FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 2nd, 2008
Contact: Steve Tompkins
(617) 288-9092

FIRST ROUND COMPLETED FOR EMPIRE/USTA $50K WOMEN’S CHALLENGER

Top Ranked Singles Hold Serve, Save Two

Round one of the Empire/USTA $50k Women’s Challenger is now officially in the books, and it was an exercise in near–perfect mathematical calculation.

The players with the highest rankings nearly swept across the board against their lower ranked opponents with only two players able to buck the trend.

Indonesia’s Romana Tedjakusuma, ranked 306, defeated Korea’s 202–ranked Ye–Ra Lee with a convincing 6–1, 6–2 win, while Taipei’s 281–ranked Chin Wei–Chan had more of an adventure against Russia’s Alina Jidkova – ranked 192 – in a match that had Wei–Chan winning a competitive 2–6, 6–1, 7–5.

In the first round of doubles, it was parity that nearly prevailed as two wildcard duos and one lower–seeded team beat their higher–ranked opponents.

In an all–U.S.A. match, qualifiers Sanaz Marand and Kristie Miller beat Jennifer Elie and partner Kristy Frilling 6–7(3), 6–3 [10–4], while unranked wildcards Mallory Cecil and Amanda Fink of the U.S. beat Hungary’s Melinda Czink – ranked 240 – and India’s Sunitha Rao in a tight 4–6 6–4 [14–12] match.

Thursday’s doubles matches will feature the 99th ranked American Julie Ditty and Russian Alina Jidkova versus Yulia Fedossova of France and U.S. citizen Varvara Lepchenko; Russian team Surina De Beer – ranked 457 – and Kim Grant opposite Marand and Miller; the 498th ranked Stephanie DuBois of Canada and Alexa Glatch of the U.S. taking on fellow countrywomen Cecil and Fink; and the team from Taipei, Kai–Chen Chang and I–Husan Chang against countrymate Wei–Chan and Russian Natalie Grandin.

Singles matches are as follows:

Starting at 10 a.m. are matches featuring: Regina Kulikova (RUS) vs. Stephanie DuBois (CAN) on Court 5, Alexa Glatch (USA) vs. Varvara Lepchenko (USA) on Court 7, and Chin-Wei Chan (TPE) vs. Lindsay Lee-Waters (USA); followed by Natalie Grandin (RSA) vs. Romana Tedjakusuma (INA), Melinda Czink (HUN) vs. Anna Tatishvili (GEO), Alexandra Stevenson (USA) vs. Soledad Esperon (ARG), Sunitha Rao (IND) vs. Gail Brodsky (USA), and Julie Ditty (USA) vs. Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR).

For more information visit sportsmenstennisclub.org or call (617) 288-9092.

Empire Loan
Empire Loan is committed to providing short–term collateralized loans in a safe, friendly, and professional environment. We will endeavor to dispel long held misrepresentations of the pawn broking industry by treating every customer with the utmost respect. Empire Loan will be a shining example of good corporate citizenship by participating in and partnering with community based non-profit organizations. We are dedicated to serving our customers best interests, and to earning their trust and confidence by operating in an ethical and fair manner. Empire Loan is also committed to paying a living wage with full healthcare benefits to our valued employees.

Sportsmen’s Tennis Club
Sportsmen’s Tennis Club is a 501(c) 3, non–profit corporation organized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded over forty years ago with a mission of providing low–cost tennis to urban youth, Sportsmen's has distinguished itself as a unique, community–based organization providing a nurturing and supportive environment for children of all races. Sportsmen’s is recognized nationally as a pioneer in using the sport of tennis to enhance the lives of urban youth.

Sportsmen’s is successful because of its inter–disciplinary nature and the unifying methodology that is consistently applied across all program components – academic, athletic, health and social. Today Sportsmen’s remains committed to providing low cost tennis training and academic support for minority youth who would not otherwise have an opportunity to participate or excel in the sport.

USTA Pro Circuit
With 96 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, 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. More than 1,100 men and women from 79 countries competed on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2004 for nearly $3 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points. Jelena Jankovic, Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, and Nicole Vaidisova are among the top stars that began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. For more information, log on to http://procircuit.usta.com.