LEXUS OF LAS VEGAS OPEN

RED ROCK COUNTRY CLUB * SEPT. 27-OCT. 2, 2011

 

Site: Red Rock Country Club, Las Vegas, Nev. Main Draw: (32 singles, 16 doubles)

Surface: Hard/Outdoor                                    Prize Money: $50,000

Website: (www.lexuslvopen.com)                     Who: Top American and international women’s players 

 

Tournament Co-Directors:                   Tyler Weekes, Tyler@CourtThink.com

Jordan Butler, 801.808.3258, Jordan@agentatleta.com

Tournament Press Contact:                 Steve Pratt, 310.408.4555, Sprattt@aol.com

 

FORMER USC ALL-AMERICAN MARIA SANCHEZ WINS

FIRST-ROUND AT $50,000 LEXUS OF LAS VEGAS OPEN

LAS VEGAS, Nev., (Sept. 27, 2011) – There’s something about Las Vegas that enables Maria Sanchez to play her best tennis.

 The former USC All-American from Modesto, Calif., who turned professional in June following four years as a Trojan, won her first-round match in singles and doubles on Tuesday at the third annual Lexus of Las Vegas Open, a $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event, taking place at the Red Rock Country Club in Summerlin.

 Sanchez, who was granted a wild card into the event, said she has survived a “rough” summer and that her game is finally coming together after her 6-1, 7-5 win over Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, 6-1, 7-5.

 In 2010, Sanchez and partner Irina Falconi made the finals of the doubles, as tournament wild cards.

 “I like it here,” Sanchez said of the Red Rock Club and Las Vegas. “It’s a great tournament. These guys (co-tournament directors Jordan Butler and Tyler Weekes) put on a great tournament. They make everyone feel comfortable.”

She added, “I felt like it went well in both singles and doubles today. I had never played Monica in singles but I stayed calm and got off to a quick start and that helped. Then, it got close in the second set and I hung tough.  I was happy with the way everything went.”

Later in the day, Sanchez teamed with former UCLA star Yasmin Schnack to upset the No. 2 seeded doubles team of Irena Pavlovic (France) and Kathrin Woerle (Germany), 6-4 6-3.

Also winning first-round main-draw singles matches on Tuesday were defending champion Varvara Lepchenko, the No. 3 seeded player, No. 8 seeded American Jamie Hampton, and USTA wild-card entry (and NCAA team champion) Allie Will from the University of Florida.

On Wednesday, 2009 US Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin will open up play with a first-round singles match against Sessil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan on Stadium Court beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Following Oudin, local Las Vegas resident Asia Muhammad squares off against No. 2 seed Anna Tatishvili.

In doubles on Tuesday, Muhammad teamed with Alexandra Mueller but the pair fell to No. 3 seeded Alexa Glatch and Mashona Washington, 6-4, 6-1. Ironically, Muhammad and Glatch won last weekend’s $75,000 Pro Circuit doubles event in New Mexico.

In the final round of qualifying, 17-year-old American Krista Hardebeck defeated fellow American Shelby Rogers to earn a place in the main draw.  Hardebeck won three rounds over the last three days to qualify.  She will face No. 4 seed Mirjana Lucic, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

Follow on Twitter for live results at @lvprocircuit. Also, visit the tournament website at: www.lexuslvopen.com.

Tuesday’s Singles Scores

(Final-round Qualifying)

Ying-Ying Duan (China) def. Amra Sadikovic (Switzerland), 6-3, 7-5

Vasilisa Bardina (Russia) def. Alexandra Stevenson (U.S.) (2), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

Krista Hardebeck (U.S.) def. Shelby Rogers (U.S.), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) def. Nicole Melichar (U.S.), 6-1, 6-7(1), 7-6(2)

Main Draw

Maria Sanchez (U.S.) def. Monica Puig (Puerto Rico), 6-1, 7-5

Jamie Hampton (U.S.) [8] def. Petra Rampre (Slovenia), 7-6 (4), 6-1

Timea Babos (Hungary) def. Irena Pavlovic (France), 7-6 (5), 6-4

Allie Will (U.S.) def. Kathrin Woerle (Germany), 6-3, 7-5

Valeria Savinykh (Russia) [7] def. Ashley Weinhold (U.S.), 2-6, 6-2, 6-3

Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) [3] def. Julia Boserup (U.S.), 6-4, 7-6(2)

Kurumi Nara (Japan) def. Madison Brengle (U.S.), 6-3, 6-1

Tuesday’s Doubles Scores

Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Laura Siegemund (Germany) def. Angelina Gabueva (Russia) / Eva Hrdinova (Czech Republic), 6-4, 7-6 (3)

Maria Sanchez (U.S.) / Yasmin Schnack (U.S.) def. Irena Pavlovic (France) / Kathrin Woerle (Germany) (2), 6-4, 6-3

Macall Harkins (U.S.) / Ahsha Rolle (U.S.) def. Timea Babos (Hungary) / Petra Rampre (Slovenia), 6-4, 6-3

Alexa Glatch (U.S.) / Mashona Washington (U.S.) (3) def. Alexandra Mueller (U.S.) / Asia Muhammad (U.S.), 6-4, 6-1

USTA Pro Circuit

With 94 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, 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. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed on the USTA Pro Circuit for approximately $3.2 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points. Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jelena Jankovic are among the top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. The USTA Pro Circuit is world-class tennis administered on the local level and played on local tennis courts as part of the fabric of communities nationwide — an opportunity for current and new fans to experience the excitement and intensity of the professional game in their neighborhood.