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All-American Matches Headline Monday Qualifying
Rounds At USTA Tennis Classic of Troy

TROY, Ala. – The 2011 USTA Tennis Classic of Troy is underway as of Sunday with qualifying rounds kicking off the week of action. The $50,000 tournament is proud to enter its second decade of existence, and prides itself on being a stepping stone for female professionals ready to make strides in major tournaments. Sunday did not feature any upsets of seeded players in the qualifying round, and that set up a match of a pair of All-American matches for Monday. One of Monday’s headlining matches is Grace Min taking on the top-seed in the qualifying rounds, Madison Keys. Min is the 2011 US Open Junior Champion out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. TennisRecruiting.net has her listed as a five-star athlete as well as the number two player nationally on recruiting boards. She claims the top spot as the number one recruit in the Southeast. From the other side of the net comes solid playing experience in Madison Keys. Another young, rising star from Boca Raton, Florida, Keys won her first ever US Open match this year defeating 111th ranked Jill Craybas. That match prompted “Straight Sets”, a New York Times tennis blog, to post an entry saying that “Keys Plays Like A Veteran”. The other All-American qualifying match set for Monday features eigth-seeded Alexis King against Whitney Jones. These two matches will be in the second wave of matches slated for Monday. Three matches failed to finish Sunday afternoon, and those are set to resume play at 10:00 a.m.

TROY, Rain, Rain, Go Away… Showers Halt USTA

TROY, Ala. – Rain showers in a steady fashion washed out Monday’s qualifying rounds at the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy. Only roughly 20 minutes of play was completed on Monday morning, and that forced the tournament to delay qualifying into Tuesday. The Tuesday schedule will remain in the same order as the Monday slate until qualifying rounds are complete. Main draw matches will begin upon the completion of qualifying rounds on Tuesday as well.

Main Draw Underway At USTA Tennis Classic of Troy

TROY, Ala. – The USTA Tennis Classic of Troy moved into the Main Draw portion of the tournament on Tuesday. The Classic’s field was set back by a complete wash out of matches on Monday, but the field was able to make strides in catching up on Tuesday. “We got pushed back pretty far on Monday, but the weather cooperated just enough for us to do a lot of catching up on Tuesday,” tournament director Eric Hayes said. “We’re excited about how it is coming along so far, and the field has been exciting to watch.” Much of that excitement came from watching an amateur knock off the top seeded qualifier en route to earning a spot in the Main Draw. Three of the four qualifying spots have been filled, and the final spot will be filled on Wednesday morning. That upset mentality also carried over into the first rounds of Main Draw play. The third and fifth-seeded players were bounced from the Main Draw field in the opening round. Wednesday features more than the competition too. Students from nearby schools will come out to watch and interact with the professional players. It’s an opportunity for them to learn about a game that is not prevalent in rural towns around Troy. “It’s a great day for the kids in the area,” Hayes said. “These kids get a shot to come out and watch professionals live their dream. The pro’s talk to the kids in a clinic too. They pass their message of success along to the children, and it helps them to realize that anything is possible. No matter what adversity gets in the way, they can overcome and live their dream just like these professionals do.” Admission to the USTA Classic of Troy is always free. All matches and the clinic will be held at the Lunsford Tennis Complex in Troy.

Classic Gears Up For Quarterfinals Action

TROY, Ala. – The USTA Tennis Classic will move into the quarterfinals round of the singles Main Draw on Thursday, and the intensity is heating up on the court despite cooling temperatures. Each player is fighting for their share of the $50,000 purse. “It was just another solid day of play on the courts,” Tournament Director Eric Hayes said. “The weather has really been good to us the past couple of days. The temperatures have been cooler because of the clouds and a slight mist during parts of the day has helped out too. I think the players are able to stay energized longer because of the heat staying away.” That energy fueled more upsets in the singles bracket. Thursday will also feature the start of doubles play in The Classic. The field is set, and matches are scheduled to begin mid-day. The Classic hosted students from Goshen Elementary School for a clinic with USTA professionals. “It was great to see the way they enjoyed that today,” Hayes said. “It is great to see the kids come out, and especially from a town like Goshen. There aren’t many opportunities to learn the game there, and I don’t even know if there is tennis court in the whole town. This just gives kids the opportunity to realize that they can do anything they put their mind to. These professionals offered their outlook on how to see a dream and follow it through to the finish and any kid needs to see a story like that.”

The Drama Continues With Thrilling Quarterfinals

TROY, Ala. – The top two seeds in the tournament survived Thursday, and Grace Min continued her march through the brackets at the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy. Top-seeded Romina Oprandi moved into the semi-finals round without problem in a 6-2, 6-0 route of her opponent Veronica Cepede Royg. Some of the biggest action of the day however, came from the opposite side of the bracket. Varvara Lepchenko trailed in her third set against Michelle Larcher de Brito five games to one, but Lepchenko put together an amazing run to come back and earn the set 7-6 (3) to take the match. Grace Min moved through the round smoothly as well with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Ahsha Rolle. Min came all the way through the qualifying bracket as an unseeded player, and the American amateur has yet to play a third set in the main draw. Unseeded Shelby Rogers also turned heads on Thursday with her defeat of sixth-seeded Sharon Fichman. Rogers dropped the first set, but won the final two of the match to stake her claim in the semifinals. “It was an absolutely beautiful day of tennis,” Tournament Director Eric Hayes said. “We finally had some sunny weather, and besides a few stray showers everything was great from Mother Nature. The players really brought their tough stuff today too. A lot of these matches were very exciting to watch today, and its just great to see what a competitive field we have this year. This may be one of the toughest field’s we have ever had.”

The Courts Are Prepped And The Semi-Finals Are Set

TROY, Ala. – The top two seeds in the tournament walked off the courts Friday with a spot in the semi finals, and Grace Min was knocked off the bracket by Sessil Karatancheva another un-seeded player at the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy. No. 1 seed, Romina Oprandi advanced into the semi-finals round without a hitch in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of American Shelby Rogers. Varvara Lepchewko, the No. 2 seed also advanced into the semi-finals with a 6-3 6-4 win over Elena Bovina. Chi Chi Scholl, the No. 8 seed was defeated 3-6 6-2 6-3 by Olga Puchkova, and Grace Min was knocked of the bracket by Sessil Karatancheva in a startling 6-1 6-2 match. In the world of doubles, Varvara Lepchenko and Mashona Washington upset the top-seeded team, Sharon Fichman and Marie-Eve Pelletier, then continued into the semi-finals with a 6-0 3-6 [11-9] defeat of Melanie Oudin and Eugenie Bouchard. Timea Babos and Ajla Tomljanovic took an upset over the No. 3 seeded team, Macall Harkins and Ahsha Rolle, then advanced to semi-finals with a 6-3 6-4 win over Angelina Gabueva and Yuliana Lizarazo. The No. 2 seeded team, Elena Bovina and Valeria Savinykh advanced into the semi-finals, as well as the No. 4 seeded team of Maria Abramovic and Eva Hrdinova. "Today's matches were a great example of the depth of this years draw, with the top seeds coming through to the semi-finals," Tournament Director Eric Hayes said. "Tomorrow should be a good showcase of the talent that has been here this week."

Doubles Champions Are Crowned/Singles Finals Are Set

TROY, Ala. – The journey for a doubles championship team comes to an end Saturday, and the singles championship match is set with the top two seeded players at the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy. In the first doubles match of the day, the only two seeded teams left, met on the court for a shot at the championship match.The No. 2 seeded team, Elena Bovina and Valeria Savinykh advanced to the championship round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over the No. 4 seeded team, Maria Abramovic and Eva Hrdinova. Varvara Lepchenko and Mashona Washington also advanced to the final doubles match with a 7-6(2), 6-2 defeat over Timea Babos and Ajla Tomljanovic. Elena Bovina and Valeria Savinykh walked of the court as doubles champions, with a 7-6(6), 6-3 win over Varvara Lepchenko and Mashona Washington. In the singles semi-finals both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded players advanced for a chance to meet each other in the championship match on Sunday. Romina Oprandi, the No. 1 seed knocked Olga Puckkova off the bracket with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat, for a spot in the championship match. Varvara Lepchenko, the No. 2 seed also advanced to the final round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Sessil Karatantcheva. The singles championship match will begin a 1:00pm on Sunday.

A Champion Is Crowned At The USTA Tennis Classic of Troy…

TROY, Ala. – There were big upsets in the singles main draw bracket along the way at the 2011 version of the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy, but in the end the bracket fared as it should. Top-seeded Romina Oprandi ousted second-seeded Varvara Lepchenko 6-1, 6-2 in two sets to claim the championship crown. “This was a good tournament,” Oprandi said. “I’m just exhausted from playing so much this week.” Oprandi’s road to the championship saw her play through tiebreakers in her opening match, but then she cruised to the semifinals where she faced her first tough challenge of the field. It took the champion three sets to earn her spot in the finale, but she brought a business attitude on Sunday to seal the win. “This is my fourth finals match in a row, and I’m so tired,” Oprandi said. Being tired didn’t stop her from smiling though. Oprandi posed for pictures and accepted her prize money with a look of relief, and she said the experience in Troy was one she won’t soon forget. “The Troy tournament is a nice family-like atmosphere, and a well run event,” Oprandi said. The finals match concludes the 2011 Classic, and Tournament Director Eric Hayes said this year’s Classic may have been the best on yet. “We really had a great turnout this week,” Hayes said. “We had a great field that was very competitive. The top two seeds made it to the finals, but it was upset city through the middle of the bracket. That shows we had a great field of competition from top to bottom. We had unprecedented media coverage throughout the tournament, and I would like to thank them for putting our event on display this week. Our kid’s clinics are always a success, and this year was no different. This tournament is a great boost to the economy here each year, and we are blessed to have the USTA as a member of our community each year.”