Some of the country’s best senior women tennis players are in South Florida this week for a tournament that has come to exemplify a legacy for the sport of tennis.

BallenIsles Country Club will host the Les Grandes Dames International Senior Women’s Tennis Tournament at its new $26 million Sports Complex which incorporates a 22-court tennis complex complete with an exhibition tennis court and stadium seating.

“Attracting more than 160 players last year, this is the first in a series of four Les Grandes Dames events that highlight many national senior women title holders and world champions in age groups from 30 all the way to 90 years of age,” said Tournament Director and BallenIsles Tennis Director, Trish Faulkner.

“Top ranked players, many of whom are former Grand Slam players, enjoy starting off the senior tournament circuit with this event which has been elevated to a top level international veterans tour stop by both the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the International Tennis Federation(ITF),” Faulkner noted.

“Watching these women play is very inspiring and if you’re a club player, you can learn a great deal. Now that the event has been awarded a level 2 international status, I expect to see an even higher standard of top ranked player participation. We’re looking forward to working with the USTA to stage more sanctioned events on the new stadium court at BallenIsles,” Faulkner added.

World Champion, Brenda Carter, seeded #1 in the women’s 60 singles division said, “We all love playing at BallenIsles especially since this ranks as our landmark tournament. The new Sports Complex and stadium court are indeed a Grand Slam.”

Matches begin Wednesday, January 20 and continue every day until the weekend finals on January 23 / 24. A Prince Demo Day featuring the latest racquets is scheduled Friday, January 22 at 11am for players and spectators.

The tournament’s Presenting Sponsor Tail Activewear is returning for a second year.