SoCal Pro Series Celebrates Half a Decade
of Launching Professional Careers

The SoCal Pro Series, Southern California’s run of consecutive ITF World Tennis Tour events, is celebrating five years of giving elite junior and collegiate athletes a true pathway into professional tennis. What began as a regional experiment has grown into a proven bridge from high-level junior and college tennis to the global pro ranks.

For the fifth consecutive year, USTA Southern California is presenting the Series, a seven week stretch of professional men’s and women’s tournaments at premier tennis facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. Each $15,000-purse event is part of the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour and the USTA Pro Circuit, offering top Southern California players a fast track to WTA and ATP ranking points as they progress in the professional ranks.

This year, the Series will move down the Southern California coast, starting in Los Angeles, making a quick pitstop in Orange County, and concluding in San Diego, a change from the previous four years when the Series kicked off in San Diego. Main draw and qualifying wildcards are available to U.S. citizens who are either legal Southern California residents or full time college students in the region. The Series kicks off May 25 and promises seven consecutive weeks of high-level competition for rising stars and seasoned pros alike.

The SoCal Pro Series’ upcoming seven tournament dates and locations are: 

– Week #1 – May 25-31: Lakewood Tennis Center, Lakewood
– Week #2 – June 1-7: Lakewood Tennis Center, Lakewood
– Week #3 – June 8-14: Jack Kramer Club, Rolling Hills Estates (Los Angeles)
– Week #4 – June 15-21: Racquet Club of Irvine, Irvine
– Week #5 – June 22-28: Biszantz Family Tennis Center, Claremont
– Week #6 – June 29-July 5: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego
– Week #7 – July 6-12: Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club, Rancho Santa Fe

While the SoCal Pro Series returns to five venues that have hosted in the past, the Claremont Club is new to the circuit and will host week five.

“The SoCal Pro Series has always been about giving our junior and college players a real opportunity to test themselves,” said Trevor Kronemann, USTA Southern California Executive Director. “What’s been exciting to see is how they’re not just stepping into bigger events, they’re springboarding into them. They’re building belief, earning points, and proving they belong on the ATP and WTA tours. Having seven straight weeks of competition back on our calendar is huge for our section and for the players chasing that next level.”

A Stepping Stone to the Big Stage

Five years in and the impact of the SoCal Pro Series is impossible to ignore.

Since its launch the Pro Series has been more than just tournaments. It has been a proving ground, offering valuable ranking points, high level match play, and the kind of pressure filled moments that only professional tennis can deliver. It has shaped the journeys of rising stars across Southern California.

At just 14, Torrance’s Iva Jovic had never played a professional event before receiving a wild card into her hometown Kramer Club tournament in June 2022. She immediately made her mark, racing all the way to the final and earning her first WTA ranking points. 

“The SoCal Pro Series was vital for my transition to the pro tour,” explained Jovic. “It was my first professional event and a great starting point. I really appreciate USTA SoCal’s commitment to giving wildcards and opportunities to local kids. SoCal has a great tennis community, with talented players and coaches, and that level of guidance and professionalism is incredible. Having professional events in our section—and a whole series of them—is something many other sections don’t have. It’s a huge advantage and exposure for SoCal kids.”

Few stories capture the SoCal Pro Series’ impact better than Jovic and Irvine’s Learner Tien. Jovic burst onto the professional scene at the inaugural 2022 SoCal Pro Series, while Tien followed in 2023 with his first Pro Series title. Both treated the Series not just as a tournament, but as a launchpad, sharpening their games and building the confidence to compete on the world stage.

“Just being surrounded in that environment where it is more professional, where you’re surrounded by older women, and getting a taste for that definitely gives you a little bit of an initial feeling of what that all looks like. Then you can decide for yourself, ‘Is this something I want to pursue? Is this something that inspires me? Is this something I want to do,’” explained Jovic. “Having access to that competition is great and it gave me such a head start. I was able to do that at 14 when I made that SoCal Pro Series debut and made the finals. It definitely gave me a belief of, you know, I can do this. I have to keep working, but that opportunity that I had gave me a lot of confidence and something to work towards. So really, really grateful for that.”

For Tien, winning his first SoCal Pro Series title was equally formative, and deeply personal. Capturing the victory in a familiar environment added a special layer to the achievement. Playing close to home meant his family, friends, and coaches were able to watch, cheering from the stands, and it gave him a chance to compete in a professional setting in a place that felt like home. The proximity to his training base made the experience even richer, giving him comfort and support while he tested himself against the rising stars of the region. That first win wasn’t just a title, it was a milestone that affirmed his potential and strengthened his connection to the Southern California tennis community.

By 2025, their breakthroughs became headline moments. At 17 years old Jovic stunned the tennis world by winning the 2025 Guadalajara Open, becoming the youngest women’s champion since 2021. Today, she has climbed to a career-high world No. 18. Meanwhile, at just 19 Tien lifted the 2025 Moselle Open trophy and capped the year with a victory at the Next Gen ATP Finals, and has reached a career-high world No. 23. Both continue to climb the ranks.

This year the duo carried that momentum to the Australian Open, each advancing to the second week and reaching the quarterfinals. Their achievements underscore just how far Southern California talent can go when nurtured on the courts of the SoCal Pro Series.

From local courts to international arenas the Series continues to turn regional prospects into global contenders and the stories of Tien and Jovic are only the beginning.

Standouts from the SoCal Pro Series Alumni

Across both the men’s and women’s sides, a host of Southern Californians and SoCal-trained players have used the series as launchpad moments. Through the four years of the SoCal Pro series, more than 50 women and men who are either Southern California residents or played collegiately in Southern California have earned their first WTA or ATP world ranking point through the circuit.

A player who has embodied the growth pathway the SoCal Pro Series offers is Ryan Seggerman (career-high No. 63 in doubles). Through consistent results in SoCal Pro Series events, Seggerman steadily climbed the professional rankings, gained valuable experience against seasoned opponents, and has pushed toward regular appearances in Challenger‑level and ATP Tour-level draws, including several appearances at Grand Slams. His journey shows how the Series helps prepare players for life on the pro tour.

“The SoCal Pro Series was my first experience playing tournaments on tour and having that resource was huge,” reflected Seggerman. “I was not fully committed to the idea of playing professionally after school so without it I am not sure I would have felt ready to travel abroad for Futures events. The timing was perfect right after graduation so I could jump in, test my level, and find some success which gave me the confidence to keep going. It is an amazing resource and honestly they should have even more tournaments. What exists now is great but I do not think there is a better place in the world to host events than SoCal.”

Oliver “Ollie” Tarvet (No. 324) and August Holmgren (No. 144), both University of San Diego standouts, have turned their SoCal Pro Series success into big-stage breakthroughs. Tarvet, weeks after winning the men’s singles title at USD last summer, earned a wild card into his first ATP Tour level match at Wimbledon, storming through qualifying and reaching the second round of the main draw. Holmgren, a singles and doubles champion during the Series’ inaugural season, followed a similar path, grinding through qualifying to reach the third round at Wimbledon, showcasing how the Series builds the confidence and experience collegiate players need to succeed on tennis’ grandest stages.

Other SoCal Pro Series men’s singles champions and finalists Mission Viejo’s Alex Michelsen (career-high No. 30), Brandon Holt (career-high No. 99) of Rolling Hills, and Pacific Beach’s Zach Svajda (career-high No. 98) all broke into the top 100 since they competed in the SoCal Pro Series.

Southern California players can register to play in pre-qualifying events for a chance to earn their way into the main draw as wild cards. The upcoming pre-qualifying schedule includes: May 9-11, Jack Kramer Club; May 15-19, Lakewood Tennis Center; May 22-24, Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club; May 29-June 2, Racquet Club of Irvine; June 6-8, Barnes Tennis Center; June 12-14 The Claremont Club. SoCal players can register for pre-qualifying events at: https://ustasocal.com/proseries/#pre-qualifying.

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