PETE ZIEBRON in SURPRISE, AZ
The 2015 Surprise Tennis Classic, a $25K USTA Pro Circuit Event Pete Ziebron Images
Yesterday, while most of the rest of the United States was shivering in record cold temperatures, 82F temperatures greeted players and spectators at the Surprise Tennis Classic in Surprise, Arizona. Quarterfinals day at the $25K USTA Pro Circuit event got underway on Stadium Court with 15 year-old American Catherine Bellis taking on veteran Swede Sofia Arvidsson.
Arvidsson would hold serve to open play, then break Bellis to take a quick 2-0 lead. However, the young American would win 6 of the next 7 games to win the opening set 6-3. Breaks of serve seemed to be the theme of this match as Arvidsson would break Bellis 7 times throughout the match, while Bellis registered 5 breaks of serve. Eventually, the 31 year-old from Sweden would pull away in a tight 2nd set and prevail 3-6 6-4 6-1 to advance to the semifinals.
Johanna Konta (near) and Maria Sanchez (far) advanced to the Doubles Final. Sanchez also advanced to the Singles Semifinals. Pete Ziebron Images
Concurrent to the opening match on Stadium Court, the only remaining seed in the tournament, #7 seed Maria Sanchez, clashed with fellow American Caitlin Whoriskey on Court 14. Sanchez, a 3-time All-American at the University of Southern California, advanced to the semis following a tight battle, 6-4 7-6(2). Later in the day, Sanchez and doubles partner Johanna Konta of Great Britain also advanced to the Doubles Final, defeating Americans Danielle Lao and Keri Wong 6-1 6-0.
Francoise Abanda has won 24 of the last 27 games she has played in Surprise. Pete Ziebron Images
Following the Sanchez singles victory on Court 14, Francoise Abanda, a youngster from Montreal who turned 18 years-old earlier this month, defeated American Lauren Embree 6-1 6-1 to advance to the semifinals. Earlier in the week, Abanda defeated defending Surprise Champion Jovana Jaksic and the 2012 US Open Junior Singles Champion Samantha Crawford. With yesterday's impressive result, Abanda has dropped only 3 games in the last 4 sets.
Next up for Francoise Abanda will be American Sanaz Marand, who defeated fellow American Jessica Failla 6-3 6-2 on Stadium Court. The Abanda-Marand semifinal will open play today on Stadium Court in Surprise, followed by #7 seed Maria Sanchez facing off against Sofia Arvidsson.
Tomorrow's Doubles Final will feature Sanchez and Konta against the American duo of Jacqueline Cako and Kaitlyn Christian, who defeated fellow Americans Samantha Crawford and Caitlin Whoriskey 6-3 4-6 10-6 yesterday to conclude action in Surprise on Friday.
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