TOP MEN’S SEEDS EASILY ADVANCE TO THIRD ROUND AT
USTA NATIONAL OPEN HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS Wednesday’s Matches to Start at 9 a.m. (PDT) at Balboa Tennis Club
SAN DIEGO – (May 28, 2019) – The top men’s seeds dominated play on a bright, sunny day at the Balboa Tennis Club and breezed into the third round of the United States Tennis Association National Open Hard Court Championships with impressive straight-set victories.
Top-seeded Isaiah Strode, a touring tennis professional from El Cajon, Calif., dispatched unseeded Mason Fuller of San Diego 6-1, 6-2 to advance to a meeting against 17th seeded Derek Miller of San Diego, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Following his second-round win, the 21-year-old Strode, who competes on the USTA Pro Circuit in Futures and Challenger events, spoke about how it felt to play in a tournament close to home.
“It’s such a gift to play so close, especially at Balboa, a place where I grew up playing junior tournaments. It’s really special. Hopefully I’ll get a lot of friends and family to come out this week,” Strode said. “There are definitely some good players in the draw. I’m excited to see how I can compete against them and hopefully come through in the end.”
In the lower half of the men’s draw, second-seeded Siem Woldeab of La Mesa, Calif., eased past Ryan Lee of La Canada Flintridge, Calif., 6-0, 6-1. Woldeab will take on unseeded Campbell Johnson of Del Mar, Calif., in the next round at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Other winners in the men’s draw on Tuesday included, third-seeded Oleksiy Arovin of Redmond, Wash., a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Manuel Cardona of San Ysidro, Calif., and fourth-seeded Ed Nava of Woodland Hills, Calif., who eliminated Kevin Smith of Chula Vista, Calif., 6-0, 6-1. Former tournament champion Jessica Failla (FAY-LA), the women’s No. 1 seed, received a first-round bye and will play her first match on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., against Deja Brown of El Cajon, Calif. On Tuesday afternoon, Brown scored a thrilling 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win over San Diego’s Anya Lundeberg to advance to the second-round against Failla. To view updated tournament draws for each division, click here. Matches will begin each day at 9 a.m., through Saturday, June 1. Matches on Sunday, June 2 are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Admission for spectators is free and open to the public. On-site parking is free. The champions in each division will be awarded a USTA gold ball, while the runner-up receive a USTA silver ball. There will also be a 3rd/4th place playoff for the USTA bronze ball. Prize money will be distributed to both finalists as well as third and fourth place finishers in each division. The USTA National Open Hard Court Championships was voted “Tournament of the Year” in 2011 by the San Diego District Tennis Association. The event has had several distinguished past champions and participants. U.S. Davis Cup star Jack Sock, who reached a career-high No. 8 in the ATP Tour singles rankings in 2017, won the Men’s Singles Championship in 2010. Coco Vandeweghe, a semifinalist at the 2017 Australian Open and US Open, earned a USTA bronze ball at the 2007 Hard Court Championships. Former WTA touring professionals Gretchen Rush and Ros Nideffer won the Women’s Open Doubles title seven times, while Allison Bradshaw captured the Women’s Open Singles title in 2007.
Route 6 Café, featuring breakfast burritos, sandwiches, specialty coffee, smoothies, drinks and snacks, will be in operation at the Balboa Tennis Club during the tournament from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The 2019 USTA National Open Hard Court Championships are sponsored by United States Tennis Association, San Diego District Tennis Association, CH Court Tech, Collins Company, San Diego Aviators, Kashi, Cameo Janitorial, Martinis Above Fourth | Table + Stage, Wilson and Graphic Interfaces.
USTA National Open Hard Court Championships Balboa Tennis Club San Diego, Calif. Tuesday’s Results Men’s Singles Second Round Isaiah Strode (1), El Cajon, def. Mason Fuller, San Diego, 6-1, 6-2 Siem Woldeab (2), La Mesa, def. Ryan Lee, La Canada Flintridge, Calif., 6-0, 6-1 Alex Bose (9), Winter Haven, Fla., def. Aiden Benoualid, Henderson, Nev., 6-0, 6-0 Jack Pulliam (5), Manhattan Beach, Calif., def. Brian Espinoza, Chula Vista, 6-0, 6-1 Bradley Frye (9), Overland Park, Kan., def. Dylan Euzarraga, San Clemente, Calif., 6-1, 6-1 Ed Nava (4), Woodland Hills, Calif., def. Kevin Smith, Chula Vista, 6-0, 6-1 Jared Thompkins (17), San Diego, def. Austin Reynolds, El Cajon, 6-0, 6-1 Navin Marimuthu, Billings, Mont., def. Gabino Sanz, Morgan Hill, Calif., 6-0, 6-1 Diego Nava (9), Woodland Hills, Calif., def. Trevor Donovan, San Diego, walkover Elijah Strode (17), El Cajon, def. Teo Ortuno, Spring Valley, 6-4, 7-5 Mohanad Alhouni (17), Minneapolis, def. Raymundo Chavez Baez, Ensenada, B.C., 6-2, 6-4 Emmanuel Mensah (5), Chula Vista, def. Michael Derewenko, Encinitas, 6-0, 6-0 Hector Lutteroth, San Diego, def. Benjamin Gollin, (9), Solana Beach, 6-3, 7-5 Sebastian Bader (17), Del Mar, def. Maxwell Weishan, San Diego, 6-0, 6-1 Zachary Smith (9), New Orleans, def. Mallory Leighty, Lake City, Fla., 6-1, 6-0 Brandon Lam (5), Westlake Village, Calif., def. Yousef Benhamida, San Diego, 6-1, 6-4 Fabian Roensdorf (9), San Diego, def. Edward Lewis, Anchorage, Ark., 6-2, 6-1 Joseph Corse, Murrieta, Calif., def. Matthew Mitchell, Marietta, Ga., 6-0, 6-0 Nicholas Borchenko (9), Sherman Oaks, Calif., def. Luke Williams, San Diego, 6-3, 7-6 Kaptan Kaster (17), Alpine, def. Matthew Lee, San Diego, 7-6 (6), 6-1 Christopher Rosensteel (17), Ewing, N.J., def. Colin Palmer, La Jolla, 6-1, 6-2 Matthew Sah (17), San Diego, def. Ian Lee, La Canada Flintridge, Calif., 6-1, 6-1 Derek Miller (17), San Diego, def. Jayson Blando, San Diego, 6-3, 7-5 Kyler Jirasook (17), Walnut, Calif., def. Murphey Parker, Windsor, Calif., 6-1, 6-1 Women’s Singles First Round Deja Brown, El Cajon, def. Anya Lundeberg, San Diego, 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 Jacqueline Payne, Houston, def. Jennifer Myers, Winter Haven, Fla., 6-0, 6-0 Cydnee Wilkinson, Washington, Utah, def. Tricia Mar, Seal Beach, Calif., 6-4, 6-0 Avery Aude, Woodland Hills, Calif., def. Victoria Santibanez Luna, Ensenada, B.C., 6-0, 6-0 Shatoo Mohamad, El Cajon, def. Hana Moss, Culver City, Calif., 6-0, 6-1 Tatiana Betancourt, Covina, Calif., def. Kerry Feirman, Los Angeles, Withdrew (injury) Gavriella Smith, New Orleans, def. Kristina Breisacher, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., 6-3, 6-2 Keira Jirasook, Walnut, Calif., def. Brooke Biddle, Winter Park, Fla., 6-0, 6-0 For complete tournament results, click here.
