Tickets Now on Sale For Women’s USTA Pro Circuit $60,000 Tournament Hosted by Templeton Tennis Ranch Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2022
Madision Brengle
TEMPLETON, Calif. – September 16, 2022 — Four players ranked among the top 115 in the world are among the solid field of WTA players ready to compete in the EPIC Central Coast Tennis Classic set for Sept. 26 through Oct. 2 at the Templeton Tennis Ranch.
Organizers of the Central Coast Tennis Classic – which recently announced new title sponsor EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants – released the names of the players expected to compete in the popular USTA Women’s $60,000 Pro Circuit Tournament, part of the ITF World Tour.
Madison Brengle, 32, from Dover, Del., is currently ranked No. 62 in the WTA World Tour rankings and is the highest seeded player on the entry list. A mainstay on the tour for the past 15 years, Brengle has gotten past the first round at each of the four Grand Slams, including her best showing in 2015 when she reached the Round of 16 at the Australian Open.
At the recent US Open, Brengle fell to No. 5 seed and eventual singles finalst Ons Jabeur, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round.
Right behind Brengle is China’s Lin Zhu, who is No. 69 in the world rankings and coming off a finals run in the Landisville, Pa., $100,000 event. Zhu’s Chinese countrywoman Yue Yuan is ranked No. 107 and will be the No. 3 seed.
Twenty-year-old fourth-year pro Katie Volynets will be seeded No. 4 and is ranked No. 113. Originally from Northern California, Volynets in April won the $100,000 US Pro Women’s Clay Court Championships.
Other Americans who have qualified for the main draw include 2018 Templeton Tennis Classic singles and doubles winner Asia Muhammad, who is currently ranked No. 30 in the world in doubles. Former UCLA All-American Robin Anderson, top-30 doubles player Caroline Dolehide and the event’s first singles winner in 2017 Sachia Vickery.
Templeton Tennis Ranch
Two players with Southern California ties are also into the main draw, including Katrina Scott, an 18-year-old from Woodland Hills who has won three 25Ks this year in Dallas, Columbus, Ohio and Daytona Beach, Fla., and Santa Barbara’s Kayla Day, a former world No. 1 ITF junior.
Sophie Chang has been named the tournament’s singles wild card. Chang owns 16 career ITF doubles titles, and three in singles. Local Cal Poly doubles team Delanie Dunkle and younger sister Peyton Dunkle are the doubles wild cards.
Qualifying Americans in order of WTA rank include: Danielle Lao, Emina Bektas, Ashlyn Krueger, Grace Min, Whitney Osuigwe, Maria Mateas, Victoria Duval, Robin Montgomery, Alexa Glatch, Dalayna Hewitt, Maegan Manasse and Erica Oosterhout. In addition, recent US Open Girls’ Singles champion Alex Eala from the Philippines has received a wild card into singles qualifying.
Qualifiers Set and Main Draw Underway @Cville_USTA Charlottesville Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic
Main draw play at The Boar’s Head Women’s Tennis Open got underway today in Charlottesville, Virginia under warm and sunny conditions. Gone is Boyd Tinsley, the Dave Matthews Band violinist and local patron of the sport. Gone is the most interesting little trophy in tennis. A year after Tinsley ran into a little bit of trouble, his name’s been wiped clean from the resort.
Tennis moves on. Today featured a large crowd for an ITF event, undoubtedly brought out by the weather. April in Virginia is tricky by nature, and today’s dry conditions will be replaced by soggier times on Friday. If you like the heat and you like it fast, today was the today to notch a quick victory.
Whitney Osuigwe breezed past Kayla Day, 6-0, 6-4, to become the first main draw match winner in Charlottesville. Australian Zoe Hives, who’d lost four matches in a row, got back into the win column with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over American Cori Gauff. Hives was ecstatic after the match, yelling, quite seriously, “I won a match! Finally!” Those two will face off in the round of 16 on Thursday.
The match of the day had blowout written all over it in the first set as Madison Brengle took the opener from Lizette Cabrera 6-1 in 23 minutes. Yet, it was not going to be an easy day for the 2017 tournament champion. Cabrera grabbed the second, 6-3 and things started to look like they might be headed to a third set breaker and they surely did. Brengle dominated the breaker for a 3rd set victory, 7-6(3) and a date against Asia Muhammad or Ellen Perez in the next round. Sesil Karatantcheva easily defeated Urszula Radwanska, 6-2, 6-2, and she’ll meet either Francesca DiLorenzo or Caty McNally.
Qualifiers today included Sanaz Marand and Abbie Myers in straight sets and Ingrid Neel and Emily Fanning in third set superbreakers.
Tomorrow’s order of play will showcase Americans Taylor Townsend, Caroline Dolehide, Louisa Chirico and 2018 finalist Anhelina Kalinina.
I had a strange dream. I dreamt I went to Charlottesville, like I do every year for the ATP Challenger. I stayed at the same hotel as I always do. I went to the same brewpubs I always do. I watched some hard court indoor tennis like I always do. Then, I realized the players in the Challenger were women and I woke up.
Boyd Tinsley Classic (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)
Days of constant rain in Virginia turned the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic into the spring indoor classic. Madison Brengle, the tournament’s top seed at #100, dispensed shopping tips to the younger players on tour as she sat near the entrance of the facility all weekend talking about which tournaments offer the best hospitality on the road. (Correction: It was all about shopping, I later learned).
Boyd Tinsley Classic (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)
I love qualifying, perhaps because the crowds are lighter or because the players are hungrier. As usual, I was one of two fans in the stands, with a smattering of players, coaches and tournament volunteers scattered throughout the giant Boar’s Head Resort’s indoor facility.
Sunday’s qualifying found the pros relegated to the dungeon courts, where there was no access to watch anything but the match near the net. The University of Virginia women’s team was hosting and they got first dibs on the indoor show courts.
I came for the surface. After Charleston, I can’t just jerk back to hard courts. But Mother Nature had other ideas. And so it was that I didn’t see a single point or practice on the clay.
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I did see some ferocious competition in the likes of Julia Elbaba, playing on her alma mater terra sancta and almost qualifying on will alone, or the awkward effectiveness and endurance of Elizaveta Ianchuk (the Ukranian who’s been here three years in a row) or the punchy counter-attacking of Robin Anderson. Or how about 18-year-old racket tosser Ashley Kratzer, ferocious on court like Barbora Strycova but as quiet and mild-mannered as a teen-ager can be off court. How about the quiet clapping of Carol Zhao’s parents, overjoyed by their daughter’s wins but clapping so softly, as if their own parents were in an adjoining bedroom? On another note, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a 9:00 a.m. match start before at a tournament. Some players are barely awake.
The good news, if you live within three hours of Charlottesville is that the weather forecast is about to break wide open as spring’s wild variations usually do. In two days, no one will remember the constant rain in Charlottesville. I will. It can be so lonely on the tour. The rain has a way of incessantly reminding you of that loneliness. And then you look down on court where a 26-year-old is looking back at her coach after an unforced error, and you’re sitting next to him. And she looks almost right at you, asking “why am I doing this?” It makes you question why any of them don’t hang it up if they haven’t reached the top 100 by the time they’re 24. Regardless, they soldier on. That doesn’t take away from the pain in their eyes, the second-guessing, the constant moving about to cheap hotel rooms, traveling like a band of one where nobody’s ever heard their hit song. You have to remind yourself that these players are here by choice. For the most part, they’re adults. You have to remind yourself that these players aren’t forced into this lifestyle by an authoritarian government. But sometimes, that doesn’t seem apparent at first glance. May the heavens shine down on them and make all of them top 20 players someday.
The sun can’t shine soon enough on Charlottesville and the determined women at the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic. Today is forecast to be partly cloudy and 79 degrees.
Tennis Atlantic’s hosts Steen Kirby and Courtney Massey were joined by Tennis Atlantic life on tour player Jean-Yves Aubone, Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds, and Valerie David of Tennis Inside Out to discuss the halfway mark of the 2015 Australian Open on the men’s and women’s side. Watch the crew break down all the action during the first week of the tournament, and analyze the week ahead in Melbourne, including picks for champion on both the men’s and women’s side. Nick Kyrgios, Tim Smyczek, Roger Federer’s loss to Andreas Seppi, Andy Murray, Denis Kudla, Madison Keys, and more were all topics of discussion among our analysts.
Thanks for watching and enjoy the rest of the Australian Open! We’ll be back next with a new panel and a break down of everything AO week 2.
2015 Australian Open Week 2 Women’s Preview, Predictions Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
It has flown by quicker than a jet fighter, but we are already half way through the first grand slam of the year. The main talking point was the early demise of seeded players in the first round. Lucie Safarova, Angelique Kerber, Jelena Jankovic, Carla Suarez Navarro, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sabine Lisicki, Flavia Pennetta, Andrea Petkovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and most shockingly Ana Ivanovic bowed out in the opening round in Melbourne. I suppose ranking doesn’t matter In the WTA.
We have seen a lot of shocks, thrilling matches and drama in the first week, so let’s look back on the action and see is on the horizon for the second week of the Australian Open starting with the bottom half.
It’s been a mixed bag so far from the number two seed. Sharapova cruised through her first round match against Petra Martic, before almost stumbling out to Alexandra Panova. The Russian star had to save 2 match points before overcoming the world 150.
Shaui Peng has made it to the round of 16 without dropping a set thus far, dispatching of Tatjana Maria, Magdalena Rybarikova, and Safarova conqueror, Yaroslava Shvedova. The Chinese number one reached the US Open semi finals last year, and has continued her great grand slam form thus far at the Australian Open.
That said, I don’t feel Peng has the game to beat Maria Sharapova in a grand slam. The match will be on the world number two’s racket, and will come down to how well she plays. I can only see Peng winning of Sharapova has a stinker, and even then it’s not certain with the fighting spirit of the 5 time grand slam champion.
(7)Eugenie Bouchard vs. Irina-Camelia Begu
The grand slam gods keep smiling down on Bouchard, who found herself the only seed left in this section after the opening round. The Canadian hasn’t let the seed collapse affect her game however, as she has been flawless in the opening three rounds. Straight set wins over Ana-Lena Friedslam, Kiki Bertens and Caroline Garcia have allowed the 20 year old to advance to the fourth round.
Begu is the woman who dispatched of ninth seed, Angelique Kerber in the first round and she hasn’t slowed down since. The Romanian hasn’t dropped a set since she upset the German. Begu defeated Katerina Siniakova, and Carina Witthoeft in the 2nd and 3rd round respectively.
It will be Bouchard’s biggest test to date, but with the Canadian’s tendancy to bring her best to the big events, I believe Bouchard should advance to the quarter finals. Begu will offer a big challenge and could upset the 7th seed, but the safe bet is on Bouchard.
Number three seed, Simona Halep has looked good thus far as she continues on her quest for her maiden grand slam title. The Romanian didn’t drop a set as she dispatched Karin Knapp, Jarmila Gajdosova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the opening three rounds.
Yanina Wickmayer has claimed the scalps of two seeded players on her way to her 2nd round 4 appearance at Melbourne. The Belgian dispatched (28) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and (14) Sara Errani in three sets. In between those victories she defeated Lara Arrubarrena in three sets, so she has gotten used to going the distance.
If Halep is serious about winning her first grand slam here, she should dispatch Wickmayer with little trouble. The way things have been going however, we may see yet another upset down under. If I was to predict, I would say Halep in two sets though.
(10)Ekaterina Makarova vs. Julia Goerges
The tenth seed Ekaterina Makarova has been flawless in her opening three matches, winning all of them in straight sets. An-Sophie Mestach was the first victim of the Russian, followed by Roberta Vinci. Then came the much anticipated clash with an in form Karolina Pliskova, which Makarova made look easy, breaking the big serving Czech three times.
The biggest beneficiary of Ana Ivanovic’s exit has been Julia Goerges. The big serving German took advantage of the fifth seed’s exit to make her maiden grand slam fourth round appearance. Goerges took apart youngster Belina Bencic, Klara Koukalova and qualifier Lucie Hradecka on her way to this stage.
Makarova is another one of those players who brings her best to the slams, and this one has been no different thus far. Goerges has performed well in her best slam to date, but I feel this will be in the end of the road for her. Makarova in 2 sets is my prediction.
The world number one hasn’t been as destructive as she has been in the past, but she’s managed to get it done in her first three matches, all with a bagel. Williams dispatched of Alison Van Uytvanck, and Vera Zvonareva in straight sets before coming from a set down to beat young star Elina Svitolina.
In round four she’ll face another young star in Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard has opened her own bakery this year, handing out a bagel in all but one of her matches in 2015. Muguruza defeated Marina Erakovic in straight sets before getting taken all the way by Daniela Hantuchova and the inform Timea Bacsinszky.
This is arguably the most interesting round four match as Muguruza handed Williams her biggest grand slam loss for over a decade last year. Serena will be motivated and looking for revenge, but Garbine has been playing well thus far despite her lapses in concentration. She can’t afford that against Serena, so I expect a tight battle no matter which way it goes.
(11)Dominika Cibulkova vs. Victoria Azarenka
Last year’s finalist didn’t build on her performance last year, but Cibulkova has returned to form in time to try defend her points from 2014. The Slovakian has only dropped one set on her way to the fourth round and that was her opening set of the tournament against Kirsten Flipkens. Since then, Cibulkova has defeated Tsvetana Pironkova and Alize Cornet.
Victoria Azarenka emerged the favourite to make the quarter final after her straight sets win over Caroline Wozniacki in round two. The former two time champion is looking to kick start her 2015 season after struggling last season, and she’s doing it the right way thus far. No sets dropped in her wins over Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki, and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova has shown the Belarusian to be in good form.
Interesting match with potential to go either way. A lot will depend on the form of Cibulkova because she has proven to give anyone a test when playing well. However, Azarenka is always at her best in Melbourne and is in good form, so I feel Vika should make the Quarter Finals.
Madison Keys vs. Madison Brengle
Big hitting American, Madison Keys shocked the tennis world with her straight sets victory over Petra Kvitova in the third round. Before that, she upset the home crowd by beating Australian Casey Dellacqua in three sets in round two and straight setting Lesia Tsurenko in round one.
The other Madison (Brengle) has had an upset of her own as she beat Andrea Petkovic in three sets. The American hasn’t dropped a set since that upset. Brengle defeated countrywomen Irina Falconi and Coco Vandeweghe on her way to the last 16.
The battle of the Madisons is very hard to predict. Keys has the bigger game and usually I would expect her to blast Brengle off the court. The question is how will Keys handle the pressure of being the favourite in the 2nd week of a slam? Any lapses in concentration and Brengle will be waiting to pounce, so interesting to see who makes their maiden grand slam quarter final.
The Pole has been in ominous form, only dropping 9 games en route to the fourth round. Radwanska dropped only three games against Kurumi Nara, one against Johanna Larsson and five against Vavara Lepchenko. In each one of her matches, the sixth seed has delivered a bagel.
Venus Williams was a potential dark horse to win the tournament coming off her Auckland triumph. The 34 year old has reached the last 16 for the first time since 2011, so maybe she’s having one last hurrah. It hasn’t been all easy for Venus however, she was tested my Camila Giorgi in the third round who failed to serve out the match, and that was after straight set wins Maria Theresa Torro-Flo and Lauren Davis.
Both players will be facing their biggest test in the fourth round, and will feel they have a golden opportunity to make the semi finals with Kvitova’s surprise exit. I picked Venus to win this encounter before the tournament, but with Radwanska’s form so far I am now siding towards the Pole. It will be tight, and most likely go the distance no matter which player ends up winning.
Quarters:
Sharapova d. Bouchard in 3 Halep d. Makarova in 3 Muguruza d. Azarenka in 3 Radwanska d. Keys in 2
I am sticking to my original prediction and saying that Sharapova defeats Bouchard in to set up a semi final showdown with Simona Halep. The world number two I feel is too experienced for Bouchard at this stage and I expect something akin to their Roland Garros battle last year.
Makarova is a great grand slam player, but Halep is the better overall player at the moment. The Russian will no doubt test the number three seed and may even get the win, but it’s hard not to back Halep in her undefeated form this year.
Our readers might have gathered I have a lot of faith in Muguruza fulfilling her potential. I am really feeling a big run from her here, especially given how the draw has really opened up for the Spaniard. Azarenka has looked very good thus far, but I still don’t think she’s the Azarenka of old yet, so I will go with my heart and say Muguruza in 3 sets.
Like I mentioned, I am now siding towards Radwanska in her fourth round match against Venus. The Pole is in good form, and she’ll have a deep run here. Keys will blast Brengle off the court, but Radwanska is a few levels above her at the moment. The 6th seed will be too crafty and experienced for the youngster in a straight sets win.
Halep d. Sharapova in 3 Radwanska d. Muguruza in 3
I am will also stick to my guns and say Halep narrowly defeats Sharapova in the semi final. The head to head is massively in favour of the Russian, but I just feel it’s Halep’s time to win her maiden slam. Sharapova puts up a great fight as usual, but ultimately ends up falling in a three set thriller.
Radwanska will make her second grand slam final appearance after defeating a tired Muguruza in the semi finals. The Spaniard may come out all guns blazing, but she is not quite ready for a huge breakthrough yet, so physical and mental fatigue will catch up with her. Radwanska fights back from a set down to defeat Muguruza in three.
Final: Halep d. Radwanska in 2
Like I said, I just feel it is Halep’s time to win a grand slam, and with the exit of Kvitova and potentially Serena Williams, it may have just opened up for her perfectly. Radwanska would have made a tremendous effort to get this far, but I don’t see the Pole going all the way. The Pole leads the head to head, but Halep won comfortably in their last meeting. I expect a tight 2 set victory for Halep in the final, thus claiming her maiden slam title.
Embed from Getty Images
The week before a grand slam is always interesting and unpredictable. It often allows young players, journey women or just your average top 50 player to step up and win a title. The top players ‘tank’ or withdraw to preserve themselves for the upcoming grand slam event, thus making the draw a hell of a lot wider.
However one top player didn’t get the memo.
Petra Kvitova claimed her first title of 2015 by winning the APIA Sydney International.
Leading up to the final, most eyes were on the eventual runner up, Karolina Pliskova. The big hitting and big serving Czech displayed her powerful game throughout the week and showed everyone her enormous potential. However, she ran into someone who was a bit more powerful, more experienced and most importantly, more clutch.
Pliskova was looking good in the opening exchanges, breaking Kvitova in the opening game and having the opportunity to serve out the first set. It wasn’t to be though, as Petra’s big match experience started to kick in. The Wimbledon champion broke back at 5-4 and went on to win the first set in the tiebreaker; Advantage Kvitova. The fans were treated to some incredible points, and some wonderful shot making as the two Czechs exchanged. It was akin to a heavyweight boxing match with the powerful shots going back and fourth, but in the end it was experience that defeated youth. Kvitova won the second set tiebreak on the third time of asking to take the match and the Sydney title along with it.
The world number four has now reached a total of 15 WTA titles in her career, and has bounced back successfully after a disappointing semi-final loss to Timea Bacsinszky in Shenzhen. Kvitova also continued her winning streak over her fellow countrywomen, making it 15 straight wins over Czech players. Her last ‘intra-national’ loss was against Lucie Safarova in 2012 on the clay courts of Madrid. Petra has no doubt re-established her confidence and put herself among the potential winners of the Australian Open next week.
It was Kvitova who reigned supreme, but the champion won’t be the only one making the headlines. Pliskova can be extremely proud of her efforts this week, as she not only made the final, but also established herself as one of the players to look out for this year. The world number 22 may have been fortunate that Simona Halep withdrew from the tournament, but it’s not like it mattered to Pliskova. A double bagel, a golden game, and a straight sets win over Angelique Kerber saw her to the final where she eventually came up short. The Czech began her rise in 2014, where she started as the world number 71. Two titles and three finals later, she managed to climb up to number 22 in the world. Pliskova is no doubt a player to watch at Melbourne and throughout the year.
Sydney didn’t fail to disappoint for yet another year. Bagels, a 3 a.m. finish, seeds dropping out left right and centre, and all the drama you would expect from the WTA. And that is only half of what went on this week. Embed from Getty Images Hobart
The annual pre-Australian Open tournament in Hobart has often thrown up surprise winners, and now you can add Heather Watson to that list.
The Brit claimed her second WTA title with a routine 6-3, 6-4 win over Madison Brengle in the final. Watson was dominant all week, as she didn’t drop her set on her way to the title, and that includes all the seeded players she had to face. The unseeded player defeated (5) Sloane Stephens, (9) Roberta Vinci and (8) Alison Riske en route to the final against qualifier Brengle.
It was a clutch performance from the plucky Brit as she saved 12 out of 14 break points during the match, and held serve in her last 7 service games. Watson became the first British player to win a title since 1988 when she triumphed in Osaka just over 2 years ago, and now she’s added the Hobart title to her achievements. It has been quite a journey for the 22 year old; last year she had to re-climb the rankings after Glandular Fever saw her slip outside the top 100. The Brit can now feel she is back to her best with her victory this week.
“When I won Osaka in 2012, it was more of a surprise, kind of,” Watson stated post match. “But here, I feel like I belong.”
It was also a great week for the finalist, Madison Brengle. She came all the way from qualifying to the final, looking to repeat Muguruza’s run at this event last year. However, unlike the Spaniard, the American fell at the last hurdle. Brengle’s thrilling 6-7(6), 7-5, 7-6(2) victory over former Hobart champion Mona Barthel was one of the highlights of the week. She came back from 4-1 down in the second set and 5-2 down in the third set to win the match.
The Australian Open warm-ups didn’t disappoint, and that leaves us very excited for the first grand slam of the year. Be sure to check out the previews and reviews on Tennis Atlantic.
Well, folks, it’s that time of year again where we start to talk about the biggest little tournament in America. That’s the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs to you and me, to be held for a fifth straight year at Lifetime Fitness and Tennis in Norcross, Georgia from December 20-22.
Today, White Plains announced that Victoria Duval will be ‘highlighting’ the field in Norcross next month. Duval is always a highlight, but the press release seemed to overshadow the three other players ranked higher than Duval who are also committed to the event.
Charleston’s Shelby Rogers (#126), two-time AO Wild Card Playoff Champ Madison Brengle (#150) and Atlanta’s Grace Min (#153) will actually be the top 3 seeds.
Considered common knowledge among USTA insiders (I am not), the usual field for these playoffs involves players ranked from approximately #120 to #160.
Wiliams
If that is any guide, then Rajeev Ram (#127), Rhyne Williams (#130), Wayne Odesnik (#138), Alex Kuznetsov (#141) and Steve Johnson (#157) should all immediately book the $43 Priceline Express Deal for the Atlanta Mariott Norcross, the official hotel of the Wild Card Playoffs. Seriously, if you’re thinking about going too, it’s the Norcross mystery hotel with 3.5 stars and 8+ on the reviews. It’s half the price of the current player rate.
Since the only prize money for this event is awarded by Tennis Australia to the winners once they get to Melbourne to compete in the main draw, the other 14 who participate in Norcross need to save all the money they can to pay their own way Down Under for qualies. Thank me later.
Semifinals Set @USTAProCircuit Tennis Classic of Macon, GA
MACON, Georgia, (October 11, 2013) Ask ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic tournament director Eric Hayes what his favorite day of tournament week is, and you will hear him say, “they all a great, but Friday, when all the quarterfinals are played is special.”
“For many of the players, Friday is the day that determines whether they had a successful week or not,” offers up Hayes. “If they win, in many cases, they earn enough points to significantly boost their ranking.”
Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri is looking to boost her ranking back up to where it was before she injured her ankle back in February. Eikeri was approaching the No. 250 mark in the world rankings when she sustained an injury.
Now, she has put three great matches together in Macon and feels good about her game.
Playing almost flawless tennis, Eikeri took down American and seventh seed Allie Kiick in a little over an hour.
“The first set was perfect,” Eikeri said of the 6-0, 6-3 victory. “I wasn’t making any errors and everything was perfect in that first set.”
Eikeri was happy with the quick victory, that will allow her to spend the rest of Friday resting and recovering.
Eikeri said her confidence has risen since her first round upset over second seeded Michelle Larcher De Brito.
“It has helped my confidence, beating a player like that- it makes me feel like I can beat anyone.”
Eikeri will next face Anna Tatishvili of Georgia, not the state of Georgia, but the Republic of Georgia. Tatishvili, a former world No. 50 took out two-time NCAA singles champ Nicole Gibbs 6-1, 6-3 in a match where Gibbs frequently chided herself for unforced errors.
Tatishvili noticed her opponent Gibbs, get visibly frustrated, but she didn’t let it affect her game.
“I just try to focus on myself and I think it was because her serve was a little off today,” stated the 23-year old from Tbilisli, Georgia.
In the other semifinals, tournament top seed Ajla Tomljanovic jumped on American Julia Boserup quickly, winning the first set 6-2, but she had to hold on in the second, taking it 7-5.
“It was 6-2, 5-2, playing very solidly,” explained Tomljanovic. “But I have to give credit to her, she really stepped it up and made it more difficult for me to miss some shots I shouldn’t have- but that’s tennis.”
Tomljanovic will face American Madison Brengle in her semifinal match. Brengle defeated fellow American Jacqueline Cako of Seattle, Washington.
In doubles semifinals action, Emily Harman and Elizabeth Lumpkin defeated Lauren Embree and Allie Kiick and the other doubles semi went three sets with the team of Kristi Boxx and Abigail Guthrie defeating Boserup and Samantha Crawford.
The two singles semifinals will take place today starting at 11 am.
Tennis Atlantic 