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KJ Hippensteel qualified into the main draw
© Aptos Challenger
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APTOS, Calif. – Americans Todd Paul and KJ Hippensteel advanced to the main draw of the $75,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, held at the Seascape Sports Club. Only one of the seeded players in Sunday's matches failed to advance.
No. 1 seed Todd Paul, from the United States, won his final-round qualifying match over fellow American Stephen Stege, 6-2, 6-0. Paul, with a current world ranking of No. 624, will be making his first main-draw appearance in a Challenger event.
No. 2 seed KJ Hippensteel, also from the United States, who resided among the world's top 150 in 2004, defeated fellow American Abos Omodele, 6-2, 6-1. He will play Italian Andrea Stoppini in his opening-round match.
The only upset of the day came from American Brian Brogan, who defeated fellow American Pablo Pires De Almeida, the No. 4 seed, 6-1, 6-1. Brogan also knocked off No. 5 seed Mason Fuller in Saturday's play. No. 3 seed Antonio Ruiz-Rosales, from Mexico, overcame a slow start to defeat Alex Strom of the United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
The first match of the day Monday on Stadium Court pits American Tim Smyczek against Artem Sitak of Russia in a first-round men's singles match. Aptos nephew and uncle, Jordan and Peter Kepler, square off in a final-round qualifying doubles match, as Jordan Kepler and Jeff Mullen, from the United States, play Peter Kepler and McCarton Ackerman, from the United States. The night session kicks off at 5:30 p.m. and features Americans Michael McClune and Kevin Kim.
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
Sunday, July 13th
Seascape Sports Club
Aptos, CA.
Purse: $75,000
Surface: Hard - Outdoor
Sunday, July 13 - Results:
Qualifying Singles - Final round
Todd Paul (1), United States, def. Stephen Stege, United States, 6-2, 6-0
KJ Hippensteel (2), United States, def. Aba Omodele, United States, 6-2, 6-1
Antonio Ruiz-Rosales, Mexico, def. Alex Strom, United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
Brian Brogan, United States, def. Pablo Pires de Almeida, United States, 6-1, 6-1