 |
| Kevin Kim advances in Aptos© Getty Images |
APTOS, Calif. – Americans Kevin Kim, Phillip Simmonds and Todd Paul advanced to the second round of the $75,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, held at the Seascape Sports Club in Aptos, Calif.
No. 3 seed Kevin Kim won his first-round match over fellow American Michael McClune, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Kim, a winner at this event in 2004, is ranked No. 178 in the world. Eighteen-year-old McClune is the No. 1-ranked junior player in the United States. Kim will play Artem Sitak in his next match.
Simmonds, a wild card into the main draw, overcame an early second-set deficit to defeat Cecil Mamiit of the Philippines, 6-3, 7-5. Mamiit was making his 10th appearance in Aptos and won the title back in 1998. Simmonds will now play the winner between Tuesday's feature match between Prakash Armitraj and Amer Delic.
Paul, who played No. 1 singles at Wake Forest University, defeated fellow American Alex Clayton, the current No. 1 player at Stanford University, 6-2, 6-3. This is Paul's first main-draw win at the $75,000 level. He recently reached the quarterfinals at the $50,000 Challenger in Yuba City, Calif.
Other first-round winners include Antonio Ruiz-Rosales, Ti Chen and Carsten Ball.
In doubles, two local players were also victorious. Pablo Pires De Almeida, the No. 1-ranked doubles player in Northern California, won his opening match with partner Brian Cummings of the United States. Aptos native Jordan Kepler, who paired with fellow American Jeff Mullen, also prevailed in his final-round qualifying doubles match.
On Tuesday, in the feature match of the day, Prakash Amritraj of India, a finalist last week at the ATP Tour event in Newport, will battle Amer Delic of the United States. Delic was ranked as high as No. 60 in the world in 2007.
Also in action, American Zachary Gilbert, son of legendary coach and former top-10 player Brad Gilbert, will play first on center court against Alberto Francis of the United States. He will also compete in his first-round doubles match later that afternoon.
2006 champion Alex Kuznetsov will be in action on center court against fellow American Todd Widom. Scoville Jenkins of the United States will round out the center court matches, when he plays Alessandro Da Col of Italy.
Main-draw matches begin July 14th and take place throughout the week. Feature matches begin every weeknight at 5:30 p.m. Kids ages 6-12 are half price, with ages 5-and-under free. Ticket prices are $16 Monday through Thursday, $20 on Friday, $24 on Saturday, and $28 on Sunday. Weekend passes are $60 (Friday through Sunday). Seascape Sports Club is located at 1505 Seascape Blvd. in Aptos. For ticket information, call 831-688-1993 or visit www.seascapesportsclub.com.
The Comerica Bank Challenger is in its 22nd year on the USTA Pro Circuit, making it the longest-running Challenger. Several former competitors at the event have gone on to win Grand Slam titles and reach the top 10 in the rankings. Past competitors include current world No. 1 doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan, 2008 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Andy Murray, current top-10 player James Blake, Olympic gold medalist Rainer Schuettler and former world No. 1 Patrick Rafter.
With 96 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, 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 2007 for nearly $3 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points. Andre Agassi, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
Comerica Bank Challenger
Monday, July 14th
Seascape Sports Club
Aptos, CA.
Purse: $75,000
Surface: Hard - Outdoor
RESULTS -- Monday, July 14:
Men's Singles - First Round
Artem Sitak, Russia, def. Tim Smyczek, United States, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Antonio Ruiz-Rosales (Q), Mexico, def. Nima Roshan (WC), United States, 6-4, 6-3
Phillip Simmonds (WC), United States, def. Cecil Mamiit, Philipines, 6-3, 7-5
Ti Chen, Taipei, def. Brian Brogan (Q), United States 6-1, 6-3
Todd Paul (Q), United States, def. Alex Clayton (WC), United States, 6-2, 6-3
Carsten Ball, Australia, def. Philip King, United States, 7-5, 6-3
Men's Doubles - First Round
Brian Cummings and Pablo Pires De Almeida (WC), United States def. Mason Fuller and Aba Omodele (WC), United States, 7-5, 6-2
Noam Okun and Amir Weintraub, Israel, def. Alessandro Da Col and Andrea Stoppini, Italy, 6-2, 6-1.
Men's Doubles - Final Qualifying Round
Jordan Kepler and Jeff Mullen, United States, def. McCarton Ackerman and Peter Kepler, United States, 6-0, 6-0