Clay Court Championships getting new digs

The Clay Court Championships have ended their seven-year run at Westside Tennis Club, but the tournament won't be moving far - just down to River Oaks. USTA director of tournament operations Jim Curley was excited about the move: "Now that we're able to move it across town, if you will, it retains consistency in the marketplace. We love Houston as a tennis town." Other cities who were bidding for the event include Atlanta, Winston-Salem, NC, and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

The USTA also praised Jim and Linda McIngvale, owners of Westside Tennis Club, for their dedication in turning Houston into the "tennis town" that it is. The McIngvales admitted that they lost much of their investment in bringing tennis tournaments to Houston due to the enormous expense of bringing the Masters Cup here in 2003 and 2004.

River Oaks hopes to lure top-tier tennis players to the Clay Courts with ATP ranking points. Previous winners of the tournament include Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. The event will cost the club around $1 million, even though USTA is requiring no major infrastructure changes.