Qualifying Begins Sunday at the ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon

ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon

 
Presented By The W.L. Amos Foundation

 
STRATFORD ACADEMY - JAIME KAPLAN TENNIS CENTER * OCTOBER 6-13, 2013

QUALIFYING BEGINS SUNDAY MORNING

 

MACON, Georgia, (October 5, 2013) 64 women tennis players from all over the world will take to the courts Sunday morning at the Jaime Kaplan Tennis Center at Stratford Academy, for the qualifying draw of the ButlerCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon, presented by the W.L. Amos Foundation- all looking for one of eight remaining spots in the singles main draw.

Players must win three matches to earn one of the coveted spots in the main draw which begins on Tuesday.

"Qualifying matches are typically some of the most competitive matches you will see all week," explains Eric Hayes, tournament director and men's and women's tennis coach at Mercer University. "It's a mix, some of the qualifying draw players are from the area, some are from the other side of the world."

Competitors competing in the qualifying draw include former University of Florida All-American Lauren Embree, Di Zhao of China, former UCLA standout Elizabeth Lumpkin, and a pair of former University of Tennessee products in Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota. Pluskota is from Sharpsburg, Georgia.

"We have an entire week of activities planned, and the qualifying draw just kicks everything off," added Hayes.

Tickets will be available at the gate at Stratford Academy.

This 25K event is mix of rising and established players looking to earn points to finish the year strongly, and in some cases, earn direct acceptance into the 2014 Australian Open.

 *Tournament Fast Facts

 Tournament top seed Ajla Tomljanovic is the highest ranked player in the field (No. 85)

 There are players from 24 countries represented in the BulterCars.com Tennis Classic of Macon

American Nicole Gibbs (Stanford) is the current NCAA singles champion

Coco Vandeweghe is the niece of former NBA great Kiki Vandeweghe

Vandeweghe reached the finals of the WTA Tour's Bank of the West Classic in 2012 before losing to Serena Williams

Alexandra Stevenson reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1999. She is also the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer member Julius Erving.

The singles winner on "Finals Sunday"(Oct 13) will receive a check in the amout of $3,919.00 and 50 WTA ranking points.

Rickie Smith Pro Mod Crash at Bristol

Veteran driver and Bristol Dragway legend Rickie Smith was involved in a high-speed crash during the second qualifying session of the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series. Smith was reported to have suffered a fractured left knee in the incident by medical officials at the Bristol Regional Medical Center. Smith’s ’68 Camaro went out of control and collided with Pete Farber’s ’69 Daytona as the pair were making a side-by-side qualifying run. Farber was checked and released at the track by NHRA emergency services officials.

Eliminations will be all day on Sunday and ESPN2 will have coverage beginning at 4:30 Eastern time.

10,000+ Attend Qualifying Days at Family Circle Cup

Some pro tennis tournaments have to give away tickets to get a couple thousand people through the gates for two days of qualifying action, Charleston and the Family Circle Cup played host to 10,484 this weekend as 8 qualifying spots were awarded into the main draw which begins on Monday.

A pair of 3-set marathons highlighted Sunday's qualifying action as Alexandra Stevenson and Monica Puig overcame their nerves and outlasted their opponents for victories.

Both were impressive wins for two players who are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their career.  Stevenson, now in her 30's had her best days in tennis over a decade ago, but she continues to battle through qualifying draws around the world. 

Puig is a fresh young face from Puerto Rico who now will be playing in her first WTA event main draw.  She battled her German opponent tooth and nail for over three hours before pulling out the win.

Here are the rest of Sunday's qualifying results:

Women's
Qualifying Singles - Second Round
Qualifying - A Stevenson (USA) d C Vandeweghe (USA) 62 26 64
Qualifying - S Mirza (IND) d O Savchuk (UKR) 64 63
Qualifying - H Watson (GBR) d L Wienerova (SVK) 61 76(2)
Qualifying - A Tatishvili (GEO) d T Luzhanska (UKR) 62 62
Qualifying - I Falconi (USA) d S Foretz Gacon (FRA) 76(5) 75
Qualifying - E Birnerova (CZE) d E Bychkova (RUS) 63 62
Qualifying - [WC] M Puig (PUR) d T Malek (GER) 57 64 63
Qualifying - S Stephens (USA) d [WC] G Dabrowski (CAN) 63 61

Images from Sunday's Action at Family Circle Cup

A beautiful Sunday of tennis at the Family Circle Cup.