Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
EDWARDSVILLE - Sixteen-year-old Eli Dieveney and Britt Alvarez won their semifinal matches, and qualified for wildcard spots in the $25,000 Edwardsville Futures tennis tournament, presented by The EGHM Foundation, and will be joined by Steven Christie, Marco Ziets, and Josiah Lawrence in the results of the second day of the Pro Wildcard Challenge, presented by The Gori Law Firm, Thursday morning and afternoon, July 24, 2025, at the Edwardsville Tennis Center.
Dieveney is a Carmel, Ind., player and a rising high school junior, and a remarkable player for his age level. Alvarez played college tennis at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn.
The winners all received wildcard berths into the qualifying phase of the main draw for the Futures, which officially begins Monday, July 28, 2025, and lasts until the singles final on Aug. 3, 2025.
In the semifinals, Alvarez defeated Christie 6-3, 6-4, and Dieveney took a 6-2, 7-5 decision over Jake Cohen to advance to the final, which was not played, as both Alvarez and Dieveney qualified for the wildcard spots in the Futures.
In the third-place matches, Christie qualified for the Futures with a 4-2, 4-2 win over Cohen, and Lawrence defeated Adam Bright 4-0, 4-0 to also advance to the qualifying draw. In addition, in playoff matches for another spot in the draw, Ziets defeated Bright 4-0, 2-4, 10-8, and Charlie Coleman won over 4-1, 5-4 (9-7 in the tiebreak). In the final playoff match for the final qualifying spot, Ziets defeated Coleman 4-0, 4-2, and won the final berth.
The one-day Doubles Shootout, presented by Jeb and Ginger Blasingame of KellerWilliams Marquee Realty, will be held on Friday, with the winner advancing to a doubles wildcard berth, at the ETC, with the main tournament starting on Monday.
Doubles action is scheduled to commence at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Edwardsville Tennis Center.
On Sunday evening, July 27, 2025, will be the first-ever One Point Tournament, presented by Mike's Automotive and Courtesy Ice Cream, an all-comers event in which pro players will compete with various entrants in a one-point-and-out match, the winner advancing to the next round.
The winner will receive $500, and it is free for the pro players who will be competing in the Futures tournament, and a $20 entry fee to others. Registration takes place the day o the event, starting at 5 p.m., with play beginning at 6 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
