Top Seeds Dominate Thursday’s Play at USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships

HARD COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS AT LA JOLLA BEACH & TENNIS CLUB

San Diego’s Hiromi Sasano Advances to Women’s Singles Semifinals

LA JOLLA, Calif. – (December 5, 2019) – Former three-time singles champion Jeff Greenwald of San Anselmo, Calif., got off to a slow start in his third round match at the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships, but finished on a strong note, as he eliminated ninth-seeded Pavel Levitanus of Laguna Niguel, Calif., 6-3, 6-0 to advance to the men’s singles quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Greenwald, an internationally recognized sport psychology consultant and licensed therapist, served at 2-3 in the first set when he fought off a break point and went on to hold serve to even the score at 3-3.The 53-year-old Greenwald then proceeded to win the next nine consecutive games to close out the match in 67 minutes.

“I knew he (Levitanus) had a big serve. He had a good first serve. I took a little time to get warmed up with the returns. At three all, I’m hanging in there, holding serve, but I started loosening up. I started being more aggressive and focused on the returns and I started returning really well,” Greenwald said after his victory.

“I started dictating and coming into the net a little bit. I served and volleyed a few times. I felt more comfortable out there. I’m working my way into this tournament,” added Greenwald, who will play fifth-seeded Ramin Pejan of Laguna Beach, Calif., in his next match.

Top men’s seed and defending champion Stuart Duncan of Laguna Hills, Calif., wasted little time in his third-round match on Thursday as he dispatched ninth-seeded Ryan Pang of Mercer Island, Wash., 6-1, 6-2 in 61 minutes. Duncan, who coaches collegiate tennis at Westcliff University and Irvine Valley College, advances to a quarterfinal meeting with fifth-seeded Samuel Schroerlucke of Memphis, Tenn.

Former three-time men’s singles champion Tony Bujan of Santa Ana, Calif., also moved into the quarterfinals as he got past ninth-seeded Guillermo Cosson of Houston 6-4, 6-3 in one-hour and 35 minutes. The third-seeded Bujan will face former ATP touring professional Francisco Clavet of Madrid, Spain, in the quarterfinals.

The 51-year-old Clavet, who reached a career-high No. 18 in the ATP Tour singles rankings in 1992, breezed past ninth-seeded William Casas of Ladera Ranch, Calif., 6-1, 6-1. Clavet, a holder of eight career ATP Tour singles titles, has dropped a total of seven games in winning three matches to reach the quarterfinals.

All men’s quarterfinal singles matches will be played at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

In the women’s singles draw, top-seeded Hiromi Sasano of San Diego and second-seeded Amanda Parson Siegel of Santa Ana, Calif., easily advanced to the semifinals.

Sasano, the three-time defending women’s singles champion, defeated unseeded Christen Bartelt of Malibu, Calif., 6-0, 6-1 in 55 minutes. She will meet third-seeded Dina McBride of Valencia, Calif., on Friday at 11 a.m.

Parson Siegel, who reached last year’s women’s singles final, eased past unseeded Claris Oas of Carlsbad, Calif., 6-0, 6-1 and will play unseeded Mariko Atoji of San Diego on Friday at 11 a.m.

The women’s singles final is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m.

Updated player draws for each division can be viewed here.

The starting times for each day of the tournament are as follows:
8 a.m. – Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7
9 a.m. – Sunday, December 8
(All times are PST)

La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club welcomes tennis spectators to the tournament with free admission. Onsite parking is available for a nominal fee.

The USTA National Father/Son and Grandfather/Grandson Hard Court Doubles Championships will be contested at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club from Friday, December 6 through Sunday, December 8. The Father/Son Championship has been held continuously at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club since 1959, and attracts the top father and son tennis teams in the nation.  The Grandfather/Grandson Championship is a relatively new competitive division that started at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in 2003.

Fans can tune-in to RadioTennis.com on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8 to listen to live audio play-by-play of the day’s matches on Court No. 1. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide live web cast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.

Designated one of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts in the world by Tennis Resorts Online, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club’s reputation as a top tennis destination started in 1942, when it attracted its first major tournament, the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship.  The Club will be hosting the 131th edition of this popular tournament March 5-8, 2020, as well as both the USTA National Hard Court Championships for Womens’ 50-90 age groups and the 47th Annual Men’s Senior Championships May 11-17, 2020.

About the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc. – The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated company dedicated to the operation of a 14-acre beachside resort. The resort includes three properties, including the exclusive La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the 128-room La Jolla Shores Hotel and The Marine Room restaurant. Resort amenities include 14 championship tennis courts, a nine-hole par-3 golf course, two swimming pools, two additional oceanfront restaurants and cocktail lounges, and one of Southern California’s only private beaches. For more information, visit www.LJBTC.com.

USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club
La Jolla, Calif.
Thursday’s Results

Men’s Singles
Third Round
Stuart Duncan (1), Laguna Hills, def. Ryan Pang (9), Mercer Island, Wash., 6-1, 6-2
Jeff Greenwald (2), San Anselmo, Calif., def. Pavel Levitanus (9), Laguna Niguel, Calif., 6-3, 6-0
Tony Bujan (3), Santa Ana, Calif., def. Guillermo Cosson (9), Houston, 6-4, 6-3
Brett Masi (4), Long Beach, Calif., def. Matthew Semler (9), Portland, Ore., 6-2, 6-2
Francisco Clavet (5), Madrid, Spain, def. William Casas (9), Ladera Ranch, Calif., 6-1, 6-1
Ramin Pejan (5), Laguna Beach, Calif., def. Andrew Cheney (9), Scottsdale, Ariz., 7-6 (4), 6-3
Samuel Schroerlucke (5), Memphis, Tenn., def. Cornel Catrina (9), Costa Mesa, Calif., 6-4, 6-2
Dan Hiddleson (5), Corte Madera, Calif., def. Valter Paiva (9), Long Beach, Calif., 7-6 (6), 6-4

Women’s Singles
Quarterfinals
Hiromi Sasano (1), San Diego, def. Christen Bartelt, Malibu, Calif., 6-0, 6-1
Amanda Parson Siegel (2), Santa Ana, Calif., def. Claris Oas, Carlsbad, 6-0, 6-1
Dina McBride (3), Valencia, Calif., def. Carla Zarbo, Chula Vista, 6-0, 6-0

For complete scores and results, click here.