Nov. 7, 2008

2007 University of Illinois graduate GD Jones, and current freshman Dennis Nevolo have been granted wild cards in to the main draw of the JSM Challenger at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Illinois. The selections guarantee that at least four players with Illini connections will be in action during next week's event.

Jones, a fan favorite while at Illinois, has had a busy year, competing mainly on the Futures circuit. He's competed in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, and the United States. His ATP ranking has jumped a full 600 spots since the beginning of the year, to a career high of 616 just a few weeks ago.

Nevolo has been a force on the collegiate circuit since making his debut a few months ago, including a runner-up finish at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in Midland, Texas. But the 18-year-old from Gurnee, Illinois is looking for his first win on the professional circuit. This summer, he competed in five tournaments before heading down to Champaign.

Jones and Nevolo join Amer Delic and Rajeev Ram in the JSM Challenger main draw. Delic and Ram, members of the legendary 2003 National Championship team at the University of Illinois, earned their entry based on their rankings.

Jesse Witten was a five-time All-American at the University of Kentucky before hitting the professional tour. This summer, he was a member of the New York Sportstimes of World Team Tennis, teaming with former Illini Brian Wilson, and the legendary John McEnroe. The experience did, however, hurt him in the rankings, as he's slipped to 417. He received his wild card Friday from the USTA. They have one more wild card to release.

The JSM Challenger begins with qualifying play on Sunday, November 9th. The main draw, with Jones, Nevolo, and Witten, starts Tuesday, November 11th. The qualifying draw will be posted on Saturday night.

For more information, visit www.illinoischallenger.com.