FORT WORTH, Texas (August 5, 2018) – The 2018 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K Women’s Pro Circuit Event came to an end on Sunday with young American Maria Mateas able to defeat fellow American Robin Anderson in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, in the singles championship at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the campus of TCU.
Entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed, Mateas picked up five straight victories with four of them coming in straight sets on her way to capturing her first ITF Pro Circuit singles title in her career. This marks the first time since 2014 that a player with direct entry into the main draw was able to win the singles crown in Fort Worth, with Mateas walking away from the tournament with the 50 WTA Tour ranking points and $3,919 in prize money.
It was a battle to begin the match as Mateas and No. 4 seed Anderson were each able to hold serve through the first six games. Mateas used two winners after deuce point on Anderson’s serve to take the first lead of the match at 4-3. After four straight winners to easily hold serve for a 5-3 lead, Mateas continued the momentum by breaking Anderson for the second time to win the set, 6-3.
Anderson, a former All-American from UCLA, fought back in the next set by getting the early break over Mateas for a 2-1 lead. Mateas did not back down and was able to get the break back to get the set back on serve. The duo would each get another break until Mateas held serve and then broke on deuce point for the fifth time in the match to get the victory in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
Mateas becomes the third straight American and fifth in the last seven years to take the singles title in Fort Worth. The 19-year-old, who is ranked No. 342 in the world, will be attending Duke in the fall.
Today’s championship match concludes the 2018 Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic $25K USTA Pro Circuit event. Mateas claimed the singles championship, while Chieh-Yu Hsu of Chinese Taipei and Marcela Zacarias of Mexico partnered to win the doubles title of Saturday.
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 39 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
Sunday, August 5 – RESULTS
Singles – Main Draw Final
Maria Mateas, United States (4) d. Robin Anderson, United States (3), 6-3, 7-5