| Muhammed Edges Murphy in Acura Opportunity Final
San Diego, Calif. – Sixteen-year-old Asia Muhammed of Las Vegas defeated top-seeded Emma Murphy, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, on Sunday, July 22 to win the Acura Classic Opportunity Tournament at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club.
As the winner of the final Opportunity Tournament, Muhammed earned a wildcard for the qualifying draw of the 2007 Acura Classic, which begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 28 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
After splitting the first two sets, Muhammed, one of nation’s top junior players, took a 5-2 lead in the third set. Murphy, a former collegiate tennis star at nearby University of San Diego, served to stay in the match and fought off three match points before holding serve.
However, Muhammed, who was seeded second, served out the match in the next game as she blasted an ace to end the match, which took 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Muhammed, who trains at the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club in Las Vegas, won the first pro singles title of her career last month at the Houston Pro Tennis Classic, a $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event. She had reached the main draw as a qualifier.
The talented teenager, who has been playing tennis since she was eight, has a Sony Ericcson WTA Tour ranking of 746. She has consistently been ranked in the top five of the USTA girls’ rankings since 2003.
Earlier this year, Muhammed swept the singles and doubles titles at the USTA National Open Championships in Waco, Texas and reached the semifinals of a $10,000 USTA Circuit event in El Paso, Texas.
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Hannah Holladay def. Whitney Wells |
7-5, 6-4 |
| Zoe Scandalis def. Leanne Milliken |
6-1, 6-0 |
| Sherlyn Brown def. Jane Glasson |
6-3, 6-1 |
| Naseem Eslami def. Lina Xu |
6-3, 6-1 |
| Julie Chao def. Lacey |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Stephanie Hoffpauir def. Margie Ann Milliken |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Maryam Eslami def. Jordyn Bounds |
6-1, 6-4 |
| Sarah Fansler def. Amanda Martin |
6-2, 6-0 |
| Shabnam Eslami def. Darby McGill |
6-1, 6-3 |
| Remi Martin def. Tanui Dudheli |
6-3, 2-6, 6-3 |
| Christina Tan def. Maggie Mello |
6-0, 6-0 |
| Jazmin Ortiz def. Izzy Richardson |
6-1, 6-1 |
| Amelia Herring def. Adriana Moedano |
6-0, 6-0 |
| Rika Tatsuno def. Donna Ehlers |
6-1, 6-0 |
| |
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| Emma Murphy (1) def. Hannah Holladay |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Zoe Scandalis def. Jessica Leitch |
6-3, 6-4 |
| Chisako Sugiyama def. Sherlyn Brown |
default |
| Sophia Bursulaya def. Naseem Eslami |
walkover |
| Julie Chao def. Hilary Barte |
default |
| Maryam Eslami def. Stephanie Hoffpauir |
1-6, 2-1, (Ret.) |
| Sarah Fansler def. Micaela Hein (6), |
7-5, 6-2 |
| Lorena Martin def. Whitney Peterson |
7-6 (5), 6-4 |
| Shabnam Eslami def. Christine Dao |
default |
| Ariana Colffer (5) def. Remi Martin |
6-2, 6-4 |
| Christina Tan def. Maria Malec |
6-1, 6-3 |
| Jazmin Ortiz def. Coco Vandeweghe |
default |
| Amelia Herring def. Tania Mahtani |
default |
| Sarah Svoboda def. Martina Nejedly |
default |
| Kristen Strimple def. Samantha Smith |
default |
| Asia Muhammed (2) def. Rika Tatsuno |
6-1, 6-2 |
| |
|
| THIRD ROUND |
|
| Emma Murphy (1) def. Zoe Scandalis |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Chisako Sugiyama (7) def. Sophia Bursulaya |
6-1, 6-4 |
| Julie Chao def. Maryam Eslami |
6-2, 7-6 (5) |
| Sarah Fansler def. Lorena Martin |
6-1, 6-0 |
| Ariana Colffer (5) def. Shabnam Eslami |
6-2, 6-1 |
| Christina Tan def. Jazmin Ortiz |
6-2, 6-1 |
| Amelia Herring def. Sarah Svoboda |
6-0, 6-3 |
| Asia Muhammed (2) def. Kristen Strimple |
6-2, 6-0 |
| |
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
Emma Murphy (1) def. Chisako Sugiyama (7)
|
6-1, 3-6, 6-1 |
| Sarah Fansler def. Julie Chao |
6-0, 6-0 |
| Ariana Colffer (5) def. Christina Tan |
6-1, 6-4 |
| Asia Muhammed (2) def. Amelia Herring |
6-4, 6-0 |
| |
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
Emma Murphy (1) def. Sarah Fansler,
|
6-0, 6-2 |
| Asia Muhammed (2) def. Ariana Colffer (5) |
6-0, 6-2 |
| |
|
| FINALS |
|
| Asia Muhammed (2) def. Emma Murphy (1) |
6-3, 3-6, 6-3 |
| |
Vandeweghe Overpowers Bartelt in San Clemente
San Clemente, Calif. - Fifteen-year-old Coco Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe defeated sixth-seeded Page Bartelt, 6-2, 6-2, to win the Acura Classic Opportunity Tournament at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis Club and secure a wild card into the qualifying draw of the 2007 Acura Classic.
Two years ago, when Vandeweghe was 13, she faced Bartelt in the first round of the Acura Classic Opportunity Tournament in San Diego and dropped a 6-1, 6-2 decision.
”Page is a very good player,” Vandeweghe said. “I served well and I was on my returns, making them and I played well.”
Last year Vandeweghe lost in all three Acura Classic Opportunity Tournaments, but later received a wild card into the Acura Classic main draw where she lost to Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round in straight sets.
This year Vandeweghe, who can hit serves in the 120 mph range, is ready for the challenge of playing in the qualifying event of a Tier I tournament. “My game has matured and I’ve gotten in better shape and I’m a whole year older, so hopefully that will help,” she said.
”I want to get into the main draw, that would be good,” she added. “Winning a match would be good also. I’m really happy to just get in. I earned it this time.”
Vandeweghe will play her first-round qualifying match on Saturday, July 28 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
The San Clemente Acura Classic Opportunity Tournament was the second of three Acura Classic Opportunity Tournaments scheduled.
The third and final Opportunity event will be held at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club, July 18-22. The winner will be given a wild card into the qualifying draw of the 2007 Acura Classic.
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Samantha Smith def. Lina Xu |
6-2, 6-2 |
| Maria Malec def. Adriana Moedano |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Lorena Martin def. Lyndsay Kinstler |
default |
| Jazmine Ortiz def. Meghan Ehlers |
7-5, 6-0 |
| (All others received 1st Round byes) |
|
| |
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| Emma Murphy (1) def. Carmen Seremeta |
6-1, 3-0 (Ret.) |
| Samantha Smith def. Christina Tan |
6-0, 6-0 |
| Cierra Gaytan-Leach (8) def. Hannah Holladay |
6-2, 6-4 |
| April Bisharat def. Jessica Leitch |
6-3, 6-1 |
| Thien-Trang Nguyen (4) def. Margie Anne Milliken |
6-0, 6-1 |
| Laila Abdala def. Maria Malec |
6-1, 6-1 |
| Page Bartelt (6) def. Michelle Murphy |
6-0, 6-2 |
| Amanda Martin def. Lorena Martin |
1-6, 7-6 (7), def. |
| Martina Nejedly def. Julie Chao |
6-3, 6-4 |
| Arianna Colffer (7) def. Tania Mahtani |
6-3, 6-4 |
| Stephanie Hoffpauir def. Christine Dao, |
6-1, 6-1 |
| Coco Vandeweghe (3) def. Sherlyn Brown |
default |
| Amelia Herring def. Tanvi Dudhela |
6-0, 6-2 |
| Allison Bradshaw (5) def. Micaela Hein |
4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1 |
| Maggie Mello def. Jazmine Ortiz |
6-2, 6-2 |
| Stacey Tan (2) def. Whitney Wells |
6-2, 6-0 |
| |
|
| ROUND OF 16 |
|
| Emma Murphy (1) def. Samantha Smith, |
6-1, 6-1 |
| April Bisharat def. Cierra Gaytan-Leach (8) |
6-4, 7-6 (3) |
| Thien-Trang Nguyen (4) def. Laila Abdala |
2-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| Page Bartelt (6) def. Amanda Martin, |
6-0, 6-0 |
| Martina Nejedly def. Arianna Colffer (7) |
6-2, 6-1 |
| Coco Vandeweghe (3) def. Stephanie Hoffpauir |
6-1, 6-0 |
| Allison Bradshaw (5) def. Amelia Herring |
6-3, 6-4 |
| Stacey Tan (2) def. Maggie Mello |
6-2, 6-1 |
| |
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
April Bisharat def. Emma Murphy (1)
|
6-3, 1-6, 6-3 |
| Page Bartelt (6) def. Thien-Trang Nguyen (4) |
1-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
| Coco Vandeweghe (3) def. Martina Nejedly |
6-3, 6-2 |
| Allison Bradshaw (5) def. Stacey Tan (2) |
6-3, 6-2 |
| |
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
Page Bartelt (6) def. April Bisharat
|
6-2, 6-1 |
| Coco Vandeweghe (3) def. Allison Bradshaw (5) |
6-1, 4-6, 6-2 |
| |
|
| FINALS |
|
| Coco Vandeweghe (3) def. Page Bartelt (6) |
6-2, 6-2 |
| |
|
Augustine Earns Acura Classic Qualifying Wildcard
Pacific Palisades, Calif. - If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. After losing in the semifinals of last year’s Acura Classic Opportunity tournament at the Riviera Tennis Club, 15-year-old Brittany Augustine came back this year and defeated top-seeded Maureen Diaz, 6-4, 6-2 in the finals on June 30 to win the tournament.
With the victory, Augustine earns a wildcard into the qualifying draw of the 2007 Acura Classic, which begins on Saturday, July 28 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
“It felt wonderful to win the tournament,” Augustine said after the final. “It’s nice to see the hard work pay off.”
Augustine said the key to her victory over Diaz, who played collegiate tennis at USC, was getting to the net. “I love to come to net and be an all-court player,” she said.
Even though she has only been playing tennis since 2000, Augustine has high aspirations. “For now, my goal is to turn pro. It’s a great start to win this tournament,” she said. “My goal is (also) to be number one in the world.”
Augustine, who lives in Carson and trains at the USTA West Coast Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson, is one of the top-ranked juniors in the country.
When asked how she felt about getting the opportunity to play in the qualifying event of the Acura Classic, she said, “This is most definitely the biggest event I’ll be playing in. I’ve been working hard to get here.”
She added, “I would love to win a couple of rounds. I’ll go out there and do the best I can. Whatever happens, happens.”
Two wildcard entries into the Acura Classic qualifying tournament are still up for grabs. They will be awarded to the winners of the Acura Classic Opportunity Tournaments at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis & Fitness Club in San Clemente, July 11-14 and the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club, July 18-22.
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Monica Wiesner def. Maxine Thomas |
default |
| Sylvia Schenck def. Christine Dao |
6-4, 6-1 |
| Brittany Augustine def. Micaela Hein |
7-5, 6-3 |
| |
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| Maureen Diaz def. Samantha Smith |
6-4, 6-1 |
| Monica Wiesner def. Tania Mahtani |
6-2, 7-5 |
| Page Bartelt def. Amelia Herring |
3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Logan Hansen def. Sylvia Schenck |
6-4, 3-6, 6-4 |
| Brittany Augustine def. Alison Ramos |
6-0, 7-5 |
| Whitney Deason (4) def. Lorena Martin |
default |
| Molly Scott def. Christen Bartelt |
6-0, 6-3 |
| Amanda Fink (2) def. Erin Wiesner |
6-0, 6-2 |
| |
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
| Maureen Diaz (1) def. Monica Wiesner |
6-1, 6-1 |
| Page Bartelt (3) def. Logan Hansen |
6-1, 6-4 |
| Brittany Augustine def. Whitney Deason |
6-4, 6-1 |
| Molly Scott def. Amanda Fink |
2-6, 7-6, 6-4 |
| |
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
| Brittany Augustine def. Molly Scott |
default |
| Maureen Diaz , def. Page Bartelt |
7-6 , 6-3 |
| |
|
| FINALS |
|
| Brittany Augustine def. Maureen Diaz |
6-4, 6-2 |
| |
| |
|
