IMG Academy Tennis Alumni and Trainees Prepared for the 2018 US Open

With qualifying rounds underway in the Big Apple, the grounds of the 2018 US Open have started to buzz with fans, players, and the like. Throughout the hard court season, IMG Academy hosts numerous professionals and trainees, as well as student-athletes who are preparing for the biggest stage in the states. With the main draws beginning August 27th, these players will compete for a chance at a Major title across the ATP and WTA tours, as well as in the Junior US Open Championships.

Below are the lists of IMG Academy trainees, alumni, and student-athletes and their 1st round match-ups, as well as those who are competing in the qualifying rounds:

Men's Qualifying Draw:

• Miomir Kecmanovic
• Christian Harrison
• Sebastian Korda
• Elias Ymer (trainee)
• Daniel Elahi Galan (trainee)
• Alex Bolt (trainee)
• Thanasi Kokkinakis (trainee)
• Peter Polansky (trainee)

Women's Qualifying Draw:

• Heather Watson
• Sofya Zhuk (trainee)
• Sabine Lisicki (trainee)

Men's and Women's Main Draws:

• Maria Sharapova vs. Qualifier
• Whitney Osuigwe vs. Camila Giorgi
• Danielle Collins vs. Aryna Sabalenka
• Ryan Harrison vs. Kevin Anderson
• Kei Nishikori vs. Maximilian Marterer
• Michael Mmoh vs. Fabio Fognini
• Marcos Baghdatis (trainee) vs. Mikhail Youzhny
• Vasek Pospisil (trainee) vs. Lukas Lacko
• Denis Shapovalov (trainee) vs. Qualifier
• Paolo Lorenzi (trainee) vs. Kyle Edmund 
• Natalia Vikhlyantseva (trainee) vs. Vania King

Whitney Osuigwe will make her Grand Slam debut next week after claiming both singles and doubles wild cards at the USTA Girls' 18s National Championships. Osuigwe, a student-athlete began training at IMG Academy at the start of her career and has continued to grow and develop through every area of her game on campus.

Her recent accomplishments include the 2017 French Open Junior Girls singles title, the year-end No. 1 girls ITF ranking in 2017, the singles and doubles titles at the 2018 Eddie Herr International Junior Championships at IMG Academy, and the singles title at the 2018 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

"It's been so amazing at IMG," Osuigwe said. "I've worked with almost every coach here, whether it's the nutritionists, strength coaches, physios, tennis coaches or school teachers, and they all support me in so many different ways as well as my family. I'm looking forward to being able to play my first Grand Slam match at the U.S. Open. I've been looking forward to this for a really long time. I don't really have any expectations ahead of the tournament - I'm just going to have fun with it.  I'm really excited!"

The Junior Boys' and Girls' draws have not yet been released, but the following student-athletes will be competing in New York:

Junior Boys' Main Draw:

• Nico Mejia 
• Adrian Andreev 
• Filip Jianu 
• Drew Baird
• Nick Hardt
• Tyler Zink 
• Martin Damm

Junior Boys' Qualifying:

• Toby Kodat

Junior Girls' Main Draw:

• Lea Ma
• Margaryta Bilokin 
• Anna Geller 

IMG Academy's rich history of developing champions continues to create an unrivaled culture across campus. With a focus on individualized training, personalized coaching and strategy sessions, and performance training in areas such as nutrition, speed and agility, and mental toughness, IMG Academy tennis remains the industry leader in overall development.

Visit the US Open website for live scores and updates from New York.

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