NEWPORT, R.I. — Grass-court tennis returned to the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Sunday as qualifying began at the Cerity Partners Hall of Fame Open, presented by the MARGARET Fund, kicking off Newport’s favorite summer tradition with fans buzzing around the historic grounds.
New England’s only professional tennis tournament runs through July 12, coinciding with the second week of Wimbledon. The opening round of qualifiers delivered a mix of gritty three-set battles and dominant serving displays across both the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 draws.
The morning matches produced plenty of drama. Momoko Kobori of Japan advanced in a rollercoaster three-set victory over Mary Lewis, 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, storming through the opener, weathering a second-set comeback and dominating the decider. Alana Smith put on what the tournament called a masterclass on Center Court 2, holding off a resilient Sydney Jara for a 6-2, 7-5 win. Fourth-seeded Ava Arseneault of Canada and second-seeded Samir Yamalapalli were also among the women’s first-round winners.
On the men’s side, American wild card Ozan Baris brought energy to the fans and made the most of his entry, winning 78% of his first-serve points in a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sun Fajing on Center Court. Jason Jung upset 10th-seeded Andres Martin, resetting after a dropped second set to triumph 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4. Garrett Johns fired 11 aces and broke Blake Ellis three times in a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 win, and 11th-seeded Daniel Milavsky hammered nine aces while winning 77% of his first-serve points to outlast Masamichi Imamura 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1. Fifth-seeded Stefan Kozlov, second-seeded Andre Ilagan, seventh-seeded Tyler Zink, Patrick Maloney, Alex Rybakov and Hiroki Moriya also advanced.
Main-draw action begins Monday in both draws, with several familiar Newport faces opening on Center Court. American Mackenzie McDonald faces fourth-seeded Adam Walton, followed by the United Kingdom’s Liam Broady meeting sixth-seeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic. The first women’s singles match on Center Court features 2025 finalist Tatjana Maria against Connecticut native Olivia Lincer, with Americans Katie Volynets and Madison Brengle also slated to play in the stadium later in the day.
The tournament, which awards equal prize money of $225,000 to the men’s and women’s fields, carries added significance around gender equity following a new multi-year title sponsorship from Cerity Partners announced in April. Newport will host its second annual Women in Sports Day, supported by Cerity Partners, on July 7, featuring a Q&A on the Horseshoe Court Lawn.
The week also comes as the Hall of Fame prepares to honor its Class of 2026, tennis icon Roger Federer and broadcaster Mary Carillo, at an induction celebration in August. New museum exhibits celebrating the two inductees are open now, with guided tours available daily at 2 p.m. during the tournament.
Full results and the tournament schedule are available at ceritypartnershalloffameopen.com.
