Venus Williams to help raise funds for Bush Tennis Center program at San Antonio event

Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina will participate in an event in San Antonio this fall that will benefit children in Midland.

The tennis stars will lead a team at the San Antonio International Team Tennis Championships at Freeman Coliseum from Nov. 10-12. The event that will benefit multiple nonprofits and foundations including the Bush ACE Outreach Program at the Bush Tennis Center in Midland. Launched in 2016, the Bush ACE Outreach Program provides Midland area youth with positive role models through the sport of tennis, including partnerships with UTPB and the U.S. Tennis Association, among others.

The San Antonio tournament will feature two teams consisting of 10 ATP and WTA players, college players and top ranked Texas junior players. One team called the San Antonio Smash will be led by Williams, Svitolina, John Isner, Bob Bryan and JJ Wolf, while the other team, called The Austin Capitals, will be headed up by Sloane Stephens, Peyton Stearns, Gael Monfils, Mike Bryan and Jack Sock.

College players from Baylor, UT Austin, Texas A&M, UTSA, UTPB, Trinity and Southwestern along with top juniors from John Newcomb’s Tennis Ranch and Austin Tennis Academy will also be part of the team event, according to an event statement.