FORT WORTH, Texas (August 2, 2016) – The qualifying rounds wrapped up and the main draw began on Tuesday afternoon at the 2016 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K Women’s Pro Circuit Event at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU.
Seven of the eight qualifiers who earned a berth into the main draw were seeded with the lone unseeded player making into the main draw being Brynn Boren of the United States. After a three-hour marathon match yesterday to make it in the qualifying final, Boren had another three-set battle where she put away a young American in Kylie McKenzie, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
The main draw for singles also got under way with the top seed of No. 137 Elise Mertens of Belgium picking up a 7-5, 6-2 win over Nicole Frenkel of the United States. The three other seeded players who saw action on Tuesday lost their matches with two coming in straight sets. No. 394 Danielle Lao of the United States easily handled No. 321 and No. 4 seed Freya Christie of Great Britain, 6-1, 6-2. Marcela Zacarias, the winner $10K Pro Circuit Event in Austin last week, scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 213 and No. 4 seed Ksenia Lykina of Russia. The final seeded player to fall in the main draw was 2012 London Olympic silver medalist and No. 286 Laura Robson who was upended by No. 387 Chanel Simmonds of South Africa, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2.
Two wildcards in the main draw started on Tuesday, with recent UCLA graduate and unranked Chanelle Van Nguyen of the United States taking down No. 388 Alison Bai of Australia in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. A battle of young Americans played out in the other wildcard match with No. 444 Kayla Day coming out on top over wild card and No. 533 Nicole Coopersmith, 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles action in the main draw also kicked off on Tuesday with two of the seeds in the draw moving into the quarterfinals. The No. 2 seeds of Caitlin Whoriskey and Ashley Weinhold of the United States dominated the twin sister pairing of Alexandra and Kat Facey with a 6-2, 6-0 victory, while the No. 4 pair of Bai and Keri Wong took out Tereza Mihalikova and Anastasia Nefedova, 6-2, 6-4 in the final match of the day.
The Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K USTA Pro Circuit event will be held at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU from July 31-Aug. 7. The main draw portion of the tournament will continue on Wednesday with matches beginning at 9 a.m. Professional athletes from around the world will be competing for $25,000 in prize money, as well as valuable WTA Tour Ranking points.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually 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 and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit in 1979 to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Victoria Azarenka, Eugenie Bouchard, John Isner, Madison Keys, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Sam Querrey and Caroline Wozniacki are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
By Abby Norman
Tournament Press Aid
Tuesday August 2 – RESULTS
Singles – Qualifying Final Round
Ashley Weinhold, United States (10), d. Keri Wong, United States, 6-1, 7-6(5)
Claire Liu, United States (7), d. Amy Zhu, United States, 6-1, 7-6(5)
Katie Boulter, Great Britain (3), d. Danielle Collins, United States, 6-4, 5-2 ret.
Caitlin Whoriskey, United States (1), d. Ronit Yurovsky, United States (13), 6-1, 6-0
Alexandra Sanford, United States (6), d. Nazari Urbina, Mexico (16), 6-4, 6-2
Tereza Mihalikova, Slovakia (5), d. Alexa Graham, United States (9), 6-3, 7-5
Usue Arconada, United States (2), d. Jessica Failla, United States (14), 3-0 ret.
Brynn Boren, United States d. Kylie McKenzie, United States, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
Singles – Main Draw First Round
Chanelle Van Nguyen, United States d. Alison Bai, Australia, 6-1, 6-2
Danielle Lao, United States d. Greya Christie, Great Britain (8), 6-1, 6-2
Elise Mertens, Belgium (1), d. Nicole Frenkel, United States, 7-5, 6-2
Marcela Zacarias, Mexico d. Ksenia Lykina, Russia (4), 6-4, 6-4
Kayla Day, United States d. Nicole Coopersmith, United States, 6-4, 6-2
Chieh-Yu Hsu, Taiwan d. Catherine Harrison, United States, 6-4, 6-2
Chanel Simmonds, South Africa d. Laura Robson, Great Britain (7), 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2
Doubles – Main Draw
Andie Daniell, United States/Nazari Urbina, Mexico d. Jessie Aney/Hayley Carter, United States, 3-6, 6-1, 13-11
Ashley Weinhold/Caitlin Whoriskey, United States d. Alexandra Facey/Kat Facey, United States, 6-2, 6-0
Tara Moore/Lisa Whybourn, Great Britain d. Yuliya Beygelzimer/Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine, 6-1, 3-6, 10-8
Lizette Cabrera/Olivia Rogowska (Australia) d. Olaya Garrido-Rivas, Mexico/Marie Norris, United States, 6-0, 7-6(5)
Alison Bai/Keri Wong, United States (4), d. Tereza Mihalikova, Slovakia/Anastasia Nefedova, Russia, 6-2, 6-4