Caty McNally – Evansville Tennis Center

Ann Li Wins First Pro Title

Ryan McDaniel — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 22:49:39 +0000

Sunday afternoon Ann Li (Devon,PA) captured her first professional title. Li was the 2017 Wimbledon junior finalist. She lost to fellow American Claire Liu in the second-ever all-American girls final at Wimbledon, dating back to 1947. Li was given a wild card by the USTA to play in this years Women’s Hospital Classic. She drew a tough first round opponent in Alexa Graham. Graham, a standout North Carolina Tar Heel came off a terrific season with the team finishing ranked top 5 among all NCAA Division I teams. Li defeated Graham 6-3, 7-5. Li’s next round opponent was fellow teenage American stand out, Whitney Osuigwe. Osuigwe won the Rolland Garros junior title in 2017. Li went on to win 7-6, 6-1. Caty McNally became Li’s quarterfinal opponent after beating Madeleine Kobelt 6-3, 6-0. After defeating McNally 6-1, 6-3, Li beat Lorraine Guillermo in the semi finals 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Her final opponent entered the week with 25 combined Pro Circuit titles but the teenager lived up to the hype beating Marcela Zacarias in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Congratulations to Ann Li on her first title. For more information on this years Women’s Hospital Classic please visit the tournament website.

Seeds Go the Distance

Ryan McDaniel — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 00:41:00 +0000

Lorraine Guillermo

Play continued Thursday, with the tournament moving indoors. The round of 16 brought many anticipated match ups and they did not disappoint. Five seeds remained as the day began, and four will move on. Top seeded Caitlin Whoriskey was tested early and often by the 17-year-old Ellie Douglas. Caitlin and Ellie split the first two sets 6-3. But Whoriskey ultimately pulled ahead with a break of serve in the third set. She would go on to win the final set 6-3. Whoriskey will play qualifier Lorraine Guillermo Friday. Guillermo took down sixth seeded Alexandra Morozova. After dropping a close first set (6-4), Guillermo responded by taking the second and third sets 6-1, and 6-2 respectively.

Caty McNally, who has won five straight matches – including qualifying, beat Syracuse alumna Madeleine Kobelt in straight sets. McNally will play fellow American Ann Li. In a very anticipated matchup of Grand Slam finalists, Li ousted Whitney Osuigwe. The first set between the two teenagers came down to just a few points. The first set ended in a tiebreak, 7-4, favoring Li. Li took the tiebreak momentum into the second set and never looked back, winning 6-1 in the following set.

Kennedy Shaffer needed three sets to beat qualifier Abigail Desiatnikov 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. The defending Women’s Hospital Classic champion will face fifth seeded Allie Kiick in the quarterfinals.

Marcela Zacarias

The remaining quarterfinals matchup will feature two fellow country woman (Mexico), Sebastiani Leon and Marcela Zacarias. Zacarias played Sara Daavettila in the round of 16. Daavettila had previously earned two consecutive wild cards to play the Women’s Hospital Classic in the past.

Sunday’s July 23 – SCHEDULE

Court 9 – starting at 9 a.m.
Ann Li vs Caty McNally
Caitlin Whoriskey vs Loraine Guillermo
Garcia / Proctor vs Devidze/ Morra

Court 12 – starting at 9 a.m.
Allie Kiick vs Kennedy Shaffer
Sebastiani Leon vs Marcela Zacarias
Guillermo / Kobelt vs Morozova vs Nemtsova

Teen Matchup Set for Thursday

Ryan McDaniel — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 22:12:05 +0000

Remaining main draw matches brought a lot of excitement today. As the first round concluded, fans were treated to several three set matches. Sixth seeded Alexandra Morozova needed all three sets to take down wild-card winner Dalayna Hewitt. After two and a half hours, Morozova won 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7). Meanwhile over on Court 1, Osuigwe and Stewart pushed each other to the limit. Both girls battled through pain as their match also lasted two and a half hours with Osuigwe winning 6-1,3-6,7-6(3). But the longest match of the day belonged to Court 9 (stadium court). Cameron Morra and Marcela Zacarias fought for three hours with Zacarias ultimately pulling it out. 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2.

Wimbledon junior singles finalist, Ann Li defeated fellow American Alexa Graham 6-3, 7-5. Li will look to continue her hot streak tomorrow against Whitney Osuigwe. Osuigwe and Li recently played each other at the Easter Bowl Championships. Osuigwe won 7-5, 7-6(5). Osuigwe is currently the 2nd ranked junior in the world while Li is ranked 14th.

Other winners today include Ellie Douglas (USA), Lorraine Guillermo (USA), Taylor Robinson (USA), and Caty McNally. McNally who qualified for the second straight year defeated Jaeda Daniel routinely with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Miami (OH) bound Makenzie Myers drew a large crowd as the local community cheered her on against Abigail Desiatnikov. Desiatnikov downed the wild card recipient 6-1, 6-0.
Caitlin Whoriskey is scheduled to play Ellie Douglas. Douglas is currently the number 23-rankd junior in the world. She reached the doubles quarterfinals at junior Wimbledon this year and also advanced to the third round in singles. She also reached the finals of Easter Bowl this spring.

Defending champion, Kennedy Shaffer will play Abigail Desiatnikov. Desiatnikov qualified this year and had a career high junior ranking inside the top 100.

To view Thursday July 27th schedule please visit USTA Pro Circuit

American Seeds Advance as Qualifying Ends

Ryan McDaniel — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 21:14:29 +0000

The main draw is set. On the last day of qualifying, eight ladies advanced to the main draw. Wimbledon junior doubles finalist Caty McNally beat Salome Devidze 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Peyton Stearns defeated national champion Elysia Bolton 7-6(5), 0-6, 6-3. Katerina Stewart, Abigail Desiatnikov, Kolie Allen, Cassie Mercer, and Jada Robinson filled out the rest of the main draw with victories.

As those women filled out the main draw, some main draw matches already began. Allie Kiick, seeded fifth, defeated fellow American Stephanie Nemtsova 6-0, 6-1. Kennedy Shaffer was in dominate form as she beat Anastasia Nefedova 6-1, 6-2. Shaffer will play the winner of tomorrow’s match between McKenzie Myers and Abigail Desiatnikov.

Top seeded Caitlin Whoriskey downed former Grand Slam champion Alona Bondarenko. Whoriskey managed to convert five of her thirteen break points. Whoriskey also won 82% of her first serve points which helped lead the way to a first round victory 7-5, 6-1.

Main draw play continues on Wednesday with both local wildcard recipients scheduled to play. Dalayna Hewitt, who earned the wild card in June by winning the local Woodie Championship (City Championships) is scheduled to play Alexandra Morozova. Hewitt returns back to Evansville after winning both singles and doubles in a junior ITF event. Her opponent has won two career doubles titles on the Pro Circuit.

McKenzie Myers will also be featured on Wednesday. Myers, who trains at Tri-State Athletic Club, was given a local wild card into the main draw. This is the third straight year in which Myers has received or earned a local wild card. In 2015, Myers earned the local main draw wild card by winning the wild card tournament hosted by the Evansville Community Tennis Association. Last year, Myers and Addison Brown were given a local wild card to play in the main draw of doubles. Due to a scheduling conflict Myers was unable to play in the singles qualifying draw. Myers will attend Miami (OH) University next fall. She represented Memorial High School at the IHSAA state finals this year. She was the first Memorial player to reach the state finals since Macie Elliott won the title in 2010-2011. Myers will play Abigail Desiatnikov. They are the third match scheduled on Court 9.

Wednesday will also feature a terrific match-up of two incredibly talented girls. Alexa Graham, who just completed her first season at the University of North Carolina, where she received ALL-ACC honors and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team. She holds two USTA Pro Circuit and ITF Pro Circuit singles titles ($10,00 Hilton Head Island, S.C. in 2015, and $15,000 Victoria, Canada, in 2017). Her opponent Ann Li, received a wild card to play in this years event. Li reached this year’s Wimbledon junior final, facing Claire Liu in the second ever all-American girls final at Wimbledon, dating back to 1947. She has reached a career high ranking of no. 14 in the ITF World Junior Rankings. She has committed to play at Louisiana State University. In their last matchup Graham defeated Li 7-5, 6-4.

Wednesday, July 26 – SCHEDULE
Court 1 – starting at 9 a.m.
Ellie Douglas vs Peyton Stearns
Katerina Stewart vs Whitney Osuigwe
Garcia/ Proctor vs Bondarenko/ Nefedova
Derienzo / Raszkiewicz vs Kiick / Stewart
Court 7 – starting at 9 a.m.
Jada Robinson vs Taylor Johnson
Dalayna Hewitt vs Alexandra Morozova
Kolie Allen vs Cassie Mercer
Abrams/Song vs Morozova vs Nemtsova
Court 9 – starting at 9 a.m.
Cameron Morra vs Marcela Zacarias
Alexa Graham vs Ann Li
Makenzie Myers vs Abigail Desiatnikov
Daavettila / Graham vs Stearns / Tona
Court 12 – starting at 9 a.m.
Lorraine M. Guillermo vs Anika Yarlagadda
Caty McNally vs Jaeda Daniel
Guillermo / Kobelt vs Leon / Petrick
Douglas / Johnson vs Shaffer / Zacarias

Young Hopefuls Survive Again

Ryan McDaniel — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 20:31:14 +0000

Many juniors were featured in the second day of qualifying at the Women’s Hospital Classic. Five juniors advanced and will play tomorrow for a spot in the main draw. Elysia Bolton and Peyton Stearns, both juniors, will face each other. Bolton advanced today by walkover while Stearns used all three sets to down Caitlin Bernard. Caty McNally cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory today to set up a match against Salome Devidze. They are scheduled on Stadium Court as the second match on. Abigail Desiatnikov, Kolie Allen, and Jada Robinson also pulled out victories today, giving them one more match to win before gaining entry into the main draw.

Monday’s schedule will feature a mix of qualifying and main draw matches. Caitlin Whoriskey, 2014 finalist, is scheduled to play Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine on Stadium Court, not before 11:00 am.. Top seeded Whoriskey competed in the doubles draw at Wimbledon thus year and is currently ranked inside the top 125 in women’s doubles. The former University of Tennessee standout, was named the 2010 College Senior Player of the Year after leading the Volunteers to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Last year’s champion, Kennedy Shaffer returns to Evansville to defend her title. She is entering her senior year at the University of Georgia where she received All-America honors in doubles this past season. She also received All-America honors in singles in her sophomore season. Shaffer is scheduled to play on Court 1, not before 11:00am.

Playing just her fourth tournament since July 2015, Allie Kiick makes her Evansville debut. Kiick has missed time with four knee surgeries and after being diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer. She peaked at world number 136 in 2014, and looks to get back into form this week. As a junior she was a singles finalist at the 2013 USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships.

Sunday’s July 23 – SCHEDULE

Court 1 – starting at 9 a.m.
Elysia Bolton vs Peyton Stearns
Kollie Allen vs Madison Appel
Anastasia Nefedova vs Kennedy Shaffer
Boyd/Iyer vs Daniel/Parks

Court 7 – starting at 9 a.m.
Lorraine M. Guillermo vs Csilla Fodor
Olivia Hauger vs Cassie Mercer
Mirana Tona vs Sebastiani Leon
Audrey Marquard vs Madeleine Kobelt

Court 9 (Stadium Court) – starting at 9 a.m.
Lauren Proctor vs Katerina Stewart
Salome Devidze vs Caty McNally
Caitlin Whoriskey vs Alona Bondarenko
Sara Daavetilla vs Magdalena Ekert

Court 12 – starting at 9 a.m.
Abigail Desiatnikov vs Kathleen Derienzo
Jada Robinson vs Meghan Kelley
Allie Kiick vs Stephanie Nemtsova
Fisch/Meyer vs Devidze/Morra

McNally travels from Wimbeldon to Evansville to compete in The Women’s Hospital Classic

Ryan McDaniel — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 01:43:07 +0000

Caty McNally reached the doubles final at Junior Wimbledon a few weeks ago and is now in Evansville competing in The Women’s Hospital Classic for her second year in a row. The fifteen year old is currently the number 26 ranked junior player in the world. After two rain delays, McNally defeated Cydnee Wilkinson 6-0, 6-0 to win her first round match. McNally will play tomorrow at 9 am on court 1.

To view Monday’s Order of Play click here

Women’s Hosptial Classic – Sunday Review / Monday Preview

Ryan McDaniel — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 22:49:58 +0000

The 26th ranked junior, Caty McNally beat Cyndee Wilkinson 6-0,6-0 today. McNally a native of Ohio, returns to Evansville after a second round finish in 2016. Last year McNally made her way through qualifying to beat Anastasia Nefedova. McNally lost to Sara Daavettila in the following round. McNally is scheduled to play Sumvruta Iyengar Monday. They are scheduled for the first match of the day on Court 1.

Kolie Allen made her second trip to Evansville this year. Allen played and won the Evansville Community Tennis Association’s National Junior event in May. Allen, who is currently ranked 31 will play Lisa Thomas on Court 3. They will begin at 9:00 a.m.

University of Southern Indiana signee Lauryn Thompson, drew Indiana University senior Madison Appel on Sunday’s first round. Appel beat Thompson 6-0,6-0 and will play Ceijenia Cornelius of Oral Roberts University.

Monday Order of Play- 9:00am Start Time

Monday July 23 – SCHEDULE
Court 1 – starting at 9 a.m.
Caty McNally vs Sumvutra Iyengar
Kathleen Derienzo vs Eva Raszkiewicz
Court 2 – starting at 9 a.m.
Abigail Desiatnikov vs Mackenzy Middlebrooks
Sophie Abrams vs Salome Devidze
Court 3 – starting at 9 a.m.
Kolie Allen vs Lisa Thomas
Katerina Stewart vs TBA
Court 4 – starting at 9 a.m.
Madison Appel vs Celjenia Cornelius
Sophia Hatton vs Lauren Proctor
Court 5 – starting at 9 a.m.
Olivia Hauger vs Lindsay Song
Csilla Fodor vs Alexis Thoma
Court 6 – starting at 9 a.m.
Madison Westby vs Cassie Mercer
Lorraine M. Guillermo vs Audrey Ann Blakely
Court 11 – starting at 9 a.m.
Jada Robinson vs Chiara Lommer
Caitlin Bernard vs Peyton Stearns
Court 12 – starting at 9 a.m.
Meghan Kelley vs Ayan Broomfield
Charlotte Petrick vs Elysia Bolton