A Hilton Head High tennis standout has earned an opportunity to play with the big girls.
Emily Ruckno, the top singles player on the Seahawks’ team, earned a wild-card berth into the qualifying draw at the Van Der Meer Shipyard Cup $25,000 pro event beginning Sunday at Shipyard Resort.
Ruckno will face Serbia’s Katarina Jokic in her first match at 10 a.m. Sunday on Court 13. The winner will advance to face sixth-seeded American Joelle Kissell.
The tournament, which is part of the ITF World Tour, has been played on Hilton Head Island since 1993, with the exception of 2016 when it was cancelled because of Hurricane Matthew.