July 29, 1998
1998 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships
* $50,000 Men’s ATP Tour Challenger presented by Valvoline
* $25,000 Women’s USTA Challenger presented by Quantrell Cadillac-Volvo for the benefit of Lexington Habitat for Humanity
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lexington has been good to Karin Miller, so she’s sticking with it. The defending champion of the women’s USTA professional tournament at the FifthThird Bank Tennis Championships returns to the event in Lexington August 3-9 to try her luck again. A men’s event will run concurrently.
The road for Miller, 20, of Bradenton, Florida, should be easier this year. In 1997 she had to win three matches to qualify for the Fifth Third Bank main draw. The 226th-ranked Miller then upset three seeded players en route to the title. This year, Miller will come into Lexington as one of the top seeds.
Since last year’s event, Miller played in her first Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, won another challenger event in Australia, and has cut her world ranking by more than half to No. 100.
The five-foot, one-inch Miller, nicknamed Super Mouse, played for Duke University her freshman season before turning professional last summer. She has seven pro titles to her credit (four won as an amateur). In junior competition, Miller ranked second in the country in 1993. She makes up for her lack of size by emulating the mental toughness of Michael Chang.
The 1998 $75,000 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, the only tennis event in Kentucky affiliated with the worldwide pro tennis tours, is scheduled for August 3-9 at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Complex on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington. It is one of only a handful of professional tennis events that features both men and women like the Grand Slam tournaments. Players will be competing for prize money as well as ranking points on the major pro world rankings. In 1998, alumni of the tournament have defeated top players Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Conchita Martinez.
For tickets or information, call 606-224-2276.
