2013/05/25

Top Seed Davis Holds Off Kudryatseva at Dow Corning Tennis Classic

LaurenDavis9-27

Lauren Davis

By McCarton Ackerman

(February 8, 2013) MIDLAND, Mich.The hallmark 25th anniversary of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic at the Midland Community Tennis Center continued on Friday with all quarterfinal singles matches and remaining quarterfinal doubles matches taking place. Two of the four semifinalists in the singles draw are Americans, with top seed Lauren Davis and 2012 NCAA singles finalist Mallory Burdette prevailing in tough matches on Stadium Court.

In the comeback of the tournament, top seed Davis rallied from behind on numerous occasions to defeat Alla Kudryatseva of Russia 5-7, 7-6 (4), 7-5, after more than three hours of play. Kudryavtseva served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and led 4-0 in the tiebreaker. In the third set, the Russian led 5-2 and had a match point on her serve at 5-3, but was unable to convert. Davis converted on her first match point opportunity with a backhand winner down the line.

“I just never stopped believing in myself,” said Davis. “It seemed like it was almost impossible to come back at that point, so I just asked God to give me strength and help make the impossible to be possible.”

The 19-year-old Davis has come into her own over the last six months, breaking into the world’s top 100 on the back of strong results including quarterfinal finishes at WTA events in Quebec City, Canada and Hobart, Australia, as well winning two USTA Pro Circuit titles last fall at the $75,000 challenger in Albuquerque, N.M. and $50,000 event in Las Vegas.

Burdette and No. 7 seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia engaged in a hard-hitting baseline match that took over two hours to complete, but Burdette utilized some markedly improved defense to hang in the rallies and prevail 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. “Today was obviously about first strike tennis, but this is the best I’ve ever felt in terms of my movement and the ability to play defense,” said Burdette. “I’ve been doing a ton of fitness, especially during the off-season and pushing it as hard as I can in that regard.”

Burdette didn’t even have a WTA Tour ranking last July, but opted not to return for her senior year at Stanford University after a stellar summer that included winning the $10,000 futures event in Evansville, Ind., $100,000 challenger in Vancouver, Canada and reaching the third round of the US Open.

“I really wanted to give myself a shot at this and in order to do that, I had to put all of my time and energy into my tennis,” said Burdette. “It’s been great so far. There have definitely been some rough patches, but I’m just trying to do the best I can on a daily basis.”

In the final match of the day session, No. 8 seed Monica Puig of Puerto Rico defeated American teen Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5. Puig, ranked No. 116, is the only singles semifinalist who has yet to lose a set. In the evening session, Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia defeated American Maria Sanchez 6-2, 6-2. The 19-year-old, currently ranked No. 370, is enjoying the best tournament of her career after an injury-plagued 2012 limited her to just six events. The lone match to be completed as of press time is an all-American doubles quarterfinal between Jill Craybas and CoCo Vandeweghe against Chieh-Yu Hsu and Shelby Rogers.

All semifinal singles and doubles matches will take place during Saturday’s play, which begins at noon. The day session will see the American-Russian team of Julia Cohen and Alla Kudryavtseva take on the Brazilian-British team of Maria-Fernanda Alves and Samantha Murray, followed by Mallory Burdette against Ajla Tomljanovic. In the night session, Lauren Davis will square off against Monica Puig, followed by the Hungarian-Croatian team of Melinda Czink and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni against the American team of either Jill Craybas and CoCo Vandeweghe or Chieh-Yu Hsu and Shelby Rogers.

The Dow Corning Tennis Classic is in its 25th year on the USTA Pro Circuit, making it the longest-running women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit.

Dow Corning Tennis Classic
A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Friday, February 8
Midland Community Tennis Center
Midland, Mich.
Purse: $100,000
Surface: Hard-Indoor

Friday, February 8 – RESULTS

Main Draw Singles – Quarterfinals
Lauren Davis, United States (1), def. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 7-5
Mallory Burdette, United States, def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia (7), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Monica Puig, Puerto Rico (8), def. Jessica Pegula, United States, 6-3, 7-5
Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia, def. Maria Sanchez, United States, 6-2, 6-2

Main Draw Doubles – Quarterfinals
Julia Cohen, United States, and Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia (3), def. Nicole Melichar and Chiara Scholl, United States 6-4, 6-2
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia, and Melinda Czink, Hungary, def. Alexa Glatch and Asia Muhammed, United States, 6-3, 6-3

Saturday’s February 9 – SCHEDULE

Stadium Court – starting at 10 a.m.
Julia Cohen/Alla Kudryavtseva vs. Maria-Fernanda Alves/Samantha Murray, followed by Mallory Burdette vs. Ajla Tomljanovic

Stadium Court – starting at 7 p.m.
Lauren Davis vs. Monica Puig, followed by Melinda Czink/Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs. Jill Craybas/CoCo Vandeweghe or Chieh-Yu Hsu/Shelby Rogers

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Rain Cuts Play Short At Childhelp Desert Classic

childhelp

Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2013) – After just two women’s quarterfinal matches were completed, the rains came and washed out the rest of play on Friday at the Childhelp Desert Classic being played at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort
Danka Kovinic of Montenegro beat No. 8-seeded Tara Moore of Great Britain, 6-0, 6-4, and Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway eliminated 16-year-old American wild card Louisa Chirico, 6-2, 7-5.
The two other quarterfinal matches were not completed with top-seeded Julie Coin of France leading Lisa Whybourn of Great Britain, 6-3, 6-5, and Japanese qualifier Sachie Ishizu locked in a 5-5 first-set battle against 15-year-old Switzerland qualifier Belinda Bencic.
Both matches will be completed on Saturday, as will both doubles semifinals and the doubles final.
Childhelp Merv Griffin Village provides a home for 80-100 children that have been severely abused or abandoned by their parents. Several of the participants in the event will be visiting the facility and conducting a tennis clinic for the children.
For information on contributions to Childhelp email to EKuhle@aol.com.
Friday’s Scores
Main Draw Singles
wc: Wild Card; q: Qualifier; ll: Lucky Loser
Danka Kovinic (MNE) def. Tara Moore (GBR) [8] 6-0, 6-4
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) def. Louisa Chirico (US) [wc] 6-2, 7-5
Matches in Progress
Sachie Ishizu (JPN) [q] vs. Belinda Bencic (SUI) [q] tied 5-5 (to be finished Saturday)
Julie Coin (FRA) [1] leads Lisa Whybourn (GBR) 6-3, 6-5 (to be finished Saturday)
Saturday’s Schedule
Court 1 beginning at 10 a.m.
Julie Coin (FRA) [1] leads Lisa Whybourn (GBR)
Followed by Jan Abaza (US) / Louisa Chirico (US) vs. Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) [2] /
Ashley Weinhold (US)
Followed by Coin or Whybourn vs. Danka Kovinic (MNE)
After rest doubles final will be played
Court 2 beginning at 10 a.m.
Sachie Ishizu (JPN) vs. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
After rest Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) vs. Ishizu or Bencic
Court 5 beginning at 10 a.m.
Tara Moore (GBR) / Melanie South (GBR) vs. Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN)
Past Singles
Year: Champion and Runner-up
2012: Johanna Konta (AUS) def. Lenka Wienerova (SVK)
2011: Ashley Weinhold (US) def. Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
2010: Olivia Sanchez (FRA) def. Tadeja Majeric (SLO)
2009: Julia Vakulenko (UKR) def. Lauren Albanese (US)
Past Doubles
Year and Champion
2012: Sofia Shaptava (GEO) – Ekaterine Gordodze (GEO)
2011: Karolina Pliskova (CZE) – Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
2010: Monique Adamczak (AUS) – Abigail Spears (US)
2009: Natalie Grandin (RSA) – Courtney Nagle (US)
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Pegula Upsets No. 4 Seed Czink at Dow Corning Tennis Classic

Jessica Pegula 2

Jessica Pegula

By McCarton Ackerman

(February 7, 2013 )MIDLAND, Mich. – The hallmark 25th anniversary of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic at the Midland Community Tennis Center continued on Thursday with all second round singles matches and remaining first round doubles matches taking place. American teenager Jessica Pegula provided the upset of the day against No. 4 seed Melinda Czink, while top seed Lauren Davis of the US rolled through her second round match.

Utilizing a strong first serve and flat forehand, 18-year-old Pegula dictated the points in her match as early as possible. Running her veteran opponent around the court and not dropping serve once, a lone break of serve in each set was all Pegula needed to move into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win.

“I just tried to make sure I was ready after my serve because she returns well and then take advantage of any opportunities that came up,” said Pegula. “I definitely thought I executed my game plan well.”

Pegula, now ranked No. 150, jumped over 140 spots in the rankings in 2012 after strong results in USTA Pro Circuit events, including finalist showings at the $100,000 challenger in Vancouver, Canada and the $50,000 challenger in Sacramento, Calif. Today’s win against Czink was one of the biggest of her young career.

“A player like Melinda will play at a high level the whole match, so that’s what I’ve been working on now and trying to do that in every match,” she said.

In an earlier day session match, No. 1 seed Lauren Davis easily beat fellow American Alexa Glatch 6-2, 6-2. In Tuesday’s evening session, Davis struggled for nearly three hours before prevailing in her opening round match.

“I was still a little bit tired from that match, so I knew the match against Alexa today would have to be a lot less physical if I wanted to get the job done,” she said. “I stuck to my game plan and didn’t back down, so I was really happy about that.

Two other Americans also advanced into the quarterfinals. Mallory Burdette, who has climbed to No. 145 in the world after not having a pro ranking just seven months ago, dispatched fellow American and reigning US Open girls’ singles champion Samantha Crawford 6-2, 7-6 (3). Maria Sanchez also prevailed in another all-American match by defeating American teen Victoria Duval 6-2, 6-2. Duval took out No. 2 seed CoCo Vandeweghe in yesterday’s play.

Other players to advance into the quarterfinals include No. 7 seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia, No. 8 seed Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia. The lone match to be completed as of press time was an evening session doubles match between Samantha Murray of Great Britain and Maria-Fernanda Alves of Brazil against the American team of Mallory Burdette and Jessica Pegula.

All quarterfinal singles matches and remaining quarterfinal doubles matches will take place during Thursday’s play, which begins at 10:00am. The feature match of the day session will see No. 1 seed Lauren Davis take on Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia, while Maria Sanchez of the US square off against Ajla Tomljanovic in the feature evening match.

The Dow Corning Tennis Classic is in its 25th year on the USTA Pro Circuit, making it the longest-running women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit.

Dow Corning Tennis Classic
A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Thursday, February 7
Midland Community Tennis Center
Midland, Mich.
Purse: $100,000
Surface: Hard-Indoor

Thursday, February 7 – RESULTS

Main Draw Singles – 2nd Round
Lauren Davis, United States (1), def. Alexa Glatch, United States, 6-2, 6-2
Jessica Pegula, United States, def. Melinda Czink, Hungary (4), 6-4, 6-4
Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, def. Tatjana Malek, Germany (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia, def. Olga Puchkova, Russia (6), 6-1, 6-4
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia (7), def. Jill Craybas, United States, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
Monica Puig, Puerto Rico (8), def. Sachia Vickery, United States (Q), 6-4, 6-4
Mallory Burdette, United States, def. Samantha Crawford, United States, 6-2, 7-6 (3)
Maria Sanchez, United States, def. Victoria Duval, United States (LL), 6-2, 6-2

Main Draw Doubles – 1st Round
Chieh-Yu Hsu and Shelby Rogers, United States, def. Jacqueline Cako and Natalie Pluskota, United States (4), 7-6, 7-6
Julia Cohen, United States, and Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, def. Victoria Duval and Sachia Vickery, United States (WC), w/o

Friday’s February 8 – SCHEDULE

Stadium Court – starting at 10 a.m.
Lauren Davis vs. Alla Kudryavtseva, followed by Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs. Mallory Burdette, followed by Jessica Pegula vs. Monica Puig, followed by Melinda Czink/Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs. Alexa Glatch/Asia Muhammed

Stadium Court – starting at 7 p.m.
Maria Sanchez vs. Ajla Tomljanovic, followed by Jill Craybas/CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Chieh-Yu Hsu/Shelby Rogers

Court 5 – starting not before 2:00 p.m.
Nicole Melichar/Chiara Scholl vs. Julia Cohen/Alla Kudryavtseva

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Bencic, 15, Moves On To Quarterfinals At Childhelp Desert Classic

childhelp
(February 7, 2013)Rancho Mirage, Calif.  – Fifteen-year-old Belinda Bencic can recall as a child hearing about fellow Switzerland player Roger Federer winning multiple singles titles in the Southern California desert city of Indian Wells in 2003, 2004, 2005 and again in 2012.
Currently ranked No. 554 in the world and playing for the first time here, the qualifier Bencic has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Childhelp Desert Classic at the Rancho Palmas Resort just a few miles down the road from where Federer has dominated at the BNP Paribas Open.
Bencic beat No. 2-seeded American Madison Brengle, 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday on Day 3 of the tournament, a women’s $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event.
It was the first time the two had played. “I knew it was going to be tough,” said Bencic, who is traveling with her father. “She had me running a lot and so I just had to be patient.
“I have heard many times about Indian Wells as a child. I just love it here. I can’t believe how beautiful and warm it is here.”
Bencic has never advanced this far in a $25,000 event but won two titles at the ITF $10,000 level in Egypt last September.
In contrast to Bencic, another young teenage qualifier Mayo Hibi is very familiar with the Rancho Las Palmas site. She fell to No. 8-seeded Tara Moore of Great Britain, 6-3, 6-1, in her second-round match.
“I’ve played here so many times I can’t even count them,” said Hibi, who resides in Irvine but represents Japan. “From Regional events to the Easter Bowl, I always love playing here.”
Hibi, just 16, is currently a junior in school and attends K-12 Academy. She advanced all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Taylor Townsend at the Easter Bowl a year ago.
Childhelp Merv Griffin Village provides a home for 80-100 children that have been severely abused or abandoned by their parents. Several of the participants in the event will be visiting the facility and conducting a tennis clinic for the children.
For information on contributions to Childhelp email to EKuhle@aol.com.
Thursday’s Scores
Main Draw Singles
wc: Wild Card; q: Qualifier; ll: Lucky Loser
Danka Kovinic (MNE) def. Irina Khromacheva (RUS) [3] 6-3, 6-3
Sachie Ishizu (JPN) [q] def. Ana Vrljic (CRO) [6] 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) def. Junri Namigata (JPN) [4] 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Tara Moore (GBR) [8] def. Mayo Hibi (JPN) [q] 6-3, 6-1
Julie Coin (FRA) [1] def. Nicola Geuer (GER) 6-4, 6-4
Louisa Chirico (US) [wc] def. Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR) [q] 6-3, 7-5
Belinda Bencic (SUI) [q] def. Madison Brengle (US) [2] 6-4, 6-2
Lisa Whybourn (GBR) def. Zuzana Zlochova (SKK) 6-2, 6-1
Main Draw Doubles
Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) [2] / Ahsley Weinhold (US) def. Madison Brengle (US) / Kristy Frilling (US) [wc] 6-4, 7-5
Jan Abaza (US) / Louisa Chirico (US) [wc] def. Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) [4] / Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) 6-4, 2-6, 10-8
Tara Moore (GBR) / Melanie South (GBR) def. Julie Coin (FRA) / Ana Vrljic (CRO) [1] 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)
Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) def. Emily Harman (US) [wc] / Rebecca Marino (CAN) 7-6 (2), 4-6, (10-6)
Friday’s Schedule
Court 1 beginning at 10 a.m.
Danka Kovinic (MNE) vs. Tara Moore (GBR) [8]
Followed by Julie Coin (FRA) [1] vs. Lisa Whybourn (GBR)
Followed by Jan Abaza (US) / Louisa Chirico (US) vs. Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) [2] /
Ashley Weinhold (US)
Court 2 beginning at 10 a.m.
Louisa Chirico (US) vs. Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR)
Followed by Sachie Ishizu (JPN) vs. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
Followed by Tara Moore (GBR) / Melanie South (GBR) vs. Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN)
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Duval Stuns Vandeweghe, Vickery Over Townsend in Michigan

 

Victoria Duval photo by Steve Pratt

Victoria Duval photo by Steve Pratt

MIDLAND, Mich., February 6, 2013 – The hallmark 25th anniversary of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic at the Midland Community Tennis Center continued on Wednesday with all remaining first round singles match taking place. 17-year-old American Victoria Duval stunned No. 2 seed CoCo Vandeweghe in the day session, while qualifier Sachia Vickery prevailed in an evening session match between American teens.

Duval, who won the Girls’ 18s National Championship last August, was responsible for the upset of the day by taking out Vandeweghe 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. Duval, who lost in the final round of qualifying yesterday, only moved into the main draw match as a “Lucky Loser” due to a player withdrawal.

“I was really lucky that I got that second chance and tried to make the most of it today,” said Duval. “Yesterday, I was rushing a lot because I really wanted to get into this main draw and was too nervous out there, but I played much smarter today.”

The win was also by far the biggest of her career and the first against a top 100 player on the WTA Tour.

“I’ve smelled those wins against top 100 players before, but to actually come through and pull it out is really nice,” she said.

In the evening session, 17-year-old Vickery used an aggressive baseline game to unseat 16-year-old wildcard Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3. Townsend was making her pro debut in Midland after finishing 2012 as the No. 1 ranked junior player in the world.

While Townsend used plenty of off-speed slices and spins to try and throw off Vickery, the 17-year-old had too much firepower for her opponent and won four consecutive games at one stage in the second set.

“This is my first win at the $100,000 level and I’ve had some really tough losses in the last few challengers I’ve played, so I’m thrilled to have gotten through this match,” said Vickery. “I just need to stay focused and keep doing the right things so I can hopefully keep playing better this week.”

Vickery, currently ranked No. 376 on the WTA Tour, has not lost a set in her four matches this week. She will play Monica Puig tomorrow for a place in the quarterfinals.

In other day session matches, Alexa Glatch prevailed against fellow American Julia Cohen in a nearly three-hour match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Maria Sanchez of the US also moved into the second round by easing past Maria-Fernanda Alves of Brazil 6-4, 6-1.

Other players moving into the second round after today include No. 4 seed Melinda Czink of Hungary No. 5 seed Tatjana Malek of Germany, No. 6 seed Olga Puchkova of Russia, No. 7 seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia, No. 8 seed Monica Puig of Puerto Rico and Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia. The lone match to be completed as of press time was a first round doubles match between Americans Nicole Melichar and Chiara Scholl against the Dutch team of former top-10 player Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and her niece, Jainy Scheepens.

First round doubles: Nicole Melichar and Chiara Scholl, United States, def. Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Jainy Scheepens, Netherlands (WC), 6-3, 6-1,

All second round singles matches and remaining first round doubles matches will take place during Thursday’s play, which begins at 10:00am. The feature match of the day session will see No. 1 seed Lauren Davis take on fellow American Alexa Glatch, while No. 7 seed and 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia will take on two-time Dow Corning Tennis Classic champion Jill Craybas of the US in the evening session.

The Dow Corning Tennis Classic is in its 25th year on the USTA Pro Circuit, making it the longest-running women’s event on the USTA Pro Circuit. Several former competitors at the event have gone on to win Grand Slam titles and reach the top 10 in the rankings. Past competitors include seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and Olympic gold medalist Justine Henin, three-time Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Grand Slam singles champion Mary Pierce, 2011 French Open singles champion Na Li, 2010 French Open singles champion Francesca Schiavone, and two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Anna Kournikova.

By McCarton Ackerman

Dow Corning Tennis Classic
A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Wednesday, February 6
Midland Community Tennis Center
Midland, Mich.
Purse: $100,000
Surface: Hard-Indoor

Wednesday, February 6 – RESULTS

Main Draw Singles – 1st Round
Victoria Duval, United States (LL), def. CoCo Vandeweghe, United States, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Melinda Czink, Hungary (4), def. Chieh-Yu Hsu, United States (Q) 6-3, 7-5
Tatjana Malek, Germany (5), def. Shelby Rogers, United States, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5)
Olga Puchkova, Russia (6), def. Asia Muhammed, United States (WC) 6-3, 6-2
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia (7), def. Alexandra Mueller, United States (Q), 6-1, 6-2
Monica Puig, Puerto Rico (8), def. Alexandra Stevenson, United States, 7-5, 6-4
Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, def. Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States (WC), 6-4, 6-2
Sachia Vickery, United States (Q), d. Taylor Townsend, United States (WC), 6-4, 6-3

Main Draw Doubles – 1st Round
Maria-Fernanda Alves, Brazil, and Samantha Murray, Great Britain, def. Irina Falconi and Maria Sanchez, United States, 3-6, 6-1, 10-6
Mallory Burdette and Jessica Pegula, United States, def. Irena Pavlovic, France, and Olga Puchkova, Russia, 7-6 (3), 6-2

Thursday’s February 7 – SCHEDULE

Stadium Court – starting at 10 a.m.
Lauren Davis vs. Alexa Glatch, followed by Maria Sanchez vs. Victoria Duval, followed by Melinda Czink vs. Jessica Pegula, followed by Sachia Vickery/Victoria Duval vs. Julia Cohen/Alla Kudryavtseva

Stadium Court – starting at 7 p.m.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni vs. Jill Craybas, followed by Mallory Burdette/Jessica Pegula vs. Maria Fernanda-Alves/Samantha Murray

Court 5 – starting at 10 a.m.
Olga Puchkova vs. Ajla Tomljanovic, followed by Tatjana Malek vs. Alla Kudryavtseva, followed by Samantha Crawford vs. Mallory Burdette

Court 3 – starting at 10 a.m.
Jacqueline Cako/Natalie Pluskota vs. Chieh-Yu Hsu/Shelby Rogers, followed by Monica Puig vs. Sachia Vickery

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Brengle Advances in Childhelp Desert Classic

 

Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Feb. 6, 2013) – Familiar could be the word of the day for American and No. 2 seeded singles player Madison Brengle on Wednesday on Day 2 of the Childhelp Desert Classic, a women’s $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event being played at the Rancho Las Palmas Country Club.
The 22-year-old from Dover, Del., beat friend and rival Viktoriya Tomova, a qualifier from Bulgaria, 7-6 (9), 7-5, in a tight match that had both players running from both ends of the baseline the entire match.
“I practice with (Tomova) all the time at home at Bollettieri’s so I’m so familiar with the way she plays,” Brengle said. “It was really just a running battle out there.”
Brengle mostly wanted to talk about her doubles play on Wednesday as she and partner Kristy Frilling put their USTA wild card to great use, beating Elizabeth Lumpkin and Lenka Wienerova, 6-0, 4-6, 10-2.
“My partner is so awesome,” Brengle said as Frilling walked past her in a post-match interview and gave her a high-five. “We’ve played all through the juniors and she’s just out here starting up again. So we were so glad to get the wild card.
“I missed some stupid balls and I think I started to get a little tired in the second set.”
Brengle is currently ranked No. 212 in the WTA world rankings. She has won three ITF singles and four ITF doubles titles in her career, and has achieved a ranking high on the WTA of No. 152 in 2011.
In 2006, Brengle and Frilling won the Easter Bowl doubles championship, beating Sanaz Marand and Ashley Weinhold in the final.
Also moving on to the second round with resounding straight-set victories were top-seeded Julie Coin of France and Irvine qualifier Mayo Hibi, who represents Japan.
Childhelp Merv Griffin Village provides a home for 80-100 children that have been severely abused or abandoned by their parents. Several of the participants in the event will be visiting the facility and conducting a tennis clinic for the children.
For information on contributions to Childhelp email to EKuhle@aol.com.
Wednesday’s Scores
Main Draw Singles
wc: Wild Card; q: Qualifier; ll: Lucky Loser
Irina Khromacheva (RUS) [3] def. Lauren Albanese (US) 6-1, 6-4
Ana Vrljic (CRO) [6] def. Jan Abaza (US) [wc] 6-1, 6-1
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) def. Katerina Kramperova (CZE) 6-1, 6-3
Tara Moore (GBR) [8] def. Kimberly Yee (US) [wc] 6-2, 6-1
Julie Coin (FRA) [1] def. Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) 6-1, 6-4
Madison Brengle (US) [2] def. Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) [q] 7-6(9), 7-5
Mayo Hibi (JPN) [q] def. Mai Minokoshi (JPN) 6-2, 6-0
Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR) [q] def. Petra Rampre (SLO) [5] 6-4, 6-3
Louisa Chirico (US) [wc] def. Krista Hardebeck (US) 6-2, 7-5
Sachie Ishizu (JPN) [q] def. Rebecca Marino (CAN) [q] 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
Belinda Bencic (SUI) def. Ashley Weinhold (US) [q] 7-5, 7-6(5)
Nicola Geuer (GER) def. Jana Juricova (SVK) [q] 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3
Main Draw Doubles
Madison Brengle (US) / Kristy Frilling (US) [wc] def. Elizabeth Lumpkin (US) / Lenka Wienerova (SVK) 6-0, 4-6, [10-2]
Julie Coin (FRA) / Ana Vrljic (CRO) [1] def. Malou Ejdesgaard (DEN) / Alize Lim (FRA) 6-2, 6-3
Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) [4] / Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) def. Miki Miyamura (JPN) / Junri Namigata (JPN) 6-3, 1-6, [10-8]
Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) def. Irina Khromacheva (RUS) / Sally Peers (AUS) [3] 6-2, 1-6, [10-3]
Thursday’s Schedule
Court 1 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) vs. Junri Namigata (JPN) [4]
Followed by Belinda Bencic (SUI) [q] vs. Madison Brengle (US) [2]
Followed by Irina Khromacheva (RUS) [3] vs. Danka Kovinic (MNE)
Followed by Julie Coin (FRA) / Ana Vrljic (CRO) [1] vs. Tara Moore (GBR) / Melanie South (GBR)
Court 2 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR) vs. Louisa Chirico (US)
Followed by Julie Coin (FRA) [1] vs. Nicola Geuer (GER) [ll]
Followed by Jan Abaza (US) / Louisa CHIRICO (US) vs. Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) [4] / Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR)
Followed by Madison Brengle (US) / Kristy Frilling (US) vs. Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) [2] / Ashley Weinhold (US)
Court 4 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Mayo Hibi (JPN) vs. Tara Moore (GBR) [8]
Followed by Ana Vrljic (CRO) [6] vs. Sachie Ishizu (JPN) [q]
Followed by Zuzana Zlochova (SVK) vs. Lisa Whybourn (GBR)
Followed by Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) vs. Emily J. Harman (US) /
Rebecca Marino (CAN) [wc]
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Sixteen-Year-Old Wild-Card Christina Makarova Comes Close to Upset at Childhelp Desert Classic

 

(February 5, 2013) Rancho Mirage, California – Sixteen-year-old wild-card Christina Makarova fought her way into a third-set Tuesday on the first day of main draw play at the Childhelp Desert Classic before falling in three sets to Zuzana Zlochova of Slovakia, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
The event is a women’s $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event being played at the Rancho Las Palmas Country Club.
Makarova of San Diego was down a set and 1-5 before storming back to even the match at one-set all. “I tried to stay positive and was able come back and even it up,” she said. “I could have used a little more of that positive thinking in the third set. I came close but wasn’t able to pull it off.”
Makarova was 1-1 against Zlochova, ranked No. 263 in the world, coming into Tuesday’s match. She said she will await word on Wednesday on whether she will receive a wild card into next week’s Ranch Santa Fe $25,000 event.
Four main draw singles and doubles matches were played on Tuesday. No. 4-seeded Junri Namigata of Japan beat Australia’s Salley Peers, 6-2, 6-0, and unseeded Lisa Whybourn of Great Britain upset No. 7-seeded Yi-Fan Xu of China, 6-2, 6-2.
Eight players won final-round qualifying matches on Tuesday and will be inserted into the main draw. They included Irvine’s Mayo Hibi, the No. 10 seed who represents Japan, top-seeded Tetyana Areryeva of Ukraine, No. 3-seeded American Ashley Weinhold, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, Slovakia’s Jana Juricova, No. 15-seeded Viktoriya Tomova from Bulgaria, No. 7 seeded Sachie Ishizu of Japan and No. 12-seeded Rebecca Marino from Canada.
Childhelp Merv Griffin Village provides a home for 80-100 children that have been severely abused or abandoned by their parents. Several of the participants in the event will be visiting the facility and conducting a tennis clinic for the children.
For information on contributions to Childhelp email to EKuhle@aol.com.
Tuesday’s Scores
Main Draw Singles
Zuzana Zlochova (SVK) def. Christina Makarova (US) [wc] 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Lisa Whybourn (GBR) def. Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) [7] 6-2, 6-2
Danka Kovinic (MNE) def. Alize Lim 6-2, 7-5
Junri Namigata (JPN) [4] def. Salley Peers (AUS) 6-2, 6-0
Main Draw Doubles
Jan Abaza (US) / Louisa Chirico (US) [wc] def. Angelina Gabueva (RUS) / Allie Will (US) 7-6(6) 7-6(6)
Tara Moore (GBR) / Melanie South (GBR) def. Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR) / Katerina Kramperova (CZE) [q] 7-6(3) 6-3
Emily J. Harman (US) / Rebecca Marino (CAN) [wc] def. Anamika Bhargava (US) / Macall Harkins (US) 6-7(4) 7-6(8) [10-8]
Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) [2] / Ashley Weinhold def. Kumiko Iijima (JPN) / Akari Inoue (JPN) 6-4 1-6 [10-8] [q]
Wednesday’s Schedule
Court 1 beginning at 9 a.m.
Irina Khromacheva (RUS) [3] vs. Lauren Albanese (US)
Followed by Julie Coin (FRA) [1] vs. Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL)
Followed by Krista Hardebeck (US) vs. Louisa Chirico (US) [wc]
Followed by Madison Brengle (US) / Kristy Frilling (US) vs. Elizabeth Lumpkin (US) / Lenka Wienerova (SVK)
Court 2 beginning at 9 a.m.
Ana Vrljic (CRO) [6] vs. Jan Abaza (US) [wc]
Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) vs. Madison Brengle (US) [2]
Rebecca Marino (CAN) [q] vs. Sachie Ishizu (JPN) [q]
Julie Coin (FRA) / Ana Vrljic (CRO) [1] vs. Malou Ejdesgaard (DEN) / Alize Lim (FRA)
Court 4 beginning at 9 a.m.
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) vs. Katerina Kramperova (CZE)
Followed by Mayo Hibi (JPN) [q] vs. Mai Minokoshi (JPN)
Followed by Ashley Weinhold (US) vs. Belinda Bencic (SUI)
Followed by Miki Miyamura (JPN) / Junri Namigata (JPN) vs. Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran (BOL) [4] / Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR)
Court 5 beginning at 9 a.m.
Kimberly Yee (US) [wc] vs. Tara Moore (GBR) [8]
Followed by Petra Rampre (SLO) [5] vs. Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR)
Followed by Jana Juricova (SVK) vs. Nicola Geuer (GER)
Followed by Irina Khromacheva (RUS) / Sally Peers (AUS) [3] vs. Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) /
Yi-Fan Xu (CHN)
Past Singles
Year: Champion and Runner-up
2012: Johanna Konta (AUS) def. Lenka Wienerova (SVK)
2011: Ashley Weinhold (US) def. Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
2010: Olivia Sanchez (FRA) def. Tadeja Majeric (SLO)
2009: Julia Vakulenko (UKR) def. Lauren Albanese (US)
Past Doubles
Year and Champion
2012: Sofia Shaptava (GEO) – Ekaterine Gordodze (GEO)
2011: Karolina Pliskova (CZE) – Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
2010: Monique Adamczak (AUS) – Abigail Spears (US)
2009: Natalie Grandin (RSA) – Courtney Nagle (US)
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In Battle of Vets, Ginepri Wins Out Against De Voest at the Challenger of Dallas

 

Robby Ginepri

By Gene Park

DALLAS, TX — Robby Ginepri may not have started Monday evening the way he would have liked, but the 30-year-old veteran was able to advance against another seasoned player. Ginepri dropped the first set 6-3 to 14-year pro Rik De Voest on Stadium Court during the first round of the Challenger of Dallas. But Ginepri evened things up with a 6-3 second set win and was able to close things out by holding serve and getting a break in a 6-4 third set.

 

Ginepri moves on to meet the two-time Challenger of Dallas Singles Champion Ryan Sweeting in the quarterfinals. Sweeting took the court earlier in the day and despite committing seven double faults, he was still able to knock out the No.3-seeded Tim Smyczek 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to begin the days main draw play.

Number 2 seed Michael Russell followed on Stadium Court and rallied back from dropping the first set against Taipei’s Jimmy Wang to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rajeev Ram, a two-time Dallas Doubles Champion, had to overcome a slow start as well. Second-year pro Daniel Kosakowski grabbed the first set 6-2, but Ram’s service game helped him battle back as he took the following two sets 7-6(3), 6-4. Knoxville, Tennesee native Rhyne Williams managed to already surpass his 2012 Challenger of Dallas accomplishments by winning his first round match against Texas A&M alum Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-2.

In main draw doubles, the No.4-seeded team of Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Steve Johnson looked strong early on in their 6-3, 7-5 victory over Carsten Ball and Bobby Reynolds. Americans Bradley Klahn and Denis Kudla had little trouble as well in their first round match, needing less than an hour to dispose of locals Neil Kenner and Andrew McCarthy, 6-2, 6-1.

 

With 94 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players, as well as a platform for established professionals. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake and Andy

Murray are among today’s top players who began their professional careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. The USTA Pro Circuit is world class tennis administered on the local level and played on local courts as part of the fabric of communities nationwide.

 

CHALLENGER OF DALLAS – DALLAS, TX, USA

$ 100,000.00
FEBRUARY 02 – FEBRUARY 10, 2013

RESULTS – FEBRUARY 04, 2013
Men’s
Singles – First Round
[2] M Russell (USA) d J Wang (TPE) 46 61 64
R Sweeting (USA) d [3] T Smyczek (USA) 63 26 64
[4] [WC] R Ram (USA) d D Kosakowski (USA) 26 76(3) 64
R Williams (USA) d [WC] A Krajicek (USA) 75 62
[WC] R Ginepri (USA) d R De Voest (RSA) 36 63 64

Men’s
Doubles – First Round
[4] A Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) / S Johnson (USA) d C Ball (AUS) / B Reynolds (USA) 63 75
B Klahn (USA) / D Kudla (USA) d [WC] N Kenner (USA) / A McCarthy (USA) 62 61

Mens
Qualifying Singles – Quarterfinals
Qualifying – A Bogdanovic (GBR) d [WC] J Jenkins (USA) 63 63
Qualifying – M Baumann (GER) d D Nguyen (USA) 61 62
Qualifying – J Andersen (RSA) d M Styslinger (USA) 75 46 62
Qualifying – A Domijan (USA) d M Krueger (USA) 61 75

Mens
Qualifying Doubles – Finals
Qualifying – [2] S Bangoura (USA) / N Meister (USA) d M Baumann (GER) / T Puetz (GER) 16 64 11-9

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2013
STADIUM COURT start 10:30 AM
M Demoliner (BRA) vs I Van der Merwe (RSA)
[1] J Levine (CAN) vs B Klahn (USA)
[8] A Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) vs D Molchanov (UKR)
S Johnson (USA) vs B Reynolds (USA)
A Kuznetsov (USA) vs [5] M Ebden (AUS)

Not Before 7:00 PM
[WC] C Buchanan (USA) / D Nguyen (USA) vs M Russell (USA) / R Sweeting (USA)
[6] [WC] J Blake (USA) vs [Q] A Domijan (USA)

COURT 1 start 10:30 AM
P Herbert (FRA) vs [Q] A Bogdanovic (GBR)
M Yani (USA) vs [Q] M Baumann (GER)
T Sandgren (USA) vs M Zverev (GER)
D Kudla (USA) vs [Q] J Andersen (RSA)
F Dancevic (CAN) vs [7] V Pospisil (CAN)

Not Before 6:00 PM
[WC] D Kosakowski (USA) / V Mirzadeh (USA) vs T Sandgren (USA) / R Williams (USA)

 

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Kulikova is Top Seed for Childhelp Desert Classic

 

Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Feb. 2, 2013) – Looking to return to her career-high WTA ranking of No. 65 in the world this year, Russia’s Regina Kulikova draws the top-seeded position in the annual Childhelp Desert Classic, a women’s $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, taking place at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort, starting Monday and running through to the finals Sunday, Feb. 10.
Qualifying for the tournament will take place Sunday and Monday. Admission is free to the tournament, which is being co-chaired by Jackie Cooper and Lornie Kuhle.
The 24-year-old Kulikova was born in Almaty in Kazakhstan. She is currently ranked No. 150 in the world and has won 11 career ITF singles titles and has reached the finals another four times. She has won three of those titles in the United States in Clearwater, Fla., Kansas City and Las Vegas.
Her best result on the WTA Tour was a quarterfinal appearance at the 2010 Dubai Tennis Championships where she defeated fellow countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 65th, which she reached on May 3, 2010
The other top-seeded players and their ranking include: Russia’s Irina Khromacheva (No. 188), American Madison Brengle (No. 189), France’s Julie Coin (No. 202), France’s Victoria Larriere (No. 216), and Japan’s Junri Namigata (No. 224).
Besides Brengle, Americans Lauren Albanese and Krista Hardebeck are expected to be in the main singles draw.
Las Vegas’ Kimberly Yee won the Wild Card Tournament at Kuhle’s Bobby Riggs Tennis Club in Encinitas for a spot into the main draw. The other singles main draw wild cards are American Louisa Chirico, Christina Makarova, and Jan Abaza.
Childhelp Merv Griffin Village provides a home for 80-100 children that have been severely abused or abandoned by their parents. Several of the participants in the event will be visiting the facility and conducting a tennis clinic for the children.
For information on contributions to Childhelp email to EKuhle@aol.com.
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Lauren Davis Beats Shelby Rogers for Party Rock Open Singles Title

Photo by Craig Glover / Party Rock Open

By Steve Pratt
LAS VEGAS (Sept. 30, 2012) – The physical toll of the last three weeks of pro-level tournament tennis – including two consecutive USTA Pro Circuit finals — finally hit Lauren Davis on the final day of the Party Rock Open.
Davis had to call a medical timeout down a set but up 5-2 in the second against 19-year-old Shelby Rogers and got physically sick while seated in her chair. But unlike coming up on the losing end in last week’s Albuquerque final, Davis bounced out of her chair and proceeded to win the next game and then dug deep to win the third set to capture the first Party Rock Open singles title in the Las Vegas USTA Women’s $50,000 Pro Circuit event sponsored by international celebrity Redfoo, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2.
“I think I was just dehydrated,” said Davis after the match. “That’s never happened to me in a match like that (throwing up on court), but it has in practice. I had three late night matches and I think it was all just a little bit too much.”
Davis, 18, will crack the world WTA Top 100 rankings for the first time in her career when the new rankings are released on Monday. She will also stop off at the bank to deposit her winning $7,315 check.
“At the start of the year I had a goal to break into the Top 100 before my 19th birthday, so I guess I made it,” said Davis, who turns 19 in two weeks.
The week before Albuquerque, Davis qualified and then reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event in Quebec City.
In the doubles final, the top-seeded team of Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova beat Elena Bovina of Russia and Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania, 6-2, 2-6, 10-6.
Sunday’s Final Singles Score
Lauren Davis (2), U.S., def. Shelby Rogers, U.S., 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2
Sunday’s Final Doubles Score
Anastasia Rodionova, Australia-Arina Rodionova (1), Russia, vs. Elena Bovina, Russia-Edina Gallovits-Hall (4), Romania, 6-2, 2-6, 10-6
The tournament’s official website is www.partyrockopen.com. To learn more about Redfoo and Party Rock Clothing, go to www.partyrockclothing.com.
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