FLUSHING, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference is excited to announce a partnership with The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Eastern Section.

With this alliance, the two organizations will look to open tennis courts on several CUNY campuses to the surrounding local community, creating community tennis hubs. Additionally, USTA Eastern will provide coaching development trainings and workshops for the league's coaches and student-athletes, and in coordination with the university, will seek to launch a CUNY chapter of Tennis on Campus, the USTA's club tennis program for college students.

"We are grateful to the USTA Eastern leadership for their visionary approach to collaborating with CUNY Athletics in an all-around effort to improve the opportunities for our campus constituents, as well as the communities we serve," said CUNYAC Commissioner, Zak Ivkovic. "This is exciting news for our students, faculty and staff across all 25 campuses as we work to engage them around a common love for the game of tennis."

"We are thrilled to bring more tennis programming to one of the largest and most diverse college systems in the country," said Jocelyn Cruz-Alfalla, USTA Eastern Director of Schools & Community Tennis. "We thank the City University of New York Athletic Conference for collaborating with us to help grow the sport in communities across the five boroughs."

USTA Eastern will also help CUNY expand its budding Inclusive and Adaptive Sports Platform with the addition of wheelchair tennis programming for the University's 11,000+ students with disabilities.

In turn, the CUNY Athletic Conference will work together with USTA Eastern to bolster athletic opportunities for all of the University, while promoting the organization through various mediums including digital signage at its annual championships, website ads, along with brand awareness through social media and other publications.

The CUNYAC is no stranger to working with the USTA, as the USTA National Tennis Center has served as the host for the CUNYAC Men's and Tennis Championships for over two decades.

Based in White Plains, N.Y., the USTA Eastern Section is a not-for-profit community service organization whose mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis. The section encompasses all of New York State, Northern New Jersey and Greenwich, Conn. One of 17 geographic sections of the USTA, the governing body of tennis in the United States, the section establishes and maintains rules of fair play, high standards of sportsmanship and represents, in its jurisdiction, the programs and policies of the USTA.