TY Top Gun Brings Professional Tennis Back to Chicago

WESTMONT, Ill., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The $15,000 Ty Top Gun Professional Tennis Tournament is now Chicago's biggest prize money tennis event and is attracting many top ATP tour professionals from around the country. This year's event will be held on November 18th & 19th, 2005 in Westmont, Illinois at the Oak Brook Racquet & Fitness Club. In 2004, Top Gun was a $10,000 event and attracted world class ATP professionals like Paul Goldstein, Brian Vahaly, Mateas Boeker, Eric Taino and Dusan Vemic -- all were ranked in the top 200 in the world.

During the week before Top Gun, twenty-four of Chicago's top talented club professionals, Futures players and top collegiate players will compete in qualifying rounds in attempt to play in the 16 player main draw tournament. Main draw first round matches will begin at 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm on Friday, November 18th. On Saturday, November 19th, the Semifinals will be played at 6:00 pm followed by the Finals at 9:30 pm. This year's Ty Top Gun Champion will take home a check for $7,000. This year's prize money total makes the Ty Top Gun Chicago's biggest prize money tennis event.

The A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center in Winnetka, Illinois had hosted a men's Pro Challenger event for several years, which at the time was Chicago's one and only regular ATP Tour event. Now, it no longer is hosted in Chicago. Another once popular tennis touring event, the Men's Nuveen Masters Tour, organized by retired professional John McEnroe, has not been played for five years now.

Top Gun was originated in 2000 by U.S.P.T.A. teaching professional Jeff Behnken in the hopes of bringing the excitement of professional tennis back to Chicago. It all started with the idea that tennis club members and students might want to come out and watch their home club teaching professional show off their talent in a local Chicago prize money tennis event. It worked! Many of the area tennis clubs gladly participated in promoting the Top Gun event since it showcased their pro who played and represented their club. Now, six years later, and with the enthusiasm and support of several great sponsors, Top Gun has grown into Chicago's top tennis tournament. Although Top Gun has now attracted many out of state touring professionals, it still does showcase many local professionals who play in the qualifying rounds.

Top Gun is sponsored by several area businesses including Ty (The Beanie Baby Company) which is based in Westmont, Illinois. During the first night of the tournament, Ty will be giving out a free Beanie Baby to the first 100 juniors that come through the door. In 2004, close to 1000 tennis fans came out to watch the action at Top Gun.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (630) 654-2442 or stopping by the Oak Brook Racquet & Fitness Club, 650 Westmont Drive in Westmont, Illinois. For more information about the 2005 Ty Top Gun Tournament, go to http://www.obrfc.com/ and click on Top Gun.

  For More Information Contact:
  Gregg Pill, Managing Partner
  Jeff Behnken, Head Tennis Professional
  Oak Brook Racquet & Fitness Club    630.654.2442