Main Draw Action Begins

Main Draw Action Begins

FORT WORTH, Texas (August 1, 2017) – The qualifying rounds wrapped up and the main draw began on Tuesday afternoon at the 2017 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K Women’s Pro Circuit Event at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU.

Of the 16 matches played on Tuesday, only one went to a third set as all eight qualifying matches were over in straight sets. The top two seeds in the qualifying draw had no problems moving into the main draw as No. 1 seed Andie K. Daniell of the United States downed Maria Jose Portillo Ramirez of Mexico, 6-2, 6-1, while No. 2 seed and UNC rising sophomore Alexa Graham of the United States disposed of Alexis Thomas of the United States, 6-2, 6-3.

Three other current collegiate athletes also made their way into the main draw with Lauren Proctor of Winthrop defeating Magdalena Ekert of Poland by retirement, while incoming freshman at Georgia Tech, Victoria Flores of the United States, downed Salome Devidze of Georgia 6-1, 6-3. Future Florida Gator Victoria Emma of the United States was the final collegiate player with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Maria Smith of the United States.

The main draw for singles also got under way with defending champion and No. 369 Caitlin Whoriskey seeing an early exit from the tournament with a 7-5, 6-2 loss to No. 491 Alexa Guarachi of Chile. No. 7 seed and No. 360 ranked Elizaveta Ianchuk of Ukraine took out wildcard and reigning NCAA Champion Brienne Minor of the United States, 6-3, 6-3. No. 411 Lauren Albanese of the United States grabbed the final win in the main draw as she upset No. 8 seed and No. 362 Katie Swan of Great Britain 7-5, 6-2.

Doubles action in the main draw also kicked off on Tuesday with all three seeded teams in action easily moving into the next round. The No. 2 seed of Tammi Patterson and defending Fort Worth doubles champion Chanel Simmonds downed the American pair of Flores and Jada Robinson 6-1, 6-2. No. 3 seed of Miharu Imanishi and Ayaka Okuno of Japan took out local wildcards Donika Bashota and Olaya Garrido-Rivas 6-3, 7-5. Former NCAA stars Giuliana Olmos and Ellen Perez, the No. 4 seed in the draw, breezed past current Texas Tech players Sarah Dvorak and Felicity Maltby, 6-2, 6-0.

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 30-Aug. 6. The main draw portion of the tournament will continue on Tuesday 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 $15,000 to $125,000, 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 38 years ago 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 more than $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey and are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

By Abby Norman
Tournament Press Aid

Tuesday, August 1 – RESULTS
Singles – Qualifying Draw Final Round
Jada Robinson, United States d. Donika Bashota, Sweden, 6-1, 6-0
Alexa Graham, United States (2) d. Alexis Thoma, United States, 6-2, 6-3
Victoria Emma, United States d. Maria Smith, United States, 6-3, 6-0
Victoria Flores, United States (5) d. Salome Devidze, Georgia, 6-1, 6-3
Lauren Proctor, United States d. Magdalena Ekert, Poland (8), Ret.
Katerina Stewart, United States d. Karina Traxler, United States, 6-1, 6-0
Andie K. Daniell, United States (1) d. Maria Jose Portillo Ramirez, Mexico, 6-2, 6-1
Dominique Schaefer, Peru d. Jessica Failla, United States (7), 6-3, 6-4

Singles – Main Draw First Round
Elizaveta Ianchuk, Ukraine (7) d. Brienne Minor, United States, 6-3, 6-3
Alexa Guarachi, Chile d. Caitlin Whoriskey, United States, 7-5, 6-2
Lauren Albanese, United States d. Katie Swan, Great Britain (8), 7-5, 6-2

Doubles – Main Draw First Round
Giuliana Olmos, Mexico/Ellen Perez, Australia (4) d. Sarah Dvorak/Felicity Maltby, United States, 6-2, 6-0
Tammi Patterson, Australia/Chanel Simmonds, South Afric (2) d. Victoria Flores/Jada Robinson, United States, 6-1, 6-2
Chelsea Kung/Janice Shin, United States d. Andie K. Daniell/Karina Traxler, United States, 3-6, 6-3, 10-3
Jaeda Daniel/Katerina Stewart, United States d. Kat Facey/Amy Zhu, United States, 6-4, 7-5
Miharu Imanishi/Ayaka Okuno, Japan (3) d. Donika Bashota, Sweden/Olaya Garrido-Rivas, Spain, 6-3, 7-5