FORT WORTH, Texas (August 5, 2017) – Giuliana Olmos of Mexico and Ellen Perez of Australia were crowned the doubles champions at the 2017 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K Women’s Pro Circuit Event on Saturday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU.
Olmos, an alumni of USC, and Perez, a current player at Georgia, went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 seeded duo from Japan in Miharu Imanishi and Ayaka Okuno as a late break in the first set proved to shift the momentum towards the duo. The pair then held and broke to open the second set and never looked back as they took the doubles crown with a 6-4, 6-3 win. The victory by the duo of Olmos and Perez marks the third time in the last four years that a pair of current or former collegiate players have won the doubles title. Olmos captured her second straight and seventh ITF Pro Circuit doubles title this year while Perez also won her second straight doubles title and third this year.
Saturday also saw the singles semifinal matches take place with a qualifier making an appearance in the final for the fourth time in the last six years. Former world No. 158, Katerina Stewart of the United States, continued her dominant streak of not dropping a set in the tournament by upsetting the top seed in No. 273 Imanishi. Stewart took the match 6-2, 6-0 and will be making her first appearance in an ITF Pro Circuit singles final since March 2016 when she won the $10K even in Orlando.
Stewart will have to face the youngest player in the main draw as 16-year-old Colombian Emiliana Arango was able to take down Evansville $15K finalist Marcela Zacarias of Mexico, 6-1, 6-2. Like Stewart, Arango has been fairly dominant in her run in Fort Worth with the teenager only dropping one set through four matches. This will be the second ITF Pro Circuit final for Arango this year as she captured the $15K Antalya singles crown in June.
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
Saturday, August 5 – RESULTS
Singles – Main Draw Semifinal
Katerina Stewart, United States d. Miharu Imanishi, Japan (1), 6-2, 6-0
Emiliana Arango, Colombia d. Marcela Zacarias, Mexico, 6-1, 6-2
Doubles – Main Draw Final
Giuliana Olmos, Mexico/Ellen Perez, Australia (4), d. Miharu Imanishi/Ayaka Okuno, Japan (3), 6-4, 6-3