FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 3rd, 2008
Contact: Steve Tompkins
(617) 288-9092
EMPIRE/USTA WOMEN’S $50K SINGLES REACH “ELITE EIGHT”
Four Pairs Remain In Doubles Competition
With the Singles field now whittled
from 32 to only eight remaining
players, and just four teams left
in the Doubles competition, excitement
and expectation has reached a palpable
level as the Quarterfinal round
in the Empire/USTA Women’s Pro Challenger
tennis tournament at Sportsmen’s
Tennis Club approaches.
The growing buzz around the tournament
is centered in the anticipation
of great tennis to come, fueled
by the fact that not only are each
of the “elite eight” top–twenty
seeds, but four of the players are
in the top five.
While all of the remaining athletes
have played some impressive and,
at times, inspired tennis, the play
of last year’s $50k winner Varvara
Lepchenko (USA) and top–ranked Julie
Ditty (USA) could portend trouble
for the rest of the field. Both
players dispatched the thirteenth
and fourteenth seeds – Alexa Glatch
and Michelle Larcher De Brito, respectively
– with an identical line of 6–1,
6–2.
In a Doubles match that could foretell
the elements of a potential Singles
finals match–up, Ditty and partner
Alina Jidkova (RUS) struggled against
the team of Lepchenko and Yulia
Fedossova (FRA), losing by a 6–3,
6–2 score.
A match pitting the United States’
team of Sanaz Marand and Kristi
Miller against Russian teammates
Surina De Beer and Kim Grant ended
with the U.S. team winning 6–3,
6–4. In other action, Natalie Grandin
of South Africa and partner Chin
Wei–Chan of Taipei decisively defeated
fellow countrywomen Kai–Chen Chang
and I-Hsuan Hwang, 6–2, 6–1, while
Canada’s Stephanie DuBois and Glatch
ended the title hopes of the U.S.
pair of Mallory Cecil and Amanda
Fink by a score of 6–4, 6–3.
Tomorrow’s match–ups, beginning
at 10 a.m., will be as follows:
On Court 5 – Chin–Wei Chan vs.
Varvara Lepchenko, On Court 7 –
Anna Tatishvili (GEO) vs. Alexandra
Stevenson (USA), Followed by Julie
Ditty vs. Natalie Grandin, and Sunitha
Rao (IND) vs. Stephanie DuBois.
The Doubles match will feature Yulia
Fedossova and Varvara Lepchenko
vs. Sanaz Marand and Kristi Miller.
For more information, please visit:
www.sportsmenstennisclub.org
or call (617) 288-9092. Sportsmen’s
Tennis Club is located at 950 Blue
Hill Avenue in Dorchester.
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
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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.
