Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Two Americans beat seeds in Redding Challenger

   REDDING, Calif. -- Two former college stars from the United States knocked off seeds today in the first round of The Ascension Project $25,000 Women's Challenger.
   Jacqueline Cako, a 23-year-old former All-American at Arizona State, ousted No. 6 Marina Shamayko of Russia 6-0, 7-5 at Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness. Wild card Kristie Ahn, a 22-year-old former All-American at Stanford, eliminated No. 8 Fatma Al Nabhani of Oman 7-5, 6-1.
   With the opening round complete, the only other seed to fall was No. 5 Petra Rampre of Slovenia on Tuesday.
   Ahn reached the Redding semifinals in 2012 and won the deciding match in Stanford's 4-3 victory over Texas A&M in last year's NCAA final. She completed her eligibility in May after helping the Cardinal reach the NCAA semifinals and advancing to the round of 16 in singles.
   Al Nabhani, a 23-year-old right-hander, received treatment on her right shoulder at 1-2 in the second set. She and Cako, the top seeds in doubles, later beat Megan and Morgan McCray of Oceanside in Southern California 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   That prevented an all-sisters quarterfinal against Alexandra and Kat Facey of Cameron Park in the Sacramento area. The Faceys, 21-year-old fraternal twins, are juniors at UC Irvine. Morgan McCray, 20, and Megan, 19, played at Oklahoma State in the spring.
   Cako made her Grand Slam debut in the recent U.S. Open, falling in the first round of mixed doubles with  Joel Kielbowicz to Taylor Townsend and Donald Young 7-5, 6-3 in an all-American matchup. Cako and Kielbowicz had earned a wild card by winning the U.S. Open National Playoffs, open to all players in the country 14 years old and over.  
   Cako is trying to reach her third straight Redding doubles final with her third partner. She won the title in 2012 with Sanaz Marand and was the runner-up last year with Allie Kiick.
   Also advancing in singles today was Felicity Maltby, 17, of Sunnyvale in the San Francisco Bay Area. Maltby dismissed fellow qualifier Elizabeth Profit, 18, of Lomita in the Los Angeles area 6-2, 6-2 to earn a meeting with top-seeded Mayo Hibi of Japan on Thursday.
   Maltby and Profit have verbally committed to Big 12 Conference rivals Texas Tech and Baylor, respectively, beginning next year. Profit, a Type 1 diabetic, plays with a small insulin pump attached to her waist.
   Meanwhile, three qualifiers from archrivals Stanford and Cal lost.
   Krista Hardebeck, a Cardinal junior from Santa Ana, fell to second-seeded Tara Moore of Great Britain 6-3, 6-2.
   Denise Starr, a Cal sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., suffered a sprained ankle and retired with seventh-seeded Klaartje Liebens of Belgium leading 2-6, 7-5, 3-0.
   And Lyann Hoang, a Bears freshman from Australia, succumbed to third-seeded Zuzana Zlochova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-2.
   Fourth-seeded Tammi Patterson, a 24-year-old Australian, saved two match points in a 7-6 (7), 2-6, 7-5 victory over 17-year-old Akvile Parazinskaite of Lithuania.
THE ASCENSION PROJECT $25,000 WOMEN'S CHALLENGER
At Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness
In Redding, Calif.
First-round singles
   Kristie Ahn, United States, def. Fatma Al Nabhani (8), Oman, 7-5, 6-1.
   Zuzana Zlochova (3), Slovakia, def. Lyann Hoang, United States, 6-1, 6-2.
   Tammi Patterson (4), Australia, def. Akvile Parazinskaite, Lithuania, 7-6 (7), 2-6, 7-5.
   Felicity Maltby, Sunnyvale, def. Elizabeth Profit, United States, 6-2, 6-2.
   Jacqueline Cako, United States, def. Marina Shamayko (6), Russia, 6-0, 7-5.
   Lauren Albanese, United States, def. Marie Norris, United States, 7-5, 6-3.
   Tara Moore (2), Great Britain, def. Krista Hardebeck, United States, 6-3, 6-2,
   Terri Fleming, United States, def. Karolina Wlodarczak, Australia, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
   Klaartje Liebens (7), Belgium, def. Denise Starr, United States, 2-6, 7-5, 3-0, retired (ankle).
First-round doubles
   Sabastiani Leon, Mexico, and Mara Schmidt, United States, def. Mayo Hibi, Japan, and Danielle Mills, United States, 3-6, 7-5 [10-8].
   Fatma Al Nabhani, Oman, and Jacqueline Cako (1), United States, def. Megan McCray and Morgan McCray, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   Leila Hodzic and Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, def. Roxanne Ellison, United States, and Karolina Wlodarczak, Australia, 6-2, 2-6 [10-6].
Thursday's schedule
(Starting at 10 a.m.)
 Court 2
   Tara Moore (2), Great Britain, vs. Lauren Embree, United States.
   Tammi Patterson (4), Australia, vs. Michaela Gordon, Saratoga.
   Zuzana Zlochova (3), Slovakia, vs. Lauren Albanese, United States.
   Fatma Al Nabhani, Oman, and Jacqueline Cako (1), United States, vs. Alexandra Facey and Kat Facey, Cameron Park.
Court 1
   Mayo Hibi (1), Japan, vs. Felicity Maltby, Sunnyvale.
   Klaartje Liebens (7), Belgium, vs. Megan McCray, United States.
   Kristie Ahn, United States, vs. Terri Fleming, United States.
   Tara Moore, Great Britain, and Tammi Patterson (3), Australia, vs. Sabastiani Leon, Mexico, and Mara Schmidt, United States.
Court 3
   Alexandra Stevenson, United States, vs. Ellie Halbauer, United States.
   Jacqueline Cako, United States, vs. Jennifer Brady, United States.
   Leila Hodzic and Anne-Liz Jeukeng, United States, vs. Ellie Halbauer and Malika Rose, United States.
   Jennifer Brady and Lauren Embree, United States, vs. Tory Parravi and Lauren Stratman, United States.

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