April 4, 2016
Vanderbilt senior Frances Altick has a chance of a lifetime today, as the National Champion competes in her first pro event, the Volvo Car Open.
Formerly known as Family Circle Cup, Altick earned a spot in the largest women’s-only tournament in the world by winning the SHAPE Magazine Invitational one month ago. The Volvo Car Open is weeklong event, which dates back to 1973 and takes place April 4-10 on Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C.
Previous winners of this prestigious event include Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf and eight-time champion Chris Evert.
Altick’s first round opponent, Alison Riske, owns the 86th spot in the latest WTA rankings and has Commodore connections herself as her sister, Sarah played for the Commodores. Alongside associate head coach Aleke Tsoubanos, the duo earned a No. 1 ranking and won the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Altick and Riske are third on on the Athena Gibson Club Court, and could start as early as 1:00 pm CT. The match will be televised on WATCHespn. Winner of today’s match will take on seven-time Grand Slam winner, Venus Williams.
