Tuesday, the final round of qualifying was held with eight players advancing for a spot in the main draw. First-round main-draw singles and doubles action also kicked off today.

 

Qualifiers included former Ohio State standout and 2017 NCAA doubles champion Francesca Di Lorenzo, former University of Tennessee standout and 15-time USTA Pro Circuit/ITF Pro Circuit doubles champion Caitlin Whoriskey, and Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, who has ranked as high as No. 20 in the world and is on the comeback trail after battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. All qualifiers will be competing in their first-round matcheson Wednesday.

 

Main draw players to compete on Wednesday include former Top 100 player and 2011 junior US Open champion Grace Min, 2016 Wimbledon junior champion Usue Maitane Arconada, former USC standout Maria Sanchez, and top seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine.

 

Young American Claire Liu was among the first-round winners on Tuesday. Liu, 17, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., became the No. 1-ranked junior in July 2017 after winning the junior Wimbledon title—the first American girls’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1992. Liu also reached the junior French Open final in 2017. In addition, Liu qualified for the main draw of the 2017 US Open—her first-ever Grand Slam main-draw appearance—and in March 2015, she won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title here in Orlando. With the Orlando title, at age 14 years, 9 months and 25 days old, Liu became the youngest woman to win a USTA Pro Circuit tournament since 1996 and the sixth-youngest ever.

 

This is the first pro tennis event to be held at the USTA National Campus this year and one of two events scheduled at the campus in 2018, as another USTA Pro Circuit women's event will take place in March. Daily updates and further information on this tournament can be found at www.procircuit.usta.com.

 

Please note that Veteran’s Appreciation Night will be held on Friday, Jan. 19, between night matches; Net Generation Kids' Day will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m.; and a Net Generation Team Challenge will be held on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 10 a.m. prior to the final.

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 – RESULTS

 

Qualifying – Final Round

Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) def. Chihiro Muramatsu (JPN) 6-0, 6-0

Caitlin Whoriskey (USA) def. Jessica Pegula (USA) 0-6, 6-4, 6-1

Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) def.Leylah Annie Fernandez (CAN) 6-3, 6-2

Kyoka Okamura (JPN) def. Salma Djoubri (FRA) 6-0, 6-3

Reka-Luca Jani (HUN) def. Elizabeth Halbauer (USA) 6-2, 6-1

Olga Danilovic (SRB) def. Marcela Zacarias (MEX) 6-4, 6-4

Polina Leykina (RUS) def. Wushuang Zheng (CHN) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

Aymet Uzcategui (VEN) def. Katie Swan (GBR) 7-6(6), 6-3

 

Singles Main Draw – First Round

(3) Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP) def. Chanel Simmonds (RSA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0

(6) Ayla Aksu (TUR) def. (WC) Sofia Sewing (USA) 5-7, 6-4, 4-0, ret.

Claire Liu (USA) def. (WC) Jada Robinson (USA) 6-4, 7-5

Ayano Shimizu (JPN) def. (WC) Megan McCray (USA) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3

 

Doubles Main Draw – First Round

Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) / Ilona Kremen (BLR) def. (1) Sophie Chang (USA) / Alexandra Mueller (USA) 6-4, 6-3

Katie Swan (GBR) / Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) def. (4) Cristiana Ferrando (ITA) / Victoria Rodriguez (MEX) 6-4, 6-1

Caitlin Whoriskey (USA) / Ingrid Neel (USA) def. Joelle Kissell (USA) / Rachel May Pierson (USA) 6-1, 6-3

Hanyu Guo (CHN) /Ching Wen Hsu (TPE) def. (WC) Lorraine M. Guillermo (USA) / Catherine Harrison (USA) 6-2, 2-6, [10-7]

 

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.