Hardebeck Upsets Top-Seeded Jones In Carson
Fifteen-year-old qualifier Krista Hardebeck of Santa Ana upset top-seeded Sacha Jones on Wednesday during Day 3 of the LA Open Women’s $50,000 Challenger, a USTA pro circuit event, at the Home Depot Center.
Hardebeck got a wild card into qualifying but won for the fourth straight day as she won her first main draw professional match. As shocking as the upset itself was the score in the final set as Hardebeck blanked Jones, the No. 1 player in New Zealand ranked No. 158 ranked player in the world, 6-0. Hardebeck won the first set 6-4 and dropped the second 6-4 before “finding her rhythm” and rolling in the biggest win of her young career.
“I just stayed focused and was thinking I can’t get tight here because she started to step up her game,” said Haredeck who was featured as a Faces in the Crowd in Sports Illustrated just last week. “I knew she would pick up her game because she’s ranked so high and such a good player. I just had to remind myself to relax and play my game.”
Hardebeck, who is coached by Lindsay Davenport’s former coach Robert Van’t Hof, earned the wild card into qualifying by virtue of her win back in April at the Carson ITF International Spring Championships, a tournament that Jones also won back in 2007. Hardebeck went on to win the Easter Bowl girls’ 18s the following week.
The last player to win the two events back-to-back? Melanie Oudin who did it in 2008.
“I wanted to get into this tournament to get some points so once I qualified for the main draw I thought that was good enough and that I had my points,” Hardebeck said. “I just figured win or lose that today was going to be fun. I had the chance to play someone really good so I was excited about that.”
Hardebeck will face 17-year-old Stanford-bound Nicole Gibbs of Manhattan Beach in the second round on Thursday.
The women’s tournament also lost its No. 2, 3 and 5 seeded players with Americans pulling off two of the upsets over fellow Americans. Former UCLA star Elizabeth Lumpkin beat No. 2 seeded Lauren Albanese 6-4, 6-4 and Asia Muhammad downed No. 5 Angela Haynes, 6-2, 6-0.
On the men’s side, No. 4 seeded Donald Young advanced to the quarterfinals with a solid 6-2, 6-4 win over Bobby Reynolds. He’ll next face Tim Smyczek, who upset No. 7 seeded Nick Lindahl of Australia in three sets.
It was announced earlier in the day that the Carson title sponsor the LA Men’s Open — the ATP event to be played at UCLA July 26-Aug. 1 — has a new name, the Farmer’s Classic. Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has reached an agreement with the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) to become the title sponsor of the popular men’s tournament run by Bob Kramer.
For more information on the tournament, please onto the website at www.usta.com/carsonchallenger.com.
Second Round
Donald Young ( USA ) [4] def. Bobby Reynolds ( USA ) 6-2, 6-4
Tim Smyczek ( USA ) def. Nick Lindahl [7] (AUS) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Peter Polansky (CAN) [8] def. Jamie Baker (GBR) [WC] 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Dayne Kelly (AUS) def. Samuel Groth (AUS) 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(4)
First Round
Eric Nunez ( USA ) [Q] def. Dennis Gremelmayr (GER) 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-4
First Round
Treat Huey (PHI) / Izak Van Der Merwe (RSA) [3] def. Luka Gregorc (SLO) / Alex Kuznetsov ( USA ) 6-1, 6-3
Brian Battistone ( USA ) / Nick Monroe ( USA ) def. Paul Capdeville (CHI) / Rylan Rizza ( USA ) 6-3, 6-2
Artem Sitak (RUS) / Leonardo Tavares (POR) def. Robert Kendrick ( USA ) / Bobby Reynolds ( USA ) 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-7
Michael Ryderstedt (SWE) / Andreas Siljestrom (SWE) def. Dennis Gremelmayr (GER) / Kevin Kim ( USA ) 7-6(6), 6-1
Asia Muhammad ( USA ) def. Angela Haynes ( USA ) [5] 6-2, 6-0
Ahsha Rolle ( USA ) def. Tamaryn Hendler (BEL) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(6)
Alina Jidkova (RUS) def. Ivana Lisjak (CRO) [3] 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
Elizabeth Lumpkin ( USA ) def. Lauren Albanese ( USA ) [2] 6-4, 6-4
Lena Litvak ( USA ) def. Aranza Salut (ARG) 6-2, 6-4
Krista Hardebeck ( USA ) def. Sacha Jones (NZL) [1] 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
Petra Rampre (SLO) def. Marina Giral Lores (VEN) 7-5, 6-4
Olga Puchkova (RUS) def. Story Tweedie-Yates ( USA ) 6-3, 6-4
Women’s Doubles
Kristie Ahn ( USA ) / Nicole Gibbs ( USA ) def. Angela Haynes ( USA ) [3] / Ahsha Rolle ( USA ) 6-3, 6-4
Julie Ditty ( USA ) / Alina Jidkova (RUS) [1] def. Kaitlyn Christian ( USA ) / Olivia Janowicz ( USA ) 4-6, 6-2, [10-5]
Kimberly Couts ( USA ) / Tetiana Luzhanska (UKR) def. Aranza Salut (ARG) / Shikha Uberoi ( IND ) 6-4, 6-3
Christina Fusano ( USA ) / Courtney Nagle ( USA ) [4] def. Lauren Albanese ( USA ) / Gail Brodsky ( USA ) 6-0, 1-0 Ret.
Ivana Lisjak (CRO) / Asia Muhammad ( USA ) def. Macall Harkins ( USA ) / Story Tweedie-Yates ( USA ) 6-4, 6-3
Lindsay Lee-Waters ( USA ) [2] / Megan Moulton-Levy def. Shelby Rogers ( USA ) / Coco Vandeweghe ( USA ) 6-1, 6-2
CENTER COURT start 10 AM
L Cook (USA) vs [2] B Dabul (ARG)
C Vandeweghe (USA) vs T Luzhanska (UKR)
[Q] K Hardebeck (USA) vs N Gibbs (USA)
[1] J Levine (USA) vs M Matosevic (AUS)
B Battistone (USA) / N Monroe (USA) vs [WC] G Ouellette (USA) / D Young (USA)
[6] A Kuznetsov (USA) vs [Q] E Nunez (USA)
V Estrella (DOM) vs [5] R Kendrick (USA)
M Ryderstedt (SWE) / A Siljestrom (SWE) vs [2] L Cook (USA) / D Martin (USA)
P Rampre (SLO) vs [Q] E Lumpkin (USA)
A Rolle (USA) vs [4] M Lucic (CRO)
K Couts (USA) / T Luzhanska (UKR) vs [2] L Lee-Waters ( USA ) / M Moulton-Levy ( USA ) – Court and Time TBA
[4] S Groth (AUS) / H Mankad (IND) vs B Joelson (USA) / T Smyczek (USA)
L Litvak (USA) vs [7] L Lee-Waters (USA)
A Sitak (RUS) / L Tavares (POR) vs [3] T Huey (PHI) / I Van Der Merwe (RSA)
[1] J Ditty (USA) / A Jidkova (RUS) vs B Augustine (USA) / J Elie (USA)
A Jidkova (RUS) vs K Couts (USA)
A Muhammed (USA) vs [WC] B Augustine (USA)
K Ahn (USA) vs O Puchkova (RUS)
[4] C Fusano (USA) / C Nagle (USA) vs A Duarte (BRA) / L Litvak (USA)
I Lisjak (CRO) / A Muhammed ( USA ) vs K Ahn (USA) / N Gibbs (USA) – Court and Time TBA
Topics: 18s, Coach Robert, Easter Bowl, Elizabeth Lumpkin, Faces In The Crowd, Fellow Americans, Former Coach, Home Depot, Home Depot Center, International Spring, Itf International, Lindsay Davenport, Manhattan Beach, Melanie Oudin, Open Women, Sacha Jones, Santa Ana, Seeded Players, Spring Championships, Ucla Star, Wild Card, World 6
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