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A Rare Singles Title for @BelindaBencic As She Wins @RedRockTennis

Posted by Admin on November 12, 2018
Posted in: Las Vegas, Red Rock Open, USTA Pro Circuit, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Belinda Bencic Beats Nicole Gibbs To Win Singles Title At Red Rock Pro Open

Muhammad Wins Hometown Event With Sanchez to Take 30th Career Pro Doubles Title

Belinda Bencic, 2018 Red Rock Open

SUMMERLIN, Nev. (Nov. 11, 2018) – Top-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland captured the 10th Annual Red Rock Pro Open singles title on Sunday with a, 7-5, 6-1, victory over Southern Californian Nicole Gibbs in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Red Rock Country Club.

Bencic, who will have her 8 x 10 photo added to the club pro shop’s Wall of Champions, just last month reunited with her father as her lead coach, and Ivan Bencic looked on proudly as Bencic pocketed $12,161 for the win in the USTA Pro Circuit $80,000 tournament. Gibbs takes home $6,487.

Both players will next head to Houston for the season’s final tournament, a WTA $125,000-level event.

“I really enjoyed playing in Las Vegas and the crowds were so great all week,” Bencic said.

In the doubles final, Las Vegas’ Asia Muhammad and Maria Sanchez improved their record to 21-1 on the year as they beat fellow American’s Sophie Chang and Alexandra Mueller, 6-3, 6-4, to win the doubles title. While longtime partners Chang and Mueller end their year, Muhammad and Sanchez will look to end their year on a high note in Houston.

Nicole Gibbs, Mike Copenhaver, Belinda Bencic

Nicole Gibbs, Mike Copenhaver, Belinda Bencic

Gibbs certainly had her chances in the fourth set, but a lapse at the end of the first set led to losing nine points in a row. “I’d give myself a 2 out of 10,” Gibbs said in rating herself. “I played terrible.”

Bencic broke first to take a 3-1 lead, but Gibbs was able to get the break back and then at 4-all broke Bencic’s serve at love to serve for the set. Gibbs fell behind 0-30 on her serve and then double faulted for love-40 and lost the game at love for 5-all. She then preceded to lose the 11th game at love as Bencic got back on serve for 6-5.

Bencic held four set points before Gibbs hit a forehand that clipped the top of the net, came down and hit the net again before falling on Gibbs’ side ending the first set.

Bencic double faulted twice to give Gibbs the opening game of the second set, but then was able to turn up her game and cruise to the victory.

“I didn’t play my best today,” Gibbs said. “She was able to do some things to disrupt my momentum and change the pace and I wasn’t able to make the adjustments quickly enough.”

Gibbs recalled playing at the first Red Rock Pro Open as a 16-year-old junior back in 2009. She made it to the final round of qualifying in the inaugural event losing to Gabriela Paz of Venezuela. “I remember I had a three-hour match with my future Stanford teammate Kristie Ahn and won 7-6 in the third in the first round,” she said.

Muhammad, who reached the doubles quarterfinals of the 2016 US Open, has now won 30 career pro doubles titles, three coming on the WTA Tour and 27 now on the USTA Pro Circuit. She learned to play tennis at the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club in Las Vegas. Sanchez won her 21st doubles title on the USTA Pro Circuit.

Muhammad was the crowd favorite all week and said she enjoys coming back to play her local event each year. “We travel all over the world and see some amazing things, but to come back here and play in front of so many familiar faces is special,” she said.

Tournament director Mike Copenhaver said this was an historic year for the Red Rock Pro Open. “With it being the 10th anniversary, and part of the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Challenge, marquee night matches and our matches televised all week by Tennis Channel, it’s one that was written for the record books!”

—S. Pratt

 

 

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Main Draw Released @ConnecticutOpen, Saturday OOP

Posted by Admin on August 20, 2016
Posted in: Connecticut Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Main Draw Released @ConnecticutOpen, Saturday OOP
Alexandra Mueller, 2012 WTA New Haven Open, (C) TennisEastCoast.com

CONNECTICUT OPEN PRESENTED BY UNITED TECHNOLOGIES – NEW HAVEN, USA
$761,000
21-27 AUGUST 2016

RESULTS – AUGUST 19, 2016

CT Open – Main Draw Singles

Women’s
Qualifying Singles – First Round
Qualifying – C. Witthoeft (GER) d [1] Y. Putintseva (KAZ) 26 64 62
Qualifying – [2] A. Beck (GER) d D. Allertova (CZE) 62 62
Qualifying – L. Tsurenko (UKR) d [3] A. Friedsam (GER) 60 62
Qualifying – [5] A. Sevastova (LAT) d M. Linette (POL) 63 36 63
Qualifying – N. Hibino (JPN) d [6] D. Kovinic (MNE) 64 64
Qualifying – [7] V. Lepchenko (USA) d A. Riske (USA) 62 63
Qualifying – [8] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d A. Sasnovich (BLR) 60 63
Qualifying – A. Kontaveit (EST) d [9] A. Schmiedlova (SVK) 06 63 76(9)
Qualifying – [10] K. Flipkens (BEL) d [WC] D. Hantuchova (SVK) 46 63 61
Qualifying – [11] K. Bondarenko (UKR) d [WC] J. Elbaba (USA) 63 62
Qualifying – S. Cirstea (ROU) d [12] S. Zheng (CHN) 36 63 63
Qualifying – M. Barthel (GER) d [13] Q. Wang (CHN) 61 64
Qualifying – [Alt] E. Rodina (RUS) d T. Pironkova (BUL) 63 60
Qualifying – N. Gibbs (USA) d [WC] E. Hamlin (USA) 60 60
Qualifying – [WC] D. Collins (USA) d S. Voegele (SUI) 63 67(9) 63
Qualifying – K. Kozlova (UKR) d M. Duque-Mariño (COL) 61 62
Qualifying – C. Buyukakcay (TUR) d [WC] S. Kenin (USA) 76(5) 64
Qualifying – L. Chirico (USA) d L. Davis (USA) 60 62
Qualifying – C. Giorgi (ITA) d P. Parmentier (FRA) 62 64
Qualifying – M. Sakkari (GRE) d H. Watson (GBR) 61 63
Qualifying – L. Arruabarrena (ESP) d K. Kucova (SVK) 75 35 Retired
Qualifying – [WC] K. Day (USA) d N. Broady (GBR) 62 63
Qualifying – A. Konjuh (CRO) d V. Golubic (SUI) 75 46 64
Qualifying – J. Larsson (SWE) d N. Osaka (JPN) 62 64

 

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016
GRANDSTAND start 10:00 am
Qualifying – N. Gibbs (USA) vs [11] K. Bondarenko (UKR)
Qualifying – [2] A. Beck (GER) vs [WC] D. Collins (USA)
Qualifying – L. Chirico (USA) vs S. Cirstea (ROU)
Qualifying – J. Larsson (SWE) vs [7] V. Lepchenko (USA)

COURT 1 start 10:00 am
Qualifying – C. Witthoeft (GER) vs [Alt] E. Rodina (RUS)
Qualifying – L. Tsurenko (UKR) vs C. Buyukakcay (TUR)
Qualifying – [WC] K. Day (USA) vs [10] K. Flipkens (BEL)
Qualifying – N. Hibino (JPN) vs A. Konjuh (CRO)

COURT 2 start 10:00 am
Qualifying – K. Kozlova (UKR) vs A. Kontaveit (EST)
Qualifying – [5] A. Sevastova (LAT) vs L. Arruabarrena (ESP)
Qualifying – M. Sakkari (GRE) vs [8] M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO)
Qualifying – M. Barthel (GER) vs C. Giorgi (ITA)

CONNECTICUT OPEN PRESENTED BY UNITED TECHNOLOGIES – NEW HAVEN, USA$761,000
21-27 August 2016

Women’s Singles

First Round
[1] [WC] A. Radwanska (POL) – Bye
[WC] C. Wozniacki (DEN) vs. J. Ostapenko (LAT)
C. Garcia (FRA) vs. I. Begu (ROU)
B. Bencic (SUI) vs. [8] K. Pliskova (CZE)
[5] J. Konta (GBR) vs. Qualifier/Lucky Loser
Qualifier/Lucky Loser vs. [WC] E. Bouchard (CAN)
S. Errani (ITA) vs. E. Makarova (RUS)
Qualifier/Lucky Loser vs. [6] P. Kvitova (CZE)
[10] E. Svitolina (UKR) vs. D. Kasatkina (RUS)
Qualifier/Lucky Loser vs. Qualifier/Lucky Loser
K. Bertens (NED) vs. Qualifier/Lucky Loser
E. Vesnina (RUS) vs. [3] M. Keys (USA)
[7] T. Bacsinszky (SUI) vs. B. Strycova (CZE)
[WC] S. Rogers (USA) vs. K. Mladenovic (FRA)
Qualifier/Lucky Loser vs. Qualifier/Lucky Loser
[2] R. Vinci (ITA) – Bye

Field Set @RedRockTennis @USTAProCircuit Las Vegas

Posted by Admin on September 23, 2015
Posted in: USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Red Rock Pro Open Player Field Announced
Talented Group Includes Former World-Ranked No. 11 Peer,
U.S. Open Main Draw Players, and Former NCAA Singles and Doubles Winner Gibbs

Shelby Rogers (Photo: Craig Glover)

Shelby Rogers (Photo: Craig Glover)

SUMMERLIN (Sept. 22, 2015) – When Shelby Rogers squared off against fellow American Sachia Vickery in the first round of the U.S. Open, it was a match pitting two popular former and current Red Rock Pro Open players.

The 22-year-old South Carolina native Rogers, who won five consecutive matches at the year’s final Grand Slam, including three wins to qualify, beat the wild card Vickery, 6-2, 6-2, and won another round before falling to No. 2-seeded Simona Halep in the third round.

Telling reporters she was “loving every minute of her U.S. Open experience, Rogers said her third-round appearance was, “why we play the sport. That’s why we try to win each match, to get to the further rounds and play the bigger players.”

Las Vegas tennis fans will remember that Rogers made the final here in 2012, losing to Lauren Davis in three sets.

This year’s Red Rock Pro Open, a USTA Women’s $50,000 Pro Circuit tournament with WTA players ranging in the world rankings from No. 100 to No. 275, will include 64 singles players (32 qualifying and 32 main draw), and a 16-team doubles draw.

Former two-time NCAA singles champion Nicole Gibbs is expected to be one of the top seeded players, as will Shahar Peer. The 28-year-old from Israel has been ranked as high as No. 11 in the world, and has been a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in her successful career.

As a sophomore in 2012, Gibbs pulled off a historic sweep of the year’s NCAA singles and doubles titles and became only the third player in NCAA history to capture both NCAA titles in the same season. Gibbs then repeated as NCAA singles champion the following year, before turning pro before her senior year.

“Las Vegas has always hosted a very competitive tournament and this year’s main draw talent showcases a few former Top 50 players including 2011 Las Vegas champ Romina Oprandi and former No. 11 Shahar Peer,” said tournament director Mike Copenhaver. “Nearly half of the main draw competitors this year are young, notable Americans, a site that we all love to see!”

Former Red Rock Pro Open player Anna Tatishvili is also entered in the main draw after a good run at the U.S. Open where she won three rounds in qualifying before shocking No. 8-seeded Karolina Pliskova in the first round, and then lost to 2014 Las Vegas winner Madison Brengle in the second round. Tatishvili reached a career-high ranking of No. 50 in 2012, the same year she reached the fourth round at the U.S. Open

The USTA-trained Louisa Chirico is another one to watch out for. Chirico has risen to the cusp of a top-100 ranking as a teenager. This summer, she defeated Top 25 player Alize Cornet to reach the quarterfinals at the Washington D.C. WTA event.

The 2011 Red Rock Pro Open champion Romina Oprandi was Switzerland is entered, as is the player she beat in the final, American Alexa Glatch. Glatch left Vegas with a first and a second having captured the doubles title with Mashona Washington.

Notable American in qualifying and past Red Rock Pro Open players include: former UCLA star Jennifer Brady, Julie Bosserup and Samantha Crawford, who won the 2012 U.S. Open Junior Girls’ singles title.

Premier sponsors include: Gaudin Jaguar of Las Vegas, Storage One, Sunrise Hospital, Lotus Broadcasting, Cox Communications, WG Communications Group, Rachel’s Kitchen, USTA Nevada, Marquis Aurbach Coffing, Marty Hennessy Foundation, and FedEx.

Support sponsors included: Darren Cahill, Marcy Saxe Realty One, Guild Mortgage Company, Allstate Insurance agent Dwain Frazier, Raymond James agent Dan Jackson, The Massage Advantage, Adidas, Wolf Rifkin, Agent Atleta, and Babolat.

In last year’s singles final, Brengle captured the singles title which launched her into the Top 100 and stirred her confidence to the point where she won her first WTA title to start 2015, and made the fourth round of the Australian Open. Brengle led the Mylan World TeamTennis Washington Kastles to a fifth consecutive summer title back in July, and now finds herself ranked inside the top 40.

It’s not uncommon for past Las Vegas players to go on and have success on the WTA Tour. Last year’s singles winner Madison Brengle is currently ranked No. 42 in the world. Other regulars on the Tour fulltime include Lauren Davis, Sorana Cirstea, Melanie Oudin, Varvara Lepchenko and Coco Vandeweghe.

A free Kid’s Day will take place once again on Sunday, Sept. 27 and will be sponsored by Sunrise Children’s Hospital with a special guest appearance by Brando Christo, the author and creator of the children’s tennis book “Buddy The Ball.”

A sponsor Pro-Am will be held on Monday, and the always popular Players’ Party is Tuesday night.

For ball kid information or to volunteer, go to: redrockproopen.com/volunteer; to sponsor the tournament, go to: redrockproopen.com/sponsors or contact Copenhaver at: mcopenhaver@redrockcc.com. For a complete schedule of events, go to: redrockproopen.com/schedule.

The tournament’s official website is http://www.RedRockProOpen.com. Follow along on Twitter @RedRockTennis and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/redrockproopen.

—Steve Pratt

It’s @Gibbsyyyy over Oudin @USTAProCircuit Carson CA

Posted by Admin on July 20, 2014
Posted in: USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

NICOLE GIBBS DEFEATS MELANIE OUDIN TO CAPTURE USTA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT WOMEN’S $50,000 CLASSIC IN CARSON

Nicole Gibbs Carson

CARSON, July 20, 2014 – Nicole Gibbs moved another step closer to playing in her third consecutive US Open main draw, capturing the USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000 Classic with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Melanie Oudin on Sunday at the USTA Training Center – West at StubHub Center.

Gibbs, 21, is a two-time NCAA singles winner at Stanford and earned wild-card entry into the season’s final Grand Slam the past two years by way of those wins.

With one event remaining in the US Open Wild Card Challenge, Gibbs now leads in the standings with 88 points. She is followed by Julia Boserup (63 points), Oudin (48), Louisa Chirico (44) and Sanaz Marand (30).
The final of the three-event US Open Wild Card Challenge is the Lexington, Ky., $50,000 Challenger to be played this week.

It was a tight battle throughout in the final on Sunday with Gibbs holding a 4-2 lead in the second set, before the sole of her shoe came partially off. Admitting she started to “panic,” Gibbs fell down 4-all, 40-love with Oudin serving. Gibbs then played a solid point, was aided by an untimely Oudin double fault and ultimately broke back to serve for the match.

“Tennis is like that sometimes,” said Gibbs, who won this event last year when it was held in Yakima, Wash. Without a spare pair of tennis shoes, Gibbs contemplated wearing running shoes, but opted for a tape job instead, which seemed to do the trick.

Oudin’s first-round loss in US Open qualifying last year to Elena Baltacha ended a streak of five consecutive main draw appearances at the US Open, which of course included her quarterfinal run there in 2009.
“It’s one tournament,” said Oudin, who did not play in Sacramento last week but will play Lexington, of the US Open. “I’m not worrying about this wild card. It’s the last thing on my mind. If I play well I can qualify on my own. But if I do win this wild card that’s just an added bonus.”

Gibbs Oudin Carson

Gibbs, a nearby Marina Del Rey resident, said she loved playing so close to home. “Just the title of the tournament, ‘Carson $50,000,’ ” she said. “It’s so exciting to be at the place I train and have my community supporting me.”

USTA Player Development Women’s $50,000 Classic
A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Sunday, July 20
USTA Training Center – West at StubHub Center
Carson, Calif.
Purse: $50,000
Surface: Hard-Outdoor

Sunday, July 20 – RESULT
Singles – Final
(2) Nicole Gibbs (USA) def. (4) Melanie Oudin (USA), 6-4, 6-4

—S. Pratt, USTA

Close Matches Rule the Day at USTA Australian Open Women’s Wild Card Playoffs

Posted by Admin on December 20, 2013
Posted in: Atlanta, Australian Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Close Matches Rule the Day at USTA Australian Open Women’s Wild Card Playoffs

Sachia Vickery

Sachia Vickery

Despite the rankings, the matches are remarkably competitive in Norcross, Georgia. And close women’s matches were the rule today at the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs at Lifetime Athletic.

Court 7, which functions as Center Court, saw the first action and a topsy-turvy two set win for Victoria Duval over Maria Sanchez. Duval was able to finish off the match after some aggravation to her left knee. She got huge crowd support, having trained at the facility in the past.

Grace Min

Grace Min

On Court 5, Atlantan Grace Min continued to make the home crowd cheer with an extended 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Nicole Gibbs. Gibbs was argumentative and testy near the end of the match, declining to shake hands with the chair umpire and continuing to argue as she packed her bag and left the court. In an attempt to evade the throng of spectators on her way off court, she slipped through the back curtain, finding herself alongside the food concession employees and the cash register area, to the bemusement of the beer guy.

Shelby Rogers

Shelby Rogers

The most interesting women’s match was likely the Madison Brengle/Sachia Vickery contest. Brengle snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on several occasions, and the poise and point construction by Vickery in the third set booked her a place in tomorrow’s semis.

Top-seeded Shelby Rogers eased past Sanaz Marand 6-4, 6-2. Marand was a last-minute replacement for Julia Cohen. On the dubious honor of being the top seed, Rogers said “We’re all so close in rankings anyway, we all know each other’s games. That’s why you play the matches”.

Rogers, like most others here, are headed Down Under win or lose. Like last year, she’ll travel with a huge contingent of Americans and will land in New Zealand on Christmas morning, 24 hours before Christmas day in the U.S. “An Early Christmas is always a good thing”, Rogers replied. “When we fly, I get the window seat so I can lean on the window and get some sleep.”

RESULTS

Sachia Vickery d. Madison Brengle 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Shelby Rogers d. Sanaz Marand 6-4, 6-2

Grace Min d. Nicole Gibbs 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Victoria Duval d. Maria Sanchez 7-5, 7-5

—-Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast

ButlerCars.Com Tennis Classic of Macon Field Features Depth, Youth

Posted by Admin on October 4, 2013
Posted in: USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

TENNIS CLASSIC OF MACON FIELD FEATURES DEPTH, YOUTH, AND WILDCARDS

Michelle Larcher DeBrito (Photo: Rick Limpert)

Michelle Larcher DeBrito (Photo: Rick Limpert)

MACON, Georgia, (October 3, 2013) The player field has taken shape for the 2013 ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon and Mercer tennis coach and tournament director Eric Hayes couldn’t be more excited.

“I’m blown away,” said Hayes. “From the players that have entered the tournament, to the support of the sponsors and the Macon tennis community, this is going to be a great event.”

Heading the entry list is world No. 85 Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia, Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal, who notched a win over Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon this year, and American Coco Vandeweghe.

CoCo Vandeweghe (Photo: Craig Glover)

CoCo Vandeweghe (Photo: Craig Glover)

There is considerable depth in the event, unlike other 25K events around the world.

“Our initial ranking cut off was around 200,” explained Hayes. “That is unheard of for a USTA 25K event.”

Gibbs

Gibbs

Making up that depth are solid young Americans like former Stanford All-American and NCAA singles champ Nicole Gibbs, former Florida Gator Allie Will, and a pair of promising American juniors in Allie Kiick and Brooke Austin. Austin, of Indianapolis was one of the wildcard recipients.

Other players of note playing in Macon are Anna Tatishvili of Georgia and Sharpsburg, Georgia’s Natalie Pluskota. Tatishvili was ranked 50 in the world about a year ago and Pluskota played her college tennis at Tennesse.

Former University of Alabama player Alexa Guarachi also received a wildcard into the event.

Play begins on Sunday morning at Stratford Academy.

—R. Limpert

2X NCAA Champ @Gibbsyyyy, Girls’ 18s Champ Vickery Among Women’s Wild Cards @USOpen

Posted by Admin on August 14, 2013
Posted in: US Open, US Open Wild Card Playoffs, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TWO-TIME NCAA SINGLES CHAMPION NICOLE GIBBS, USTA GIRLS’ 18s CHAMPION SACHIA VICKERY AMONG US OPEN WOMEN’S WILD CARDS

Former World No. 1 Junior Taylor Townsend, Local teens Louisa Chirico and Jamie Loeb among Qualifying WC Recipients

FLUSHING, N.Y., August 14, 2013 – The USTA announced today that two-time NCAA singles champion Nicole Gibbs, U.S. Fed Cup team member Vania King, rising young Americans Alison Riske, Shelby Rogers and Maria Sanchez and USTA Girls’ 18s national champion Sachia Vickery are among those receiving wild-card entries into the 2013 US Open. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty and France’s Pauline Parmentier also will receive US Open main draw wild cards.

The 2013 US Open will be played August 26-September 9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s singles champions this year will earn $2.6 million, the largest payout in tennis history, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money – for a total $3.6 million potential payout – based on their performances in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.

Nicole Gibbs, 2012 New Haven Open (c)TennisEastCoast.com

Gibbs, 20, of Santa Monica, Calif., won her second consecutive NCAA singles title this year as a junior at Stanford. Gibbs turned pro this summer and won the singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 event in Yakima, Wash., ascending to a career-high rank of No. 166. She is now ranked No. 172.

Vania King

Vania King

King, 24, of Boynton Beach, Fla., has finished in the Top 100 each of the past four years. Once ranked No. 50 in the world, King won her first WTA singles titles as a teenager in Bangkok in 2006 and has represented the U.S. in Fed Cup eight times from 2006 to 2011. This year, she qualified for both the French Open and Wimbledon, reaching the second round at Roland Garros.

Alison Riske, WTA Washington 2012 CitiOpen

Riske, 23, of Pittsburgh, reached the semifinals of the WTA event in Birmingham, England, this summer, where all of her WTA main draw wins had come to that point. Then, after receiving a wild card into the Wimbledon main draw, she reached the third round there and broke into the Top 100 for the first time shortly thereafter. She is now ranked No. 98.

Sanchez, 23, of Modesto, Calif., once was the No. 1-ranked college singles player at the University of Southern California and has been hovering around the Top 100 much of this year. Now ranked No. 113, Sanchez won singles titles at both $75,000 and $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit events in 2012.

Shelby Rogers (Photo: NBC29/Charlottesville)

Rogers, 20, of Charleston, S.C., earned her US Open wild card as the top American points earner at select USTA Pro Circuit hard-court events this summer. Rogers, who earned a USTA wild card into the 2013 French Open the same way and reached the second round at Roland Garros, has won two USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 titles in 2013. She is ranked No. 132.

Vickery, 18, of Hollywood, Fla., received a US Open wild card after winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships singles title. Formerly the No. 6-ranked junior in the world, Vickery is now at a career-high pro ranking of No. 229. She trains at the USTA Player Development Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla.

Barty, 17, of Ipswich, Australia, received a wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will grant an American a wild card into the 2014 Australian Open, to be determined by a USTA playoff. (Madison Keys was the 2013 winner.) The 2011 Wimbledon girls’ singles champion, Barty was a women’s doubles finalist at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open this year.

Parmentier, 27, of Paris, France, received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which awarded a wild card into the 2013 French Open to an American player designated by the USTA. (Shelby Rogers won the USTA Pro Circuit event-based system this year.) A former Top 40 player, Parmentier reached the third round of the 2012 US Open and has been in the Top 100 for most of 2013.

In addition to the eight US Open women’s singles main draw wild cards, the USTA also announced eight women who have been awarded wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 20-23 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. One additional US Open qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the 2013 US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, taking place August 16-19 in New Haven, Conn.

Louisa Chirico

Louisa Chirico

Players receiving 2013 US Open qualifying wild cards are: Jan Abaza (18, Deerfield Beach, Fla.), who has won two pro doubles titles in 2013; Brooke Austin (17, Indianapolis, Ind.), a USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships semifinalist; local teenager Louisa Chirico (17, Harrison, N.Y.), who reached the girls’ singles semifinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year; Victoria Duval (18, Delray Beach, Fla.), the 2012 USTA Girls’ 18s national champion; Allie Kiick (18, Plantation, Fla.), this USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships singles runner-up and doubles champion each of the last two years; local teenager Jamie Loeb (18, Ossining, N.Y.), a 2013 Wimbledon junior singles quarterfinalist; Brianna Morgan (19, Beverly Hills, Calif.), a freshman at Florida this year who won her first pro singles title in June; and Taylor Townsend (17, Chicago), who made history in 2012 as the first American girl in 30 years to hold the year-end No. 1 world junior ranking.

The 2013 US Open will be held Monday, Aug. 26, through Monday, Sept. 9. Tickets for the 2013 US Open can be purchased four ways: 1) at USOpen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office.

Cronin Picking Stanford’s Gibbs and Burdette to Win First Round US Open Matches Today

Posted by Admin on August 27, 2012
Posted in: New Haven Open, US Open, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

No pressure for NCAA Champions Nicole Gibbs and Mallory Burdette this morning. Just don’t look at the US Open website, where Matt Cronin has picked them to win today as they play back to back on Court 6.

“Stanford teammates Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs both have winnable matches, and I see Burdette taking out Timea Bacsinszky and Gibbs upending Alize Cornet.”, Cronin crowed on USOpen.org. According to Cronin’s picks, the Stanford Cardinal duo will go deeper in the Open than fellow Americans Jamie Hampton, Sam Crawford, Denis Kudla, Michael Russell or Jack Sock.

Burdette and Gibbs both stand a decent chance to advance. I’d love to see them both triumph in the first round but it would be good to have at least one advance. I’m picking that one will be Nicole Gibbs.

Gibbs confidence level is sky-high compared to watching a year ago. Notching her first WTA main draw win coupled with a prime-time match against World #2 Petra Kvitova in New Haven last week gives her a finishing crash-course few players of her ranking are offered.  She faces Alize Cornet. Though Burdette didn’t have the same dream warm-up opportunity as Gibbs, she does have a weaker opponent in Timea Bacsinszky, who is most remembered by me for being twice carted away in tears.

Here’s my interview with Gibbs last week in New Haven after her first WTA win.

–S. Fogleman

NCAA Champion Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) Faces Big US Open Warm Up vs. Petra Kvitova Tonight

Posted by Admin on August 22, 2012
Posted in: New Haven Open, New York, US Open, USTA, WTA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment


NCAA Champion Nicole Gibbs already has a wild card to the main draw at Flushing Meadows next week, thanks to her stellar season at Stanford. The best way to warm up for a Slam is to win in a WTA main draw. She did just that on Monday against Alexa Glatch. As a result of that debut main draw win, she’s earned the right to face 2011 Wimbledon Champion and world #5 Petra Kvitova tonight under the lights of Stadium Court at New Haven for a place in the quarterfinals.

I spoke with her on Monday about the Open, the NCAA rule change proposals, her decision to stay in school and what keeps her motivated. I’d tell you what she said, but you’ll have to watch the video as I am horribly late for the ITF matches in College Park, Maryland this morning. Let’s just say that the NCAA protest movement has found its new leader!