Photo via New York Junior Tennis & Learning
NEW YORK – With this year’s Bronx Open women’s professional tournament coming up on August 15-21, the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL), Demand IX campaign, and the Festival of New York (FNY) have partnered for the 2022 Bronx Open and highlight the 50th anniversary of Title IX passed by Congress in 1972.
Title IX is a civil rights law that protects against discrimination based on sex from any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. NYJTL considers athletics an integral part of an institution’s education program. Demand Title IX and NYJTL said they are dedicated to leveling the field for all athletes and that the professional women’s tournament exemplifies the progress made in the past 50 years.
NYJTL Bronx Open is a professional women’s $60K USTA Challenger Tournament. This year, it will feature the main draw with 32 singles players, a 16-team doubles, and a 32-player qualifying event, which will be held at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. This year’s tournament promises to bring fierce competition and meaningful community engagement at no cost to viewers.
“We are thrilled that NYJTL signed on early to amplify the tremendous role sports plays in developing professional opportunities for women athletes through the NYJTL Bronx Open,” says Deborah Larkin, former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation and current member of the Board of Directors at NYJTL. “Through this tournament and the partnership with Demand IX, thousands of girls and boys in the NYJTL programs will see and learn how Title IX can support their dreams both on and off the court.”
The Festival of New York (FNY) is a city-wide movement highlighting New York as a resilient, inclusive, and dynamic city through the pandemic and beyond. It is a coalition of more than 300 organizations across the five boroughs and all sectors from arts and culture to education, such as Lincoln Center, ABC7, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to showcase the resilience of New Yorkers through a difficult time in the city’s history.
“In creating this event, and in partnering with these strong organizations, our hope is to inspire the next generation and showcase international excellence up close and free of charge, while building community through our wonderful and positive sport,” says Joe Ceriello, NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.
The Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning has 20 tennis courts, and two other stadium courts with permanent seating for more than 800 spectators, the Victor Kiam Stadium and the Pershing Square Stadium offer a courtside view of the world to the community, creating an unmatched up-close and intimate tennis viewing experience. In addition, the Cary Leeds Center will also serve as a practice court facility for the US Open and host the US Open Junior Qualifying tournament.
With NYJTL’s partnerships with Demand IX and FNY, it hopes to elevate the more powerful messages behind bringing world-class women’s professional tennis to the Bronx and beyond as a medium for exemplifying New York’s excellence and the communities’ excellence that the city represents.
