to register for a PTT — see the full schedule here. Over 100 players who have competed on the PTT have also appeared at the Grand Slam level.
This week’s Wimbledon women’s qualifying draw features a number of PTT players looking to win three matches to secure their places in the main draw, including Katie Volynets, Kayla Day, Kimberly Birrell, Gabriela Knutson, Darja Semenistaja, Irina Bara, McCartney Kessler, Taylah Preston, and Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Knutson, who represents the Czech Republic, used the PTT to gauge her level as she weighed turning pro versus getting a full-time job after college.
“On the PTT, I was really enjoying myself,” Knutson told UTR Sports. “I saw that you can go pro,…
