Freedom Pro Tennis Exhibition
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Description
Four top tennis pros in charity exhibition to raise funds for the Freedom & Virtue Institute on December 16, 2017
Founder and Executive Director Ismael Hernandez is pleased to announce four top pro tennis players will be the feature exhibition for the Freedom Pro Tennis Charity Exhibition to be held on Saturday, December 16, 2017 from 11 am to 2 pm to benefit the mission and programs of the Freedom and Virtue Institute (FVI). Bjorn Fratangelo, Jennifer Brady and Mitchell Krueger will be at Academia Sánchez-Casal, located at 4995 Airport Pulling Road North in Naples. A limited amount of presale tickets are available at https://fvi.ticketbud.com/fvi-pro-tennis-exhibition
“There isn’t a better way of spending a mid-December Saturday than enjoying some high quality Pro Tennis with your family and friends, while supporting a great cause. “ states Mark Wardell, Director of FVI’s Self Reliance Clubs and Dignity of Work Initiative. This special event will feature live tennis with four tennis pros, food and beverages and fun to be had for the whole family. One hundred percent of proceeds from this exhibition will go to fund and expand FVI’s mission, goals and programs, which includes the Self Reliance Program, Dignity of Work Initiative and Effective Compassion Training.
Bjorn Fratangelo – GettyImages
Bjorn Fratangelo had one of his best wins at this year’s U.S. Open, beating the huge-serving Ivo Karlovic (#48 in the world ATP rankings). Originally from Pittsburg PA, Bjorn played much of his junior tennis in Naples where he attended Baron Collier High School. As a junior, Bjorn was ranked #1 in the USA and #2 in the world and won the Junior French Open beating Dominic Thiem (now #7 in the world ATP rankings) in the finals. Bjorn turned Pro in 2012 and has played in seven majors breaking into the top 100 players in the world in June 2016. Earlier this year Bjorn was a semifinalist at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, RI. Bjorn returns home to Naples for this charity exhibition, bringing the other top young professional players with him.
Jennifer Brady
Jennifer Brady is now ranked #66 in the world WTA rankings having made a fantastic run to the round of 16 at the U.S. Open this September beating Andrea Petkovic (once #19), Barbora Stryková (#25) and Monica Niculescu (#56) before eventually falling to #1-seeded Karolina Plišková. Jennifer turned Pro in 2015 after her sophomore year playing for the UCLA Bruins where she reached college rankings of #8 in singles and #9 in doubles. She has won four singles titles and four doubles titles on the ITF Tour and has played in six Grand Slams, where, as well as her fantastic 2017 U.S. Open result, Jennifer reached the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open beating Heather Watson (#78) and Elena Vesnina (#19). Since the U.S. Open, Jennifer reached the finals of the Tournoi de Quebec.
Mitchell Kruger
Mitchell Krueger just missed out on making the main draw of this year’s U.S. Open losing in the finals of the qualifiers. Mitchell turned Pro in 2012 after a stellar junior career where he was ranked #5 in the world. Since turning Pro he has reached a career high in the ATP rankings of #169, has played in one Grand Slam, and has won an ITF singles title and 3 ITF doubles titles. This year, Mitchell has had some very good wins over Marinko Matosevic (once #39), Malek Jaziri (#74), Thomas Fabbiano (#70), and Benot Paire (#41).
“We are fortunate to have individuals such as Bjorn, Jennifer and Mitchell share their talents with us,” states Ismael Hernandez, Executive Director of the Institute. Sponsorship packages are available. A limited number of presale tickets are on sale now for $25, children 12 and under are admitted for free. Food and beverages will be on sale. Parking is $5 per vehicle. All tickets and information can be found at https://fvi.ticketbud.com/fvi-pro-tennis-exhibition.
