Happy Valley SA, Australia, 16 February 2014 | Tennis Australia

One of America’s exciting rising tennis stars, world ranked No.259 Jamere Jenkins, has been awarded a wild card to play in the City of Onkaparinga Tennis International to be hosted at the Happy Valley Tennis Club from 16-23 February 2014.

Jenkins, 23, has already caught the attention of the tennis world in South Australia, after reaching the semifinals of the City of Charles Sturt Adelaide International held last week at West Lakes Tennis Club.

“We have a very strong group of players heading for Happy Valley including Mathew Barton, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Jordan Thompson.” said Tournament Director Dylan Hicks.

“The addition of world ranked No.259 Jamere Jenkins making his debut at the Happy Valley Tennis Courts adds an exciting layer to the field and spectators are set to witness some great tennis.”

Jenkins had a strong start to this season, by advancing to the semifinals of the USA $50,000 City of Charles Sturt Adelaide International held 1-9 February at West Lakes Tennis Club.

In 2013, Jenkins was awarded Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year and male Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year award. This award is given to the male and female athlete who shows extraordinary talent throughout the entire season.

The remaining three wild cards have been awarded to Australians Oliver Ceranic (Glen Iris, VIC) , Chris O’Connell (Sydney, NSW) and Jake Eames (Amaroo, ACT) .