Two-time Wimbledon tennis champion Venus Williams will play an indoor match at the College this summer as part of the World Team Tennis series featuring the New York Buzz.
The Buzz will host Williams and the Philadelphia Freedom on July 19 at the Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center.
The Buzz wanted an indoor venue for the high-profile match to protect against inclement weather, and worked with Schenectady city and county leaders to find an appropriate site. The team will play six other home matches outdoors at Central Park in Schenectady.
The rink, which opened in 1975, is typically used by the College's hockey team. But it has also hosted commencements, student dances, concerts and even a play.
A portable tennis court will be placed over the hockey surface for the July 19 event.
“The World Team Tennis matches are a signature event for Schenectady County, and we are pleased to provide a first-class venue,” said Bill Schwarz, director of communications and public affairs at Union College. “This successful outcome is due to the strong collaborative effort among the College, city and county leadership.”
Both Gary Hughes, chairman of the County Legislature's Committee on Economic Development, and Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton praised the effort to move the Williams match indoors at the College.
“We are very pleased that the New York Buzz will stay right here in Schenectady County for seven home matches including a new mid-summer classic to be held at Union College, '' Hughes said.
Nitty Singh, the owner of the Buzz, said the choice of Messa Rink, which can accommodate nearly 3,000 spectators, will give more people a chance to experience World Team Tennis.
“Sixty-five percent of our fans come from outside the county,'' Singh said. “This will be a great opportunity for them to enjoy fantastic tennis in a comfortable indoor setting.”
The 25-year-old Williams has won 33 career World Tennis Association singles titles and five Grand Slam tournament championships. She defeated Lindsay Davenport last July to win her second Wimbledon singles title.
The match featuring the Buzz is not the first time the College has converted a hockey rink into tennis courts and vice versa. In the early 1920s, the College would flood four of its outdoor tennis courts to make ice for its hockey team, and in the winter of 1928/29, the team practiced on a rink created by flooding the tennis court at the home of H. Laurence Achilles, a longtime faculty member and benefactor to the College. In 1929, the College built a concrete hockey rink just west of Bailey Hall which could be converted to four tennis courts. The tennis courts were made permanent in 1934 after numerous problems with bad ice forced the cancellation of some hockey games.
Tickets for the July 19 match as well as the rest of the Buzz summer season go on sale May 1. For additional information, go to www.nybuzzwtt.com or call (518) 378-BUZZ.