sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ahsha Rolle, Alexandra Mueller, Alina Jidkova, Allie Will, Carol Zhao, Erin Routliffe

TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

Six still alive in Qualifying! TOURNAMENT INFORMATION Fourteen Site: Waterloo Tennis Club - Waterloo, ON Canadians were in action in the Website: www.wowchallenger.com first day of the qualifying Qualifying Draw Begins: Saturday, July 2 tournament of Main Draw Begins: Tuesday, July 5 the $50,000 WOW Tennis Main Draw: 32 Singles / 16 Doubles Challenger Surface: Clay / Outdoor presented by Victoria Star Prize Money: $50,000 Motors. Six have survived Tournament Director: John Bezear, (519) 885-3920 to play another [email protected] day.

Marianne Jodoin an 18-year-old from scored a minor upset beating the tournament’s PRIZE MONEY / POINTS no.5 seed Katie Ruckert of the U.S. winning 2-6, SINGLES Prize Money Ranking Points 6-2, 6-3. Jodoin turned the match around in the Winner!!$7,315!!70 second set hitting more solidly and accurately. Runner-up !$3,990!!50 She broke Ruckert early in the set which gave Semifinalist!$2,185!!32 her confidence. She mixed up her play and Quarterfinalist!$1,235!!18 Round of 16! $760!!10 caught Ruckert off-guard several times with drop Round of 32! $475!! 1 shots. Ruckert’s level of play dropped as she made several unforced errors allowing Jodoin to DOUBLES Prize Money (per team) race to a 5-1 lead. Even though Jodoin was Winner!!$2,660! Runner-up !$1,425! broken serving for the set, she closed it out by Semifinalist! $760! returning the favour. The third set was more Quarterfinalist! $380! closely contested but Jodoin held on for the win. Round of 16! $285! .... (Cont page 2) TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

Elisabeth Fournier was an early winner when she beat fellow Canadian 6-1,6-0 in the first match of the day. Fournier proved the stronger and more consistent player. The 16-year-old Routliffe was caught flat-footed several times revealing her relative inexperience at this level. It was a disappointing performance from Routliffe, who earlier this year won both the National Indoor U16 singles and doubles titles. Her coach, Harry Greenan felt his protégé did not perform as well as she could have. “She played better in last year’s qualifying than she did today.” he said. Routliffe is a Caledon native who trains with Greenan in Guelph. Fournier seen here at the 2010 event

Other Canadian winners today were Romanian-born Canadian Ana-Maria Constantinescu who made short work of fellow Canadian Maja Jovic winning 6-1, 6-2; Amy He won 7-5, 6-1 over her South African opponent Joanne Schickerling while Nikolette Budai of London had an easy victory winning 6-0 6-0 over another Canadian Michelle Aristizabal.

Two Canadians came close to upsetting seeded players but both came up short. Carmen Sandor took the no.4 seed Ellen Tsay of the U.S. to three sets. Sandor lost the first set 0-6 but gathered herself in the second going up a break to lead 3-0 before Tsay righted herself to make it four all. Sandor broke Tsay’s serve to win the set at 6-4. The third set continued to be a closely contested match with play alternating between long, punishing rallies and unforced errors. At 5-5, Tsay broke Sandor's serve but then could not hold her own thus sending it to a tie-break which Tsay won.

Fifteen-year- old Aissa Muamba was perhaps the most impressive of the Canadians today. Ranked no.4 nationally in the U16 singles, the youngster who trains at the Carrefour club in Laval gave a creditable performance pushing the no.3 seed Danielle Mills (USA) in three hard-hitting sets. The players shared the first two sets both decided by tie-breaks. The effort of the two sets appeared to have drained most of Muamba’s energy as she lost the third set 1-6. “I was tired,” she admitted after the match. Muamba, a good athlete plays a powerful and aggressive game with a composure that belies her age.

Day 2 of the qualifying will see local player Sandra Dynka in action as she had a bye in the first round. Matches on Sunday start at 10 a.m. TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

The fourth annual Waterloo Open Women (WOW) tournament presented this year by Victoria Star Motors takes place July 2 -10 at the Waterloo Tennis Club located in Waterloo Park. The tournament, which for the past three years has been at the $25,000 level is upgraded this year to the $50,000 level. Aside from the benefits to the players of a bigger pay day and more points for wins, spectators can expect to be treated to a higher standard of play.

Action begins with a 32- player draw qualifying tournament on Saturday July 2 at 10 a.m. This event runs to Monday July 4. Included in the qualifying draw are 14 Canadians which includes the local wild card recipient Sandra Dynka. The last four players of this event will enter into the 32-player main draw. Four Canadians have been granted wild cards to the main draw singles. They are , Elisabeth Abanda, Kimberley-Ann Surin and Sonja Molnar. They will be joined by fellow Canadians , , and . The doubles event is a 16-pair draw. Last year, Canadians Elisabeth Abanda and Katarena Paliivets won the doubles crown. The draw ceremony takes place 3 p.m Sunday July 3 at the Waterloo Tennis Club. Main draw matches begin Tuesday July 4 at 11a.m. This year’s WOW entry list features participants from twenty countries.

While the tennis action will be on the Waterloo club courts, it won’t be the only entertainment on offer. The KIA Kids Tennis Fair, an event to introduce the game to youngsters and also to promote the tournament, will take place Monday July 4 at the Waterloo Public Square from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mini tennis courts will be set up and a fast serve speed cage will be available for children to try their hand at the game and to win prizes. Gary Winter, head pro at the Waterloo Tennis club, along with a couple of the women pros will be on hand to lead the proceedings. The radio station, 91.5 FM The Beat will also be there to help keep bodies and feet moving. The Wildcraft Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday July 6 will see twenty amateurs taking turns partnering ten women pros in round-robin play. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the amateurs will have the privilege of testing their skills against the pros. The winner will be the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Program. Last year $2,000 was raised by the Pro-Am event to benefit this program.

There will be a feature match in the evenings for the benefit of the after-work crowd. On Tuesday the match starts at 5 p.m, and Thursday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. The quarterfinals of the singles begin at noon on Friday; the semi-finals on Saturday will also start at noon, followed by the doubles final. The singles final is on Sunday starting at 12:30 p.m. Gates will open at 11:30 a .m. Admission is free to the public for the entire tournament.

WOW Past Champions Singles Doubles

Year Winner Finalist Year Winner

2010 Julia Cohen (USA) Fatima Al Nabhani (OMA) 2010 Elisabeth Abanda - Katarena Paliivets (CAN)

2009 (AUS) (CAN) 2009 - (USA)

2008 Alexandra Mueller (USA) Sharon Fichman (CAN) 2008 - (JPN) TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alison Riske (USA) Age: 20 (7/3/90) Ranking: 117 Riske enjoyed a breakthrough 2010, moving steadily up the rankings and bearing down on the Top 100. Her year was highlighted by a semifinal showing at the Wimbledon tune- up event in Birmingham, England, where she defeated Ana Chakvetadze and before falling in three sets to Maria Sharapova. (Her showing in Birmingham earned Riske a wild card into Wimbledon.) After losing in the qualifying of the 2010 US Open, Riske returned to Circuit events and reached four consecutive ITF Circuit finals (all at $50,000 tournaments or better), winning three. Overall, she improved her ranking more than 750 places from the start of 2009 to the end of 2010, finishing the season at a career-best No. 115. As a junior, Riske rose to No. 2 in the USTA Girlsʼ 18s national standings and was a finalist atthe 2007 USTA Girlsʼ 18s National Championships. She also served as a practice partner for the U.S.ʼs 2008 Fed Cup semifinal against Russia. At Wimbledon this year she took the number 2 seed, Vera Zvonareva to three sets before losing 0-6 6-3 3-6.

Sharon Fichman (CAN) Age: 20 (12/3/90) Ranking: 248 Fichmanʼs best result of the the year was winning the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Plantain, FL in January. She has made the finals of six doubles events in 2011. Fichman has been a member of Canadaʼs Fed Cup team since 2005 and has a win/loss record of 14/3. Sharon played in the inaugural WOW Tennis Challenger in 2009 and reached the finals.

Julia Boserup (USA) Age: 19 (9/9/91)! Ranking: 303 Boserup had her breakthrough in December 2008, winning the prestigious Dunlop for her first title on the ITF World Junior Circuit. She has built on that success over the past two-plus years, reaching the USTA Pro Circuit doubles final at the $50,000 event in Kansas City, Mo., with partner in 2009 and, in 2010, advancing to her first career USTA Pro Circuit semifinal at the $50,000 event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. As a junior, Boserup reached the second round at the 2009 US Open girlsʼ singles and the singles and doubles semifinals at the 2008 USTA Girlsʼ 18s National Championships. A two-time practice partner for the U.S. Fed Cup team, Boserup trains full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) Age: 17 (2/25/94) Ranking: 367 Bouchard made the semi finals of our tournament last year and at the time was ranked 785 in the world. Sheʼs had a great year since and gone on to win two ITF Pro Circuit events: a $25,000 event in Burnie, Australia in January and a $10,000 event in Sibenik, Croatia in April. Bouchard is currently ranked seventh in the World Junior Rankings. She made it into the semi-finals of the Junior Championships and the quarter-finals at the Junior Championships at Wimbledon. Bouchard played for the first time on the Canadian Fed Cup team this year.

Alexandra Mueller (USA) Age: 23 (2/14/88) Ranking: 379 Mueller won the inaugural US Open National Playoffs in 2010, defeating former world No. 51 Alina Jidkova, 6-0, 6-3, in the final, to earn a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament. In all, Mueller captured three USTA Pro Circuit titles last year, including both the singles and doubles titles at the $10,000 event in Landisville, Pa., and she reached the semifinals at the $50,000 event in Boston. She also reached the doubles final of three $50,000 events—at Charlottesville, Va., and Raleigh, N.C., with , and at with Brittany Augustine. Mueller first made waves in 2003, when she won the $10,000 ITF event in Mont Tremblant, , at age 15, and played on the U.S. Junior Fed Cup team. She competed in the doubles main draw of the US Open in 2004 and 2007.

Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) Age: 19 (1/4/92) Ranking: 437 Gabriela was in her final year as a junior when she playing at the WOW Tennis Challenger last year. At the time she was ranked 1012 in the world. By playing consistently good tennis on the ITF circuit and reaching four quarter- finals she has increased her ranking to 437. TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lena Litvak (USA) Age: 22 (11/15/88) Ranking: 491 Born in the Ukraine. … Played at Harvard for one year before turning pro. … Qualified for two $75,000 USTA Pro Circuit events in 2009 (Dothan, Ala., ). … Reached the second round at the $25,000 event in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, in 2010. In June, Litvak won a $10,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Bethany Beach, Delaware. … Has competed in ITF Circuit events in Korea, Greece, Israel and Portugal. Lena has played in every WOW Challenger - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.

Carol Zhao (CAN) Age: 16 (06/20/95) Ranking: 736 Zhao joined the National Training Centre in September 2010. 2010 Season: Breakthrough year. In January, she was ranked no. 923 in the world and achieved a career-best mark of no. 146 in October… Won an impressive total of three ITF singles titles all on home soil in , and Vancouver… Finalist at the World Ranking event in Montreal… Also captured two doubles crowns and was a doubles semifinalist on four occasions… Crowned champion in singles and doubles at the U18 Rogers Junior National Championships… Reached her first quarter-final at the pro level at the $50,000 Tevlin Challenger in November where she upset Valérie Tétreault in the opening round to earn her first pro victory. Carol has received a main draw wildcard into this year’s WOW Tennis Challenger.

Kimberley-Ann Surin (CAN) Age: 16 (07/25/94) Ranking: 801 Surin joined the National Training Centre in September 2010. 2010 Season: Twice a finalist in singles and twice a champion in doubles on the ITF junior circuit… Also reached one final and two semifinals in doubles… Took home top honours in singles at the U16 Indoor Rogers Junior National Championships… Scored her first professional victory in September at the $50,000 Saguenay National Bank Challenger and also reached the second round in November at the $50,000 Tevlin Challenger in Toronto. Personal: Started playing tennis at age 9… Has one younger sister named Katherine who also used to play tennis… Her father is Olympic and World champion sprinter Bruny Surin… Favourite tennis memory is when she and her sister used to have water fights on court after practice… Tennis goal is to be a Top 50 junior and play professionally on the WTA Tour… Favourite players are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters. Kimberley-Ann will be playing in the main draw as she was granted a wild card by Tennis Canada into the WOW Tennis Challenger. TOURNAMENT NOTES

as of July 2, 2011 Presented by

4TH ANNUAL WATERLOO OPEN WOMENʼS TENNIS CHALLENGER WATERLOO, ON - JULY 2 - 10, 2011

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Elisabeth Abanda (CAN) Age: 17 (03/31/94) Ranking: 880 Abanda had her best result on the ITF Pro Circuit at last yearʼs WOW Tennis Challenger where she reached the quarter finals in singles and won the doubles title. Elisabeth is currently ranked 107 in the World Junior Rankings. In Sept, 2010 she won the U18 Canadian World Ranking Event.

Sonja Molnar (CAN) Age: 21 (04/29/90) Ranking: 894 Attending the University of Iowa and competed at No. 1 position... unanimous first team all-Big Ten selection, becoming the fourth player in school history to be named all-Big Ten three times... finished the season ranked No. 96 nationally and No. 4 in the Central Region by the ITA. Sonja’s hometown is Guelph, Ontario and was coached by local pro, Harry Greenan. Molnar has received a wild card into the main draw of this year’s tournament.