TEMPLETON, September 26, 2019 (by Steve Pratt)
Former US Open doubles champion and Top 10 singles player CoCo Vandeweghe continued her injury comeback with a big upset over No. 2-seeded Usue Arconada, 6-4, 6-4, on Wednesday night at the third annual Central Coast Pro Tennis Open, a USTA Pro Circuit $60,000 women’s event taking place at the Templeton Tennis Ranch.
The USTA wild card Vandeweghe used her big serve and solid ground strokes to knock off the 20-year-old College Park, Md., resident Arconada.
“I’m feeling good and happy to be playing here in California and getting a start to my season,” Vandeweghe told TTR’s Director of Tennis Scott Clere and the enthusiastic crowd after the match. “I don’t know if anyone knew but I haven’t played for most of the year and had two stress fractures in my foot and couldn’t walk for about three months so I’m trying to make my way back to the tour. I’ve had a great time and it’s beautiful and I love playing here.”
It was a great day for Vandeweghe’s CCPTO doubles partner and former Australian Open quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers, another player coming back from an injury as Rogers posted a solid 6-2, 6-4 win over Russia’s Anna Morgina.
“She was a great player and she already had a couple matches through qualies so she’s very comfortable with the surfaces, the courts, the heat,” Rogers said. “But I thought I played pretty well and was disciplined throughout and pretty solid and I thought I served really well. It was nice to not worry about holding so it’s nice to get through to the next round.”
Shelby Rogers continued her comeback with a win over Anna Morgina of Russia, 6-2, 6-4. Here what Shelby had to say after her match. pic.twitter.com/YzihehoxNf
— TempletonTennisRanch (@ttrtennis) September 26, 2019
Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and the 26-year-old Rogers from Charleston, S.C., both return to second-round singles action on Thursday, and will also play doubles together in the night match following the singles that begins at 6 p.m.
In 2017, the pairing of Vandeweghe-Rogers clinched the 2017 Fed Cup title for the U.S. over Belarus in Minsk.
“I had knee surgery last year so it’s been tough and I missed it a lot,” Rogers said. “These girls out here are tough, but It’s one match at a time.”
Former world No. 5, 2014 Wimbledon finalist and the CCPTO No. 3 seed Genie Bouchard had a quick Central Coast visit as she fell to Romania’s Gabriela Talaba, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
In other highlighted matches, top-seeded Varvara Lepchenko took out former USTA Girls’ National Junior champion Ashley Kratzer, 6-0, 6-2. Local favorite Sophie Whittle came up short against former USC star Giuliana Olmos of Mexico, taking the first set 3-6, but was not able to finish in a 6-3, 6-4 loss.
But Whittle is still alive in the tournament in doubles. In the night’s final match, Whittle and Santa Barbara’s Kayla Day advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Brynn Boren and Kratzer. Former junior rivals Day and Whittle seemed relaxed and comfortable playing for the first time together.
Wednesday’s First-Round Main-Draw Singles Scores
Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, def. Sophie Whittle, U.S., 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Pamela Montez, U.S., def. Tara Moore, Great Britain, U.S., 7-5, 6-0
Catherine Harrison, U.S., def. Ann Li (4), U.S., 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Emina Bektas, U.S., def. Ellie Douglas, U.S., 6-3, 7-5
Shelby Rogers, U.S., def. Anna Morgina, Russia, 6-2, 6-4
Maria Mateas, U.S., def. Sanaz Marand, U.S., 7-5, 6-1
Gabriela Talaba, Romania, def. Genie Bouchard (3), Canada, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko (1), U.S., def. Ashley Kratzer, U.S., 6-0, 6-2
Katie Volynets, U.S., def. Deniz Khazaniuk (7), Israel, 1-6, 6-1, 6-0
Elysia Bolton, U.S., def. Klara Koosan (wc), U.S., 6-1, 7-5
CoCo Vandeweghe (wc), U.S., def. Usue Arconada (2), U.S., 6-4, 6-4
Wednesday’s Main-Draw First-Round Doubles Scores
Angela Kulikov, U.S./Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, def. Quinn Gleason, U.S./Ingrid Neel (1), U.S., 7-6 (4), 6-3
Gabriela Talaba, Romania/Marcela Zacarias, Mexico, def. Delanie Dunkle, U.S./Emily Monaghan, U.S., 6-7 (4), 6-1, 10-4
Victoria Duval, U.S./Catherine Harrison, U.S., def. Angelina Gavueva, Russia/Anna Morgina, Russia, 6-0, 6-4
Kayla Day, U.S./Sophie Whittle, U.S., def. Brynn Boren, U.S./Ashley Kratzer, U.S., 6-3, 6-2
