As qualifiers hustled to dodge the rain and fill out the 28-player field of the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships, tournament director Bill Oakes was in a similar urgent mode Sunday.
Oakes oversaw last-minute preparations for the tournament that begins in earnest Monday at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek. Oakes has worked in excess of 17 hours daily this past week to ready the grounds for Atlanta's first professional tennis tournament since 2001.
"I'll tell you, I'm not tired," said Oakes, whose duties Sunday included placing signage for tournament sponsors and attending the players' party at Whiskey Blue in Buckhead. "I'm really invigorated by everything that's going on."
Andy Roddick, Georgia grad John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt and Kennesaw resident Robby Ginepri headline the field. First-round matches in doubles and singles will begin at 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Monday's most noteworthy matchup might be a doubles match between the teams of James Blake and Isner and Ginepri and Ryan Sweeting. Scheduled for the Stadium Court, it won't start before 6:30 p.m. The tournament's top four seeds -- Roddick, Isner, Hewitt and Argentine Horacio Zeballos -- all received byes into the second round, which begins Wednesday.
The tournament, which opens the U.S. Open Series, finishes with finals matches on Sunday.
Tickets are available for early-round matches, but Oakes expected the weekend rounds to sell out soon.
Qualifying matches Saturday and Sunday drew more than 5,000 fans, exceeding Oakes' hopes for 2,500 to 3,000.
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