Monday, July 17, 2017

Stockton Challenger schedule features top attractions

Kimiko Date, 46, will play seventh-seeded Usue Maitane
Arconada, 18, on Tuesday in the first round of the Stockton
(Calif.) Challenger. 2015 photo by Mal Taam
   Top-seeded Kristie Ahn, ageless wonder Kimiko Date and cancer survivor Victoria Duval are scheduled to play on Tuesday in the $60,000 University of the Pacific Stockton Challenger.
   Ahn, a 25-year-old former Stanford star ranked No. 117, will meet 20-year-old Sophie Chang of Havre de Grace, Md., not before 10 a.m. on the Stadium Court in the first round of the main draw at Pacific's Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center.
   In the following match on the Stadium Court, Date (pronounced DAH-tay), 46, of Japan will take on seventh-seeded Usue (pronounced OO-sway) Maitane Arconada, an 18-year-old resident of College Park, Md.
   Date returned to competition in May after undergoing two operations on her left knee and missing 15 months. She climbed to a career-high No. 4 in 1995, retired in 1996, returned 12 years later and reached the semifinals of the inaugural Stockton Challenger in 2015.
   Duval, 21, of Bradenton, Fla., will meet Southern Californian Kristina N. Smith at 9 a.m. on Court 2 in the final round of qualifying. Duval, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma shortly after reaching a career-high No. 87 in 2014, outlasted American Megan McCray 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-4.
   Ahn's former teammate at Stanford, Nicole Gibbs, withdrew from the Stockton Challenger. She played World TeamTennis for the host Orange County Breakers on Monday night.
   Seeded first in Stockton last year, Gibbs lost to Arina Rodionova of Australia 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) in the second round. The grueling match lasted 2 hours, 24 minutes in 98-degree (36.7 Celsius) heat.
  Also playing in the final round of qualifying on Tuesday at 9 a.m. will be Northern Californians Michaela Gordon, who will turn 18 on July 26, on the Stadium Court and Allie Will on Court 1.
   Here are the singles and doubles main draws, the qualifying draw and Tuesday's schedule.

No comments:

Post a Comment