TEMPLETON, September 28, 2019 (by Steve Pratt)
Playing on the same court, in the same round, against the same opponent, it was the same result for Grace Min as she defeated the Central Coast Pro Tennis Open’s only remaining seeded player Jovana Jaksic of Serbia, 7-6 (4), 6-0, on Friday to advance to the semifinals in the USTA Pro Circuit Women’s $60,000 event at the Templeton Tennis Ranch.
The 24-year-old Min, who trains full-time at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., beat Jaksic on Court 2 just like she did one year ago. “It was a really tight first set and I was able to save a couple of set points,” said Min, who has played all three CCPTO tournaments. “It could have gone either way and it was really close in the breaker and I was able to put a few points together and found my timing and didn’t make too many errors.”
She added: “I love playing here and love Templeton. You really feel the enthusiasm of all the people who come out and watch and it makes it really enjoyable as a player to be part of that.”
Min, ranked No. 370 on the WTA World Tour rankings, will meet fellow American and tournament wild-card CoCo Vandeweghe in the semifinals following the doubles final Saturday. In the other semifinal, Shelby Rogers will take on the fourth American to advance to the final four as Emina Bektas also posted a straight-set win beating current UCLA sophomore and qualifier Elysia Bolton, 6-3, 6-3.
“It was a tough and hard fought match and I’m happy to move on,” Vandeweghe said. “Being in the semis is great. I haven’t played Grace in a long time and I’m hoping I can come out on top tomorrow.”
The former French Open quarterfinalist Rogers downed former Duke star Maria Mateas, 6-2, 6-2, one night after the qualifier Mateas upset the tournament’s top-seeded player.
In the doubles final Saturday to lead off the day at 11 a.m., Vladica Babic of Montenegro and Caitlin Whoriskey, the only remaining seeds at No. 3, will face Gabriela Talaba of Romania and Marcela Zacarias of Mexico. It’s the first time Zacarias and Talaba have played together.
Friday’s Quarterfinal Singles Scores
CoCo Vandeweghe (wc), U.S., def. Hanna Chang, U.S., 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Grace Min, U.S., def. Jovana Jaksic (6), Serbia, 7-6 (4), 6-0
Shelby Rogers, U.S., def. Maria Mateas (q), U.S., 6-2, 6-2
Emina Bektas, U.S., def. Elysia Bolton (q), U.S., 6-3, 6-3
Friday’s Semifinal Doubles Scores
Vladica Babic, Montenegro/Caitlin Whoriskey (3), U.S., def. Angela Kulikov, U.S./Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, 6-1, 4-6, 10-2
Gabriela Talaba, Romania/Marcela Zacarias, Mexico, def. Emma Bektas, U.S./Tara Moore (4), Great Britain, 6-3, 6-4
