In 1974 the United States Tennis Association (USTA) created a three-tiered tennis circuit designed to give young American players an opportunity to develop their skills, increase their international rankings and gain valuable match experience without having to leave America's borders. Prior to the USTA circuit future American tennis hopefuls had to travel far and wide to gain experience.
At the same time, there was a great need for professional sports in the Duke City. Since the USTA circuit was in need of quality host cities in the United States and Albuquerque provided beautiful weather and hospitality, the match was perfect. Hence, an opportunity was presented to create a quality women's tennis event in New Mexico.
In 1998, the USTA awarded a contract to Highpoint Sports and Wellness to host a Challenger Tournament in the Duke City. At that time, the tournament generated a $50,000 championship purse. Perhaps more impressive was the $11,000 raised for charity. What started as the lowest Challenger event has grown into one of the USTA's five model events for community involvement and charitable contributions. Proudly, ColemanVision is a fifth year sponsor of this world-class women's professional sporting event attracting professional players from more than 30 countries.
We are very proud of our accomplishments. At the top of our boasting is our tournament's nationally recognized "Best Practices: Community outreach programs which have increased the quality of life for Albuquerque and neighboring communities." We have raised close to $66,000 for local tournament charities. We have also offered Native Americans from across the Southwest the opportunity to participate and create tennis programs in their communities. We have etched ourselves as an event that brings more than tennis to Albuquerque.