Parks & Recreation

Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships
Frank Veltri Tennis CenterPlantation, FL
USTA: Level 1
ITF: Grade A
December 1 - 11, 2011

• 2011 Orange Bowl Fact Sheet
• Tournament Information

The City of Plantation is please to announce that after spending the past 13 years at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Florida, the USTA Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships will move to the Frank Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation, Florida, returning this year to its clay court roots for the first time since 1998.

The 2011 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, one of the most prestigious international junior events in the U.S., will be held December 5-11, 2011 and will continue to feature singles and doubles competition for boys and girls in 18-and-under and 16-and-under divisions. 

“We’re thrilled the USTA has chosen to bring such a prestigious event to the Frank Veltri Tennis Center and the City of Plantation,” said Plantation Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic. “Our community has long shown a strong commitment to tennis at all levels of the sport, including 10 and Under Tennis, and I have no doubt that Plantation will embrace the Orange Bowl and its participants for years to come.”

The event annually hosts more than 500 of the world’s top juniors from more than 70 countries. Champions have emerged from 24 different nations, and a number of those champions have used the occasion to announce plans to turn professional.  It will provide a significant economic boost to the city, as well as shine a spotlight on some of tennis’s brightest young stars.  Past winners of the Orange Bowl 18-and-under singles titles include some of the most well known names in sports: Chris Evert, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Gabriela Sabatini, Anna Kournikova, Andy Roddick, and current World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. 

The change of venue is a result of the USTA’s vision to incorporate more clay-court training and events into the junior tennis calendar, resulting in more well-rounded players.  The Frank Veltri Tennis Center features 26 lit clay courts that will allow the facility to host every main draw and qualifying match in both the 18s and 16s age groups.  The facility currently hosts the first USTA Pro Circuit Futures event of the year in January and the USTA Girls’ 14s National Clay Court Championships in July.

“The Frank Veltri Tennis Center meets all of our needs with regards to hosting such a large event," said Lew Brewer, Director of Junior Competition, USTA Player Development, and Orange Bowl Tournament Director.  "Every court is lit and it is large enough to accommodate every match on the schedule. Knowing that the center already hosts multiple top-notch USTA events, I expect this year’s event to be of the highest quality.”