News & Media

Alison Riske

ASHLAND, Ky. — Alison Riske, who played in the Ashland Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital Tennis Classic when she 17 years old, is one of 19 players who will compete the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer in Japan.

Of the 19 selections, three are former medalists — Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Rajeev Ram and David Wagner — while 12 will be competing at the Games for the first time.

The Olympic team will consist of 12 players — six women and six men — with four singles players and two doubles teams per gender. First-time Olympians Jennifer Brady, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Riske will compete in the women’s singles competition.

Riske, 29, is ranked in the top 20 in the world. She defeated world No. 1 Ashley Barty at Wimbledon in 2019. Two wins over top 10 players and a debut in the WTA’s top 20 earned Riske Team USA Player of the Month honors for September.

Riske played in the Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital Tennis Classic in Ashland in 2005. The tournament was held from 2004 to 2008 and was resumed again in 2018 with new title sponsors Braidy Industries and Bon Secours Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital.

Brengle pulls off upset at Wimbledon

Madison Brengle, the top-seeded singles player in the 2019 Braidy Industries Tennis Classic, was responsible for a big second-round upset at Wimbledon, taking out No.4 seed Sofia Kenin.

In just 45 minutes, Brengle scored her fourth career top 10 victory over Kenin, 6-2, 6-4, as the highest-ranked American in the draw. Brengle broke serve six times and won more than half of the points played in Kenin’s service games.