SARASOTA, April 12, 2016
The tournament’s top-seed was ousted in the first round of the White Sands Realty Group/Joey Gratton Foundation $100,000 Sarasota Open.
20-year old New Yorker Noah Rubin took two hours and 33 minutes and three-sets to upset Denis Kudla of Northern Virginia. Kudla had set-point at 5-4 in the first set but lost the game and the set, 7-5. Kudla bounced back to win the second-set 6-2. In the third set tie-breaker, Rubin had several match points before holding on for a win, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6.
Also Monday, former top 50 player and local resident, Ryan Harrison was ousted in the first round.
Harrison was up 5-2 over Guilherme Clezar of Brazil, but the wheels fell off. Fans near the mid-court later said they heard Harrison loudly calling his opponent names at the change-over before losing 7-5. Clezar kept the momentum going, winning the second set 6-2. Final score, Clezar 7-5, 6-2.
