usta pro circuit

All posts tagged usta pro circuit

Top Seeds Advance at @Cville_USTA Boar’s Head Women’s Open

Posted by Admin on April 24, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Charlottesville, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Top Seeds Advance at Boar’s Head Women’s Open
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Charlottesville is free tennis. So I couldn’t say “free tennis!” today when all four of the opening matches of the day went the distance to three sets. Caty McNally messed with Francesca DiLorenzo’s mind today. The French and US Open junior doubles champion showed major league poise after a strong first set and getting bageled in the second. In a 15 minute game to open the third ser, Di Lorenzo held serve and I was certain that she would win the match. That’s why I don’t bet on tennis. McNally held serve and waited for DiLorenzo to make the errors. McNally is on to the next round to face Sesil Karatantcheva.

Caty McNally, 2019 Boar's Head Women's Open (Photo Credit: Christopher Levy)

Caty McNally (Photo Credit: Christopher Levy)

Louisa Chirico posted a serious comeback win today: Down 2-5 and a set, she forced a second set tiebreak before cruising through, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 over wild card Natasha Subhash, who hadn’t played a match on clay in nearly seven months. Next up for Chirico is a date with 2018 finalist Anhelina Kalinina, a 6-2, 6-4 victor over Erin Routliffe.

Taylor Townsend was the late wild card and top seed and she delivered, besting Sanaz Marand 7-5, 6-1. Townsend and Caroline Dolehide will face off in a second round show of American firepower tomorrow.

Lucie Hradecka, with her protected ranking, didn’t look like much on paper coming into this event. After today’s 6-0, 6-1 drubbing of Australia’s Kim Birrell, she looks like a favorite to win this whole thing. But like I said, I don’t bet on tennis, so don’t blame me.

Advertisement

Qualifiers Set and Main Draw Underway @Cville_USTA Charlottesville

Posted by Admin on April 23, 2019
Posted in: Boyd Tinsley Classic, Charlottesville, ITF, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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.

Zoe Hives, 2019 Boar's Head Women's Tennis OpenSesil Karatantcheva, 2019 Boar's Head Women's Tennis Open

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.

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

 

 

Nara Rocks @RedRockTennis Open by Knocking Out Defending Champ Lepchenko

Posted by Admin on November 7, 2018
Posted in: Red Rock Open, USTA Pro Circuit, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Japan’s Nara Upsets Former Red Rock Pro Open Champion Singles Champion Lepchenko In First Round

Kurumi Nara, 2018 Red Rock Open

SUMMERLIN, Nev. (Nov. 6, 2018) – Former champion Varvara Lepchenko proved just how tough winning back-to-back titles on the USTA Pro Circuit can be on Tuesday during first-round action at the Red Rock Pro Open.

The 32-year-old No. 4-seeded Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa., who won this $80,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in 2010, looked shaky in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to unseeded Kurumi Nara of Japan in a match televised on Tennis Channel. The former WTA world-ranked No. 19 Lepchenko was coming off a win just nine days ago at the Mercer Tennis Classic in Macon, Ga., where she did not drop a set en route to her first singles title since 2011 and landing in first place in the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.

 

Red Rock Open

Currently ranked No. 129 in the world, Lepchenko has been a fixture on the WTA for the past several years having reached the fourth rounds of both the US Open in 2015 and French Open in 2012.

Nara, who plays for Japan’s Fed Cup team, has won one WTA singles title and five others on the ITF Circuit during her career. She reached her career-high of No. 32 in the world in singles in 2014.

In the night match pitting two well-known American players, former Red Rock Pro Open champion Lauren Davis (2012) beat wild card Kayla Day, 6-4, 6-2.

Two former USC stars had to come back after losing the first set, but both prevailed in the final round of qualifying to make it into the main draw. Former Red Rock Pro Open doubles champion Maria Sanchez, who graduated from USC in 2011 and is originally from Modesto, Calif., beat former University of North Carolina player Sanaz Marand, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-1, in a match that lasted 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Giuliana Olmos of Mexico, also a former Trojan, came back to beat 17-year-old USTA wild card Alycia Parks, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. “She was really good but went for a lot on her shots and was playing really aggressive,” Olmos said. “I knew I had to take my time and be patient and my experience helped me get through it.”

Also moving onto the main draw was 32-year-old Jennifer Elie from Brooklyn, N.Y., who beat Beatrice Gumulya, 6-2, 6-2. Elie dropped just 10 games in total during her three matches since Sunday. In another All-American matchup for a spot in the main draw, Hanna Chang beat former University of Virginia star Julia Elbaba, 6-1, 6-3.

Later in the day, Sanchez teamed with Las Vegas resident Asia Muhammad to win their first-round doubles match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Gumulya and Jessy Rompies, who are both from Indonesia. Muhammad and Sanchez are now 18-1 on the year in doubles. Muhammad opens up singles play on Wednesday in the first match on Stadium Court at 10 a.m. when she faces the qualifier Chang. Muhammad is the older sister of former NBA player Shabazz Muhammad, who began this season playing for the Milwaukee Bucks but was waived last month and is now playing in China. The former UCLA star was named Mr. Basketball USA and Naismith Prep Player of the Year in his senior year prepping at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.

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

About the USTA Pro Circuit

With more than 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. Follow the USTA Pro Circuit at #USTAProCircuit and www.procircuit.usta.com.

—S. Pratt

Big Finish Ahead at @CMPChallenger as @TommyPaul1 and @PPolansky Face Off in Final

Posted by Admin on November 3, 2018
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Charlottesville, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Tommy Paul, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Tommy Paul, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Big Finish Ahead at @CMPChallenger as @TommyPaul1 and @PPolansky Face Off in Final

Though nothing was more exciting than a Federer-Djokovic semifinal in Paris, there was some impressive tennis on display in North America, and fittingly, there’ll be a Canadian-American final on Sunday.

Peter Polansky was a finalist at the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Tennis Challenger in 2013, and five years later, he looks to do it again. The Canadian eased past fan favorite Thai-Son Kwiatkowski in straight sets today, 6-2, 7-6(4), to advance to tomorrow’s final against Tommy Paul.

Peter Polansky, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Peter Polansky, 2018 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Post-match, Polansky opined about facing Paul in the final. “I think it would be (fun)”, he said. “He’s a very animated guy and has a lot of passion out there and personality. I’ve played doubles with him in only one tournament (Columbus) but we won it, so we had a good time there.”

Tommy Paul is a giant slayer and the lucky loser’s reputation to pull off the upset continued in Charlottesville today as he overpowered top seed Bradley Klahn, 6-3, 6-4 in a little over an hour after knocking out 3 seed Ivo Karlovic last night. Paul is now 9-2 in his last 11 matches on hardcourts, and the 2015 Charlottesville finalist finds himself in his first final of the season. “It should be fun and we’ll make it competitive, for sure,” he said of playing Peter Polansky for the first time. “It’s going to be a good match and a lot of fun to watch.”

—S. Fogleman

Make it Eight Straight Sets for @MaryDuqueMarino as she advances to @TinsleyClassic Final in Charlottesville

Posted by Admin on April 28, 2018
Posted in: Boyd Tinsley Classic, Charlottesville, University of Virginia, Virginia, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Make it Eight Straight Sets for Duque-Marino as she advances to TinsleyClassic Final in Charlottesville

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mariana Duque-Marino made it four straight matches without dropping a set at the 2018 Boyd Tinsley Women’s Clay Court Classic in Charlottesville, Virginia with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over American Jennifer Brady. Both players came out tentatively, and Duque-Marino even gave up a break on a

double-fault before settling down to take the first set and the match.  “I think I did a lot of double faults because she was pressuring me with her forehand,” she told me after the match. “So if I didn’t put the first serve on the court, I would have to run–a lot. That’s why I was trying to force the second serve a little bit,” she continued. “My forehand was very good and with my slice, very happy today.”

Boyd Tinsley Women's Clay Court Classic Trophy

Boyd Tinsley Women’s Clay Court Classic Trophy

Duque-Marino will put her 8 set win streak on the line tomorrow against either Taylor Townsend or Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine. Townsend beat Duque-Marino in 3 sets last week in the Dothan final. I pointed out the Boar’s Head trophy, which stood nearby and asked if she’d like to take the glass and metal violin trophy home with her tomorrow.

“It’s different. I never had one of those ones, but tomorrow I hope to play the same like the matches before.” she said with a smile.

—S. Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

From 32 to 8, Charlottesville’s @TinsleyClassic on Track for Exciting Weekend Finish

Posted by Admin on April 27, 2018
Posted in: Charlottesville, ITF, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit, Virginia, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When the weather cooperates, the Boyd Tinsley Women’s Tennis Classic in Charlottesville, VA, is one of the best tennis experiences in the world. I’ve been through monsoons here and I’ve been through beautiful spring days. And Thursday was a beautiful day on the Har-Tru at the Boar’s Head Sports Resort. 16 first round matches and 8 second round matches were on order due to Wednesday’s rainout. It was perfect for the fans and for the dogs. I saw more dogs today at a tournament than I have ever seen before. It’s called “growing the sport.”

Conditions were a little doggy for the players in the early going. For the first players on the courts on Thursday, the surface played very slow. After Allie Kiick beat Louisa Chirico before 11 a.m., she told me that “we were both hitting” dropshots and that “for two whole games, we had nothing but dropshots.”

Jen Brady and Allie Kiick needed three sets to open the day, with both staging comeback wins over Irina Falconi and Louisa Chirico respectively. In the 2nd round, it was all Jen Brady from the start and she advanced to a quarterfinal match today against Katerina Stewart.

Camilla Rosatello needed little time to dispatch Olga Ianchuk, who immediately went behind the court and sobbed into a phone call after the match. Cheer up, Olga! Mariana Duque-Marino spoiled my debut of Iga Swiatek 7-6(3), 6-3, and in the nightcap, Duque-Marino proved the tougher competitor in  a 6-2, 6-3 sweep of Rosatello. She’ll face the plucky Grace Min today for a spot in the semis.
As for Min, she beat an error-prone Jamie Loeb yesterday morning before taking out Sophie Chang in the nightcap. Chang continued to impress since Charleston with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Victoria Duval earlier in the day.

Top seed Madison Brengle looked out of form, in all of her talking to herself idiosyncratic ways and plaintively looking at her mother in the stands all day. She wasted little time taking out American Maria Sanchez in straights in the first round and then completely fell apart in the round of 16, losing 6-2, 6-1 to Mari Osaka. Osaka plays Anhelina Kalinina later today.

Speaking of dogs: Ashley Kratzer celebrated with her dog, Koa, after a win over Lizette Cabrera in the morning. In late afternoon, she faced Sesil Karatantcheva. That’s when Krasher’s real dog days began. Karantantcheva advanced to play Taylor Townsend, 6-2, 7-6(5).

And then there’s Taylor Townsend. Inching ever closer to the Roland Garros Wild Card, she made another big step forward yesterday to make the quarters at this $80,000.00 event. The window is closing on other Americans to step up and make it a race. With Brady, Stewart and Min the only other Americans still standing at Charlottesville, a semis showing here should nearly wrap it up for Townsend. She showed yesterday that she is heads above the talent field at this level and it’s good to see her succeed.

—S. Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

 

Newly Minted Pro @Chris_Eubanks96 Back to Winning Ways at 2017 Charlottesville Challenger

Posted by Admin on October 31, 2017
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Charlottesville, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Chris Eubanks, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Chris Eubanks, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Newly Minted Pro Chris Eubanks Back to Winning Ways at 2017 Charlottesville Challenger
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

(Charlottesville, VA–October 31) Eight days ago, Chris Eubanks announced that he would give up his final season of eligibility at Georgia Tech to turn pro. Not much else has changed for Eubanks in that time, as the 2016 Charlottesville semifinalist simply returned to his winning ways here in a tight two-set victory over Canadian Samuel Monette, 7-6(9), 6-4. He had plenty of praise for his opponent after notching pro victory Numero Uno.

“I knew that (Monette) going in, it was going to be a grind to play him. He fights as good as anybody out there. He makes you play,” he said of the young Canadian. “I had a very slow start and my legs weren’t working. I don’t know what it was, but luckily after I got a couple of holds I kind of found my legs,” he continued.

As is so often the case, the long tiebreak would prove momentous in this match as well. “The breaker was a battle, a really big momentum shifter,” Eubanks said. “Whoever got that breaker was going to have a little extra juice and I was fortunate to save a couple of set points and come out on top of the breaker and give me some momentum.”

Eubanks gained that momentum and served first in the second set.

Like most players, Eubanks refuses to use numerical rankings toward his near and short-term goals. “Just to be be better every day,” he said. “I don’t want to put certain numbers or quantitative benchmarks on it. I just want to continue to progress and say ‘Hey, I think I’m a better player than I was two months ago’. When the end of December comes and I can say that I’m a much better player than I am right at this moment, then I think I had a successful year.”

You know you’ve got a Georgia Tech engineer on your hands when “quantitative benchmarks” come up at a tennis court. Eubanks will face Next Gen contender Michael Mmoh in Round 2.

Danny Thomas on Life as a Pro: “There’s Something I Can Learn From All Of Them” #USTennis

Posted by Admin on October 30, 2017
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, ATP Qualifying, Charlottesville, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Danny Thomas, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Danny Thomas, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Danny Thomas on Life as a Pro: “There’s Something I Can Learn From All Of Them”
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

(Charlottesville, VA–October 30)–Danny Thomas lost in two sets to Britain’s Neil Pauffley in ATP Charlottesville Challenger second round qualifying yesterday, but he was in very good spirits after the match and wanted to talk. I guess 17-year-olds have more maturity than we think, and I give Thomas a lot of credit for not pouting off to the locker room like a 34-year-old (Frederik Nielsen, are you listening?). After reaching the Wimbledon Juniors Doubles Final in July, Thomas followed that up with a US National U18 Doubles Championship with Vasil Kirkov in August. That title also nabbed a US Open wildcard berth for the duo. Thomas promptly turned pro after the US Open.

Welcome to the bigs, kid.

I asked him what’s changed since the US Open appearance. “I think I’ve been playing with a lot more confidence,” he said. “Now, I’m obviously starting to play more futures and challengers. I think it was a real big boost for my game. It really helped me out mentally and I started believing in myself a lot more,” he told me.

But confidence aside, isn’t the level of competition a big step up?

“Yes, it’s rough,” Thomas told me. “You play guys that’ve been out here for a while and have a whole lot more experience. You know they’re coming out and don’t want to lose to a younger guy. So it’s tough, but I think once I get my rhythm and start playing more, I feel like I can do pretty well,” he said.

“I mean, these guys are just more consistent, they hit a bigger ball with a pattern, they’re much more disciplined, and there’s something I can learn from all of them,” he added.

Danny Thomas and Denis Kudla, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Danny Thomas and Denis Kudla, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Having signed with Lagardere only a month after the US Open, Thomas has gone all in. I’m hoping this means we can expect him to grab a wild card at Washington’s Citi Open, which is owned by the management and marketing representation firm. In the spirit of all things Lagardere, Thomas has teamed up with DC’s Denis Kudla for doubles in Charlottesville this week. Kudla was an early sign with Lagardere when he turned pro at 18 in 2010 before eventually rolling out with Sam Duvall and Topnotch Management last year. (Tip o’ the pen to @Parsa_Nemati for that fact check!)

Viva Las Vegas: American @StefanKozlov Nabs Sin City Title

Posted by Admin on October 23, 2017
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Las Vegas, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Stefan Kozlov Beats Liam Broady To Win Las Vegas Tennis Open ATP Tour Challenger Championship

Stefan Kozlov (Photo: Penelope Eischer)

Stefan Kozlov (Photo: Penelope Eischer)

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 22, 2017) – It took a patient Stefan Kozlov a set and a few games to adjust to lefty Liam Broady’s crafty game, but once he did he was able to secure his second career $50,000 pro title by winning the ATP Tour Challenger Las Vegas Tennis Open on Sunday, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

“We both just put it on the line today and it was 50-50,” the 19-year-old Kozlov told the appreciative Las Vegas crowd during the trophy presentation at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the campus of UNLV. “We were both left gasping for air and it wasn’t easy. It could have gone either way today. I was very impressed with Liam’s sportsmanship today.”

Kozlov seemed to pick up his game down a set and an early break in the second set. He broke serve for 3-all and then hit several nice finesse shots, to earn a hold at 4-3, pumping his fist and getting the crowd fired up after each point.

“I haven’t had the best last couple of months, a lot of ups and downs,” said Kozlov, who earned $7,200 with the win. “For all the downs, you have to kind of look for the ups and today I had to dig deep for my up.”
image003

Broady received treatment from the tournament trainer for some late-match cramping right after the match and before the awards ceremony, laying on a towel. He told the crowd a few minutes later that he “left it all out there, and sometimes you pay the price.”

Broady was playing in Las Vegas for his third time and received $4,240. He was watched all week by his coach David Sammel. “Obviously Kozlov has so much experience in these big matches,” he said. “Maybe I wasn’t aggressive at the right times of the match, and Koz has such good defense.”

It will be 20 years next month that Kozlov’s favorite player and Las Vegas resident Andre Agassi returned to tennis at age 27 ranked No. 141 in the world and made the final of a similar USTA Pro Circuit $50,000 Challenger in his first tournament back. On these same UNLV courts Agassi began his inspiring journey to regaining the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Like Agassi, Kozlov was a young prodigy who made his ATP World Tour debut as a wild card in Newport at the age of 15. He reached two junior Grand Slam finals in 2014, the Australian Open (lost to current world No. 5-ranked Alexander Zverev) and Wimbledon.

In the doubles final, the top-seeded team of Brydan Klein and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain beat the No. 3-seeded team of Hans Hach Verdugo of Mexico and American Dennis Novikov, 6-3, 4-6, 10-3. Tied 3-all in the super tiebreaker after splitting sets, Klein-Salisbury rallied off seven straight points for the win. Having played together for the past six month, Klein and Salisbury split $3,100. Both Hoch Verdugo (Abilene Christian) and Novikov (UCLA) each played college tennis and were playing for the first time together. They split $1,800.

“It was an amazing week of tennis at the Fertitta Tennis Complex,” said tournament host Owen Hambrook, the head UNLV men’s tennis coach. “This event keeps growing each year and it’s become one of the favorite stops for the players on the ATP Challenger tour. It was great to see a bunch of our up and coming American player do well this week, and we know we’ll be seeing them at the bigger ATP events in the future. Without the support of the amazing Las Vegas tennis community, this event wouldn’t be possible.”

FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Singles – Finals
[4] Stefan Kozlov (USA) def. Liam Broady (GBR), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Men’s Doubles – Finals
[1] Brydan Klein (GBR) / Joe Salisbury (GBR) def. [3] Hans Hach Verdugo (MEX) / Dennis Novikov (USA), 6-3, 4-6, 10-3