Alumni, sponsors and tennis enthusiasts show up to show their support
By DANIELLE WIRNOWSKI— sports@theaggie.org
On Sept. 28, the Marya Welch Tennis Center held its 17th annual men’s and women’s Aggie Pro-Am, a fundraiser for both teams to support their upcoming season.
A pro-am, which is short for professional-amateur, is a “pairs match that features teams comprising one professional player and one amateur player playing similar duos,” and is treated as a small-scale doubles tournament.
The Aggie Pro-Am was a chance for alumni, sponsors or even amateur players to play alongside the 20 collegiate women’s and men’s players for a fee of $125 per person.
For those sponsors or tennis enthusiasts who wanted to join the social aspect of the Pro-Am, the Aggies offered a lunch-only option for $25.
The Aggie Pro-Am had an early start, with an 8 a.m. check-in and matches beginning at 9 a.m. After two hours of friendly doubles matches, the Pro-Am ended with a lunch, raffle and remarks from the coaches, before thanking the sponsors for their time and donations.
General donations were also welcomed from members of the community, as spots are often limited to the number of players available. Anyone who was unable to participate in the Pro-Am is welcome to continue to show their support for the men’s and women’s teams through various sponsorship opportunities, such as the Champion Aggies Challenge.
Various other sponsorship opportunities include: Sponsor a Young Alum, T-Shirt Sponsor, Court Sponsor, Center Court Sponsor, Tournament Sponsor and Gram Sponsor. Each level requires a different base donation, ranging from $125 to $5,000.
The fundraising this pro-am collects is put towards any of the following: equipment, uniforms, rackets, funds for traveling or making improvements to team facilities.
In more recent years, the Aggie Pro-Am has been one of the major fundraisers for both UC Davis’ tennis teams.
For the 2024 season, the Pro-Am was reported to be the “biggest pro-am event in UC Davis tennis history,” with a total of 127 attendees and 34 sponsors. Each program was able to raise roughly $20,000 from this event, proving the impact and importance of fundraising events for the future season.
Over the past few years, the cost has increased from $100 in 2019 for the tournament and lunch to a $125 fee in 2025. The increase in price correlates with the expansion of sponsorship opportunities.
While the Aggies have yet to release information on how successful this year’s pro-am was, the men’s and women’s tennis players can expect this event to majorly support their season.
Pro-ams are a great way for the players to strengthen their community ties, build goodwill and foster a stronger fan base. It also allows the players to have face-to-face time with the sponsors and alumni, giving them an opportunity to meet those who help their team perform well during matches.
In addition, it allows both teams to collaborate and form a bond with each other, as players are still getting acquainted.
The Aggie tennis teams only meet each other for the upcoming season one week prior to the start of the quarter. Despite the men’s tennis season starting in early spring, their off-season is as critical a time as their regular season.
The Aggie Pro-Am, along with other pre-season matches and invitationals, allows the 10 players on the team to get acquainted with each other, as well as the women’s team. These pre-season matches also give the players a chance to nail down their skills and strategies for their upcoming season.
The Aggies made their way to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) on Oct. 2 for the UCSB Classics.
Written by: Danielle Wirnowski — sports@theaggie.org
