2023 USTA Midwest Hall of Fame

Husband and wife, Jim and Bobbie Farley both carry a deep passion for growing tennis in their community. It is a sport they have been involved with for decades, individually through various volunteer efforts, and together as the owners of the Western Athletic Club. They have also raised two nationally ranked junior players, their daughters, and one who played tennis professionally. 

What distinguishes the Farleys in the tennis industry is how they have volunteered at every level of the game and served in various leadership capacities. They have had immense influence locally through the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association as well as the USTA Ohio Valley District. For the USTA Midwest Section, they both served on numerous committees and Bobbie was on the Board of Directors. Additionally, Bobbie and Jim were Charter Champions of the Midwest Youth Tennis & Education Foundation—now known as the USTA/Midwest Tennis & Education Foundation—donating funds to foster its inception in 1992. Bobbie then served on the Foundation Board from 1992-2015 and when the USTA Midwest Section built their office, Bobbie and Jim donated funding for half of the conference room, known today as the Farley Library.    

Born and raised in Port Washington, Wisconsin, Kaitlyn Verfuerth began her tennis career at the age of 13, only six years after a car accident paralyzed her from the waist down. She found success in tennis quickly, playing for her high school team all four years before playing wheelchair tennis at the University of Arizona on a full scholarship. She then competed on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Circuit. Verfuerth achieved her highest ranking of No. 8 in singles and No. 10 in doubles (No. 1 in the United States) and was a Paralympian three times in 2004, 2008 and 2016. Verfuerth was a double gold medalist in the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio and in 2015, she again competed in the Parapan American Games in Toronto, bringing home both a bronze and silver medal.   

In 2016, Verfuerth retired from competitive wheelchair tennis, but her involvement with the sport has never waned. In Flagstaff, Arizona, she coached high school girls tennis, managed after-school tennis clubs, taught tennis in P.E. and was an assistant tennis professional at Forest Highlands Golf and Tennis Club. She is now a program specialist and wheelchair tennis coach with Ability360, a Phoenix-area nonprofit that promotes programs to empower individuals with disabilities. Through her involvement with Ability360, Verfuerth has been credited with expanding the reach of wheelchair tennis, igniting a new wheelchair tennis community in the neighboring city of Scottsdale.

We are proud to announce the Cincinnati Open is our premier sponsor for the USTA Midwest Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The ceremony will take place in Cincinnati, where tennis fans are famous for uniting together to support the sport at every level. We can't wait to celebrate our game-changing inductees, Jim and Bobbie Farley and Kaitlyn Fervuerth.