10/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - When UNLV's Jakob Amilon takes the court on Tuesday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex, it won't be for the usual Rebel team practice or a fall collegiate tune-up. The junior from Stockholm, Sweden, will instead be playing as a wild card entry in the 2015 Las Vegas Tennis Open Presented by The Orleans against the world's 242nd-ranked player in Darian King of Barbados.
Amilon is actually part of a solid group of current and former UNLV men's players involved in the ATP Challenger Tour pro event attracted to campus by Rebel head coach Owen Hambrook. This event is the first of its kind to take place at Fertitta since a USTA Men's Challenger featured record crowds on hand to watch Las Vegas native Andre Agassi compete on the UNLV courts in both 1997 and '98.
This year's $50,000 challenger boasts a field where the top eight seeds are ranked 150 or better, led by top-seed Austin Krajicek, who currently sits 96th in the world.
A couple of current UNLV players, Ruben Alberts and Alexandr Cozbinov, failed to get out of qualifying over the weekend along with former player Denys Pume. However, Amilon will be joined in the main draws by a foursome of former Rebs. Ace Matias will compete in singles while Pume and Joel Kielbowicz earned a wild card into the doubles field. Also, Tim Blenkiron, who won the 1997 NCAA Doubles Championship while at UNLV, will team up with Brian Battistone to form another wild card entry in the main draw.
Amilon's opening match is scheduled to begin on Court Seven at 10:30 a.m. and admission is free of charge at the tournament from Tuesday through Thursday.
The finals are scheduled for Sunday. For more information, visit www.lasvegastennisopen.com.
