Strode, Duclos Play Giant-Killer; Baker Upsets No. 3 Guccione;

2-seed Riske Joins Luzhanska, Zhang in Women’s Quarter-finals

Lexington, KY (July 21) – Unseeded Blake Strode had one of
the biggest wins of his life Thursday night – over defending Lexington
Challenger champ Carsten Ball – because he waited out and frustrated the
big-hitting Australian. That strategy rendered the big differential in world
ranking meaningless – Ball 221, Strode 492.

“I was much more in counter-puncher mode today,” said the
former Arkansas Razorback star. As a result, the fifth-seeded Ball slugged
wildly at balls that more often than not landed closer to the back screen than
the baseline – scoring easy points for Strode.

“I needed to serve well, too, because I knew there wouldn’t
be many breaks,” said Strode, who broke to open the third set and held serve to
win out 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

In the women’s night feature, No. 2 Alison Riske struggled
by 16-year-old Madison Keys 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Riske – who almost enrolled at
Vanderbilt in ’09, but turned pro shortly after playing Lexington – will have
the 7 p.m. spotlight again Friday against 17-year-old Ohioan Lauren Davis, the
third-ranked junior in the world.

Smart-thinking by Strode – who has deferred Harvard Law
School three years – puts him into his first Challenger quarterfinal. “The
difference I think was I got a lot of serves back. (Ball’s) game is not suited
to having to play many points because of his big serve…so I knew he wouldn’t
want to get into long rallies,” said the St. Louis native.

Strode will play another giant-killer in Pierre-Ludovic
Duclos of Canada at (not before) 1:30 Friday.

Duclos, 357 in the world, handled the afternoon heat much
better than No. 4 Fritz Wolmarans (222) of South Africa and prevailed 6-2, 6-4.
“I had nothing to lose,” said Duclos, who also had the confidence of reaching a
$100K Challenger final in Guadalajara, Mexico last month – beating top-seeded
Joao Souza in the semis.

Former Lexington semifinalist but unseeded Jamie Baker of
Great Britain also dealt better with the nauseating on-court heat index than
third-seeded Chris Guccione. “When he’s flying, he’s a match for anybody,”
Baker said. “If he blasted a big serve me, (I thought) just walk away. But, if
I got one on my racket, I had to be ready” to win the rally.

Baker outbattled the tree-tall Australian Davis Cupper 7-5,
7-6 (4) and has a high noon date Friday with Greg Oulette.

One Top Seed (Ward) Survives; the Other (Oudin) Falls

In First Round; Simmonds, Min, Scholl Pull Off Shockers

By Jim Durham, Lexington Challenger Media Director

Lexington, KY (July 20) – Both top seeds were on show simultaneously
Wednesday evening at UK’s Boone Tennis Center, but only one advanced into the
Lexington Challenger second round – Great Britain’s James Ward over the
Tennessee Vol just-turned-pro Rhyne Williams, 6-4, 7-5.

Unseeded Chanel Simmonds of South Africa shocked Melanie
Oudin, who at No. 100 had returned to the site where she won her first
tournament (’08) in hopes of starting the climb back to her career high of No.
31(’09). Oudin looked nothing like the American hope who went to the
quarterfinals of the U.S. Open two years ago – losing the last four games of
the match and appearing panicky as she dropped the final nine points of the
match.

“No one expected me to win, so I could play freely,” said
Simmonds with a huge smile afterwards. “It’s nice to play with no pressure.”

At 5-foot-6, Oudin has to depend on foot speed and striking
balls early for the equalizer against the many lanky women in the sport. But,
against Simmonds – who’s only 5-foot-5 – she was often slow to the ball and hit
many shots that barely cleared the service line.

“No excuses,” said Oudin, denying that a sore shoulder that
took her off the tour two weeks for rest affected her shaky serve or caused the
short balls. “(Chanel’s) lefty swing bothered me, though.”

Oudin hoped to raise her ranking enough this week to get
closer to that No. 90 mark – the probable cut-off for U.S. Open entry. At No.
241, Simmonds had another confidence-builder like her win last year over then
No. 85 Klara Zakopalova (now No. 38). “This over Melanie is my second best
win,” she said.

Thursday afternoon, Simmonds faces a collegian who knows
pressure – qualifier Laureen Embree, who recently won the clinching match for
Florida against Stanford in the NCAA team tournament.

Ward seemed headed for a rubber set, but came back from 2-5
in the second set against the 2011 NCAA singles runner-up. “I was a little
upset with the officiating, but that gave me more motivation,” the British
Davis Cupper said. “I was just down a break, so I told myself to hold serve and
since he’s a little inexperienced maybe he’d lose focus…which is exactly what
happened. That was the time to push.”

He next faces Canada’s Erik Chvojka, who advanced in
straight sets over Nicholas Monroe a day after upsetting No. 8 seed Amer Delic.
Just last month, Ward had the experience of sidelining Stanislas Warinka and
Sam Querrey en route to a semifinal finish at the Wimbledon tune-up Queen’s

Club event in London.

Other seeds to move on were No. 2 Wayne Odesnik and No. 6
Michael Yani on the men’s side. And on the women’s,  No. 4 Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine, No. 7
Heidi El Tabakh of Canada 7-6 in the third, and No. 8 Ling Zhang of Hong Kong.

Earlier, two women’s seeds gave way to teenage girls in the
heat of the day – No. 6 Melinda Czink of Hungary to 19 year-old Chichi Scholl
of Pompano Beach, FL, 6-4, 2-6-6-4 and No. 5 Julia Cohen to 17-year-old Grace
Min of Lawrenceville, GA, 6-4, 6-2. And, both veterans had beaten their younger
opponents the last time they met.

“(Czink) killed me
at Indian Harbour (FL) two months ago – 1 & 2,” said the German-born Scholl,
who decided to just focus on her game and not Czink’s, trailing 4-2 first set.
“I just said ‘next ball, next ball’.”

At age 14, Min defeated Cohen, then lost to her the next
year at 15. Wednesday, the diminutive Min said “I’ve improved a lot since then.
Today I was patient, but I wouldn’t let her dictate with her changing the
height of the ball.”

At No. 617 in the world, Min is 452 spots below Cohen (165)
– but she said she is striving for a Top Ten ranking eventually. Although she’s
not playing doubles in Lexington, Min claimed the Wimbledon Junior doubles
title with Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard.

Tennessee’s Williams Tops Cat Quigley on Big Blue Night;

Men’s Seeds Odesnik, Guccione, Wolmarans, Ball Advance

Ellie Stings Women’s 3-Seed Stephens; No. 2 Riske Wins in 3

By Jim Durham, Lexington Challenger Media Director

Lexington, KY (July 19) – Former Tennessee star Rhyne
Williams, wearing a shirt with the vibrant color favored by his SEC rival, sent
the hometown fans away on a blue note Tuesday night, beating Kentucky Wildcat
star Eric Quigley for the first time ever 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Quigley, who is traveling with the USTA Summer Collegiate
Team, didn’t give the partisan crowd much to cheer about on Big Blue Night at
the Lexington Challenger until he fought back from love-40 at 1-1 in the second
set. Though he ultimately lost the game, his Vol foe knew he was finally in for
a match at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center. “Q” fought
valiantly in the tiebreaker, but in the end hit far too many long forehands –
some of the unforced variety.

“This is the first time I’ve beaten Quigley in six or seven
tries, so I’m happy,” Williams said with a relieved smile. “He’s really good at
taking balls early, so I tried to back him up.”

Williams, who won the NCAA Indoor and was runner-up in the
NCAA singles (outdoor) tournament last month as a sophomore, and rising senior Quigley
were certain to be Top 5 in the collegiate pre-season rankings this fall. But,
that won’t happen after Williams – who won a Futures event at Innisbrook (FL)in
early July – turned pro at the Aptos (CA) Challenger last week.

The Knoxville native will get a true test of his pro game
when he faces top-seeded James Ward, a British Davis Cupper, in one of the 7
p.m. features Wednesday. Top-seeded Melanie Oudin, who won her first pro
tourney in Lexington (2008), has Chanel Simmonds of South Africa in the other.

In the only true upset of the day, Jennifer Ellie (ranked
488 in the world) stung third-seeded Sloane Stephens (No. 131) 6-4, 7-6 (6). “She
normally doesn’t make a lot of errors, so I knew I had to be on my A game,”
said the 24-year-old from Brooklyn, who was quietly pleased to defeat a
teenager ranked 357 spots above her.

“I’ve actually come close to beating a couple of Top 40
women,” said Ellie, noting she felled a seed in Lexington last year. As fate
would have it, she could face that same foe – Maria Alvarez-Teran – in the
second round Thursday. The Bolovian is only 256 ranking spots ahead of Ellie.

The only other women’s seed to see action, No. 2 Alison
Riske pulled out a three-setter against Krista Hardeback. The other six seeds
have first rounds Wednesday.

Three of the four to make it through qualies are well known
on the college scene: former Southern Cal No. 1 Amanda Fink, Stanford No. 1
Hilary Barte, and Florida No. 2  Lauren
Embree, who won the clinching match against the Stanford Cardinal in the recent
NCAA team competition. Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion Grace Min, a rising

high school senior from Lawrenceville, GA, is the fourth.

Back on the men’s side, seeds Wayne Odesnik (2), Chris
Guccione (3), Fritz Wolmarans (4) and Carsten Ball (5), last year’s Lexington
champ, all prevailed in straight sets.

In a match that ended past midnight, Nicholas Monroe held
on to beat Alex Musialek – UK’s No. 2 from Dax, France – 6-4, 7-6 (2). A winner
of five Challenger doubles titles since finishing at North Carolina in ’04, the
Tar Heel left the Wildcat faithful feeling a little bluer.

 

Downcast Delic Dropped in First Round by Canadian Chvojka;

Downcast  Delic Dropped in First Round by Canadian Chvojka;

Seeds  Ward, Yani Advance; Big Blue Night Dream Match-up

Features  Kentucky’s Quigley versus Tennessee Vol Williams

 

By
Jim Durham, Lexington Challenger Media Director Durham,
Lexington Challenger Media Director

Lexington,
KY (July 18) – The men’s main draw just started late Monday afternoon and
suddenly one of the most colorful players in Lexington Challenger history –
Bosnian Amer Delic (’06 runner-up) was gone in a flash. Only there was no flash
or dash in the game of the No. 8 seed, who fell to Canada’s Erik Chvojka 7-5,
7-6 (4).

Tuesday’s first Big Blue Night feature (approx. 7:20) promises to have lots of sizzle –
certainly in the stands – as Kentucky Wildcat star Eric Quigley faces
Tennessee’s top returning Vol, Rhyne Williams, the ’11 NCAA runner-up.

Chvojka (it’s Czech, pronounced VOIKA) was well aware that Delic has been battling back
up the ladder the last couple of years…and standing fairly still at No. 246.
But, he also knew the 2003 NCAA champ (Illinois) had a big game that carried him
to No. 60 in the world in ’07. “This is one of my very good wins…Delic’s still
a big name,” said the Montreal native.

“I played solid enough and I knew I had to serve well, because (Delic) has a big
one,” said Chvojka, who was especially pleased with tiebreaker service. “To get
to that next level, I need to play more tournaments of this caliber…and play
guys like Delic.”

Chvojka previously has reached two semis at the $50K level, a pair of Challengers in Canada. To do that this week, he must beat the winner of Tuesday’s second evening feature between UK’s Alex Musialek and Nicholas Monroe. Probably looming in the quarter-finals would be top-seeded James Ward of Great Britain, who finished off France’s Mathieu Rodrigues 6-2, 6-2.

In the last round of men’s qualifying, Ohio State’s Chase Buchanan defeated
doubles partner and USTA Summer Collegiate Team squad-mate Austin Krajicek of
Texas A&M 6-3, 6-2 – and was rewarded with a main draw first-rounder
against No. 2 seed Wayne Odesnik mid-afternoon Tuesday.

Devin Britton, the ’09 NCAA champ (Ole Miss), got some big-time revenge against
Jordan Cox – who beat him 16-14 in the 3^rd in the ’09 Junior
Wimbledon semis. Despite the 6-2, 6-1 beating, Cox
grabbed a “lucky loser” spot in the main against No. 4 Fritz Wolmarans of South
Africa Tuesday afternoon. Blake Strode (1) and Michael McClune (4) were the
others to qualify for the main event.

In women’s qualifying, top-seeded Amanda Fink made sure Lexington patrons would
remember her this time. Tuesday, the former Southern Cal star dissected Megan
Broderick, 6-0, 6-1, but she felt for her friend who was the University of
Kentucky’s top player the past four seasons – and praised the site.

“The Boone Center is a special stadium,” Fink said. “It’s just so much more fun playing
in college town…I love the atmosphere. But, it’s not so fun playing at UK,
though, against one of their players and everyone rooting for her (she
smiled).”

Two years ago she got through qualifying and lost first round main, but what was
memorable – a shoulder injury caused her to have to serve under-hand in the
doubles. Then, she was a member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team and
supported by the squad members who were traveling together.

After turning pro in ’09, she said, “I had a slow start coming out of college because
there I was used to winning a lot (she was 1 at USC) …but now out on tour, if
you aren’t winning tournaments, eventually you lose during the week.

“I’m trying to crack through…but you know we’re lucky to be doing this…because it’s
something a lot of (tennis fans) would like to do,” said Fink, who will
headline the final four matches of qualies all beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Fink said for her to make it to the next level, “I need to be more aggressive,
improve my net play, and make my serve a real weapon.”

In the evening features, No. 6 Michael Yani defeated Adam El Mihdawy 6-2, 6-4 and
former LSU star Michael Venus took down USTA wild card Jack Sock 7-6, 6-1.
That’s the second time in three weeks the New Zealander has eliminated Sock,
the reigning U.S. Open Junior champ, in a first round.

And, in a late night feature, UK’s Eric Quigley and Brad Cox lost to Rodrigues and
Clement Reix, both of France, 6-3, 6-4.

7 Men’s Qualies Seeds Vie for 4 Main Draw Spots Highlighted

7 Men’s Qualies Seeds Vie for 4 Main Draw Spots Highlighted

By
J.Cox-Britton; UK’s Megan Broderick Faces Top Seed Fink

Lexington, KY (July 17) – Former Arkansas star Blake
Strode, the top seed in the men’s qualies, blitzed through Minnesota Gopher
Phillip Arndt 6-0, 6-3, and Ohio State’s Chase Buchanan bested Kentucky Wildcat
Brad Cox 7-5, 6-3, as seven of eight seeds marched on Sunday – needing only a
win Monday to get into the main draw.

Michael McClune (4) was the only men’s seed pushed to three
sets, 6-2 in the decider over Darian King of Barbados; Chris Kwon (7) was the
only one to fall, 6-3, 6-1, to wild card Roy Kalmanovich. Match of the day on
the women’s side, fourth-seeded Jan Abaza nipped former Southern Cal No. 1
Maria Sanchez 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5).

Locally, there were
two MVPs – Megan Broderick, who played No. 1 for Kentucky all four years, moving
on to Monday’s second qualies round against top-seeded Amanda Fink…and sponsor
Big Ass Fans whose product enabled the tourney to get through two long rain
delays.

Broderick, who plans to call it a tennis career after this and
concentrate on running middle distances for the UK track team, blasted rising
high school junior Angela Assal of Bronx, NY, 6-0, 6-2. “This was my first
(pro) match of the summer, so it was good to get the feel again. I set simple
patterns and I just need to execute those patterns a little better the rest of
qualies,” said Broderick, who thrilled the home crowd two years ago by winning
the three matches needed to qualify for main draw.

Earlier, two-time Kentucky state high school champ Samantha
Maddox fell to Nicole Robinson, a high school junior from West Palm Beach, FL,
6-3, 6-2.

Buchanan was well aware he’d lost to Cox at No. 2 on these
same courts two years ago when the Buckeyes and Cats squared off in a border
state rivalry match. “That’s the first time I’ve beaten Brad,” said Buchanan,
who was a little sharper on both forcing and passing shots.

Buchanan will play his senior year for an OSU team he
thinks will be top three, and then go pro. “I need to win more easy points on
my serve and I can improve my movement for the next level,” he said.

He’s already had a good taste of the pro life as a member
of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team for three years. “It’s great…traveling with
the same guys, hanging out together and supporting each other,” Buchanan said.

Unfortunately, Buchanan (8) or squad member Austin Krajicek
(3) will be on the sidelines after Monday. A member of Texas A&M’s NCAA
doubles champions, Krajicek ousted fellow “teammate” Sekou Bangoura of the
Florida Gators, 6-3, 6-3.

5/3 Overheads!

Main draw men’s begins Monday afternoon with two treats: top-seeded
James Ward, a British Davis Cupper, opens with Mathieu Rodrigues of France; and
eighth-seeded Amer Delic, the ’06 Lexington Challenger runner-up who climbed to
No. 60 in the world the next year…but is battling back from injuries at No.
246. The 7 p.m. spotlight will be on sixth-seeded Michael Yani on one stadium
court and USTA wild card Jack Sock of Lincoln, NE, who won the U.S Open Juniors
last year, on the other. Eric Quigley and Brad Cox, the University of
Kentucky’s top duo, will play a first round doubles in the evening’s second
feature.

Monday’s most anticipated (re)match: Qualies 2 seed Jordan
Cox, the 19-year-old brother of Brad, versus Devin Britton, the ’09 NCAA singles
champ out of Ole Miss, approximately 2 p.m. In 2009, Cox bested Britton in the
Junior Wimbledon semis, 16-14 in the third.

Big Blue Tuesday: Before the UK’s top two men take to the
Boone Tennis Center courts that have been their “home” for three seasons, a
Celebrity Doubles Cats Clash will certainly entertain at 7 p.m. Lined up for
this super-tiebreaker are Josh “Jorts” Harrelson, the UK center who’ll next
wear a New York Knicks uniform; former UK All-American Kyle Macy of the ’78
national champions; Rachel Lawson, who coached UK to within a game of the
College World Series this spring; and a Big Blue ringer TBD.

About 7:20, Tennessee’s Rhyne Williams and Kentucky’s
Quigley – who will probably rank 2 and 3 in the NCAA pre-season – face off in a
Big Blue dream match. Williams won the NCAA Indoor in the winter and was the
NCAA singles runner-up last month. UK’s Alex Musialek of France takes center
court at their conclusion.

Big Ten Smackdown Highlights Qualies 1st Day as Gophers’ Arndt Upsets Illini’s Nevolo; ’09 NCAA Champ Britton, UK’s Cox Roll

By Jim Durham, Lexington Challenger Media Director

Lexington, KY (July 16) – The Hillary J. Boone Tennis Center – home of the Kentucky Wildcats – is hallowed Southeastern Conference ground. But Saturday, a Big Ten match-up commanded the Lexington Challenger spotlight on the first day of men’s qualifying as Minnesota’s Phillip Arndt of Lancaster (KY) upset Dennis Nevolo, the top man at Illinois, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

“My volleys were doing really well…and I was solid all the way. Hopefully, I do that again (Sunday),” said Arndt, who faces qualies top seed Blake Strode at approximately 11:30 a.m. A former Arkansas Razorback star, Strode won last year’s Wild Card Tournament to get into the U.S. Open qualifier.

A pair of UK men – Brad Cox and Maks Gold won in straight sets and face seeds at 10 a.m. Cox, the No. 3 Cat, faces Ohio State top gun Chase Buchanan (the 8^th seed); Gold has Japan’s Bumpei Sato (6). The top four qualies seeds, who all received byes, will see their first action in the morning as well.

The first round of women’s qualifying begins at 1 p.m. with matches on seven courts. Local wild cards Samantha Maddox and Megan Broderick are second and third match on, respectively, against a couple of rising high school juniors. The two-time Kentucky state high school champ for Lexington Catholic, Maddox faces Nicole Robinson of West Palm Beach, FL; UK’s top player the past four seasons, Broderick has Angela Assal of Bronx, NY.

Cox, the just graduated senior captain of a UK team that reached the NCAA quarterfinals, is looking forward to following his younger brother Jordan – the qualies No. 2 seed – on the pro circuit as coach, confidant and sometimes doubles partner. This week, however, Brad Cox plans to team with regular Wildcat teammate Eric Quigley – a duo invited to the NCAA doubles tourney last month.

As a player, Cox said “I still need to work on my return of serve and my movement.” That showed in his 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over UK teammate Ryuji Hirooka of Japan. As his brother’s coach, he hopes “to help Jordan mentally. He has the shots, he just needs to get his (mental) game together.”

Arndt, who plays 3 or 4 for Minnesota, plans to finish his degree in Business and Marketing but turn professional next summer. After the Lexington Challenger, he’ll play $10K Futures events in Godfrey and Decatur, IL. Then, Aug. 8 he’s off to China for three weeks with Team USA. “I’m really excited…it’s sort of the college Olympics,” said the 2008 Garrard County High graduated.

Also of local interest: 2009 NCAA champ Devin Britton, who has trained the past year here with Lexington Tennis Club pro Jeff Morrison (the ’99 NCAA champ, Florida) advanced; Lexington Catholic graduate Austin Akers, who plays at Wisconsin for former UK great Greg Van Emburgh, fell in the first round.

TOP SEEDS CARSTEN BALL & KURUMI NARA FOR THEIR FIRST $50K CHALLENGER TITLES

By Jim Durham

Lexington Challenger Media Director

For the second time in the 14-year history of the joint men’s/women’s events at the $100,000 USTA Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, the No. 1 seeds prevailed in the Sunday finals.

While replicating the front-running feats of Hyung-Taik Lee and Camille Pin from five years ago, Carsten Ball and Kurumi Nara made personal history – each won their first $50K Challenger level tournament.

Nara, the 18-year-old from Osaka, Japan, may be the nearer to Top 100 status after stopping second-seeded Stephanie Dubois of Canada 6-4, 6-4. Ball, who didn’t drop a set all week, outworked fifth-seeded Jesse Levine 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Nara came to Lexington riding the crest of a runner-up of finish in the (Dallas) Grapevine Challenger and No. 112 ranking. And, now – beaming with confidence – she’s headed to a bigger WTA Tour event in San Diego this week.

Dubios, the Lexington champ in ’07 and now a two-time runner-up here, put a few doubts in her 5-foot opponent’s mind breaking her serve right out of the gate for a 2-0 lead. But, as the eventual winner did all week, Nara broke back and then a second time. She then served out the set at love, tactfully punctuating the air with mini-fist pumps after each point.

Dubois got the early break again in the second set for a 3-1 lead, but Nara broke back before a short downpour and delay with the fiery Canadian ahead 4-3. Once play resumed, Nara came out firing for a hold, a break and a 5-4 lead. But, on double match point, she bounced a second serve to the net, then plunked the next point meekly into the net (“I very nervous,” she said later). A third match point was stopped by the tape, but on the fourth try she creamed a backhand winner down the line.

Could she have thinking of missed opportunities in the second set of her semi that gave Rebecca Marino a chance at a third set? Her coach, Taka Terachi, told Nara during the rain delay, “Just try to win three games. But, if it’s a set apiece that’s okay…maybe try again.”

Nara wasn’t about to let the final go three, though, against the 23-year-old Dubois – a player of all four Grand Slam events with a hghest ranking of 95 in the world two years ago. The Top 100 is certainly in Nara’s sights, but, her coach said, “She has to improve her tactics to win at the WTA level…and then our goal is Top 50.”

Carsten Ball, 23, may not be quite the fast-rising star tiny Nara is, but the 6-foot-6 Aussie is finally a Challenger singles winner – not just Chris Guccione’s doubles partner and Davis Cup teammate. The top seed and fifth-seeded Jesse Levine took turns as left-handed surgeons in the Boone Tennis Center stadium, but it was Ball who hit the big shots when he had to – especially when trailing 4-1 in the second set and then again at double set-point against at 4-5 to hold. In the tiebreaker, Levine dumped an easy volley winner into the net on the first point – and the end was near, as he practically crumbled from there on.

“I did a better job of holding in my emotions this week and it paid off,” said Ball, who moved up five spots in the rankings to 122. “I will take a lot of confidence from this.”

Ball is off to join “Gooch” (Guccione) in Los Angeles for an ATP event as “doubles specialists” again for a week. And, since he didn’t make it back to defend the singles points he won there last year as runner-up, that means the elusive Top 100 still isn’t quite within striking distance. “That’s fine,” he said. “If I can stay healthy I’m just one good tourney away from it.”

When the Lexington entry list arrived three weeks ago, Levine had moved up to 115 in the world and seemed poised to once again crack the Top 100. The winner of three Challengers in the past, he has been ranked as high as 94 in each of the past two years.

With the second place finish here he stands to inch upward a bit from his current No. 157.

Both runners-up are now headed to Canada for the next Challenger: Dubois to Vancouver, Levine to Granby.

A SUPER “SEEDED” SUNDAY: No. 1 KURUMI NARA versus No. 2 STEPHANIE DUBOIS & No. 1 CARSTEN BALL versus No. 5 JESSE LEVINE

By Jim Durham

Lexington Challenger Media Director

For the second year in a row the top two women’s seeds will meet in the Sunday final of the $100,000 USTA Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships as No. 1 Kurumi Nara of Japan and Stephanie Dubios of Canada, the ’07 Lexington Challenger winner, are safely through. (In ’09, No. 2 Sania Mirza of India defeated No. 1 Julie Coin of France.)

For the first time since 2006, the top men’s seed (Carsten Ball of Australia) and top women’s seed (Nara) both have a chance at the big trophy on the last day. (No. 1 seeds Hyung-Taik Lee of South Korea and Camille Pin of France achieved that rare double five years ago.)

Then, throw in fifth-seeded Jesse Levine and there’s the rarity of having all four finalists with the word “seeded” as a prefix. Be there at “The Boone” – 1 p.m. – on the campus of the University of Kentucky.

Here’s how Lexington’s 2010 finalists got through Semifinals Saturday:

Second-seeded Dubois handled third-seeded Lilia Osterloh in the first women’s semi 6-3, 6-4 – her fourth consecutive victory in straight sets. But she had to remind herself to be aggressive – especially in the second set when she got down 3-0. “I had to hit her deep balls or she wasn’t going to miss,” she said of the crafty 32-year-old veteran who ranked as high as 41 in the world in 2001.

Both Dubois and Osterloh have played all four of the Grand Slams, but it’s the former who is getting ready for the Rogers Cup in her Montreal hometown and the U.S. Open next month.

The hardcourt is her favorite surface, but Dubois insisted that Lexington hospitality was the reason she has gotten to at least the final four in all four of her Fifth Third appearances. “I have a very nice housing family – Cookie and Bob Bohman,” said the French Canadian. She was runner-up here in ’05, a semifinalist in ’06, the champion in ’07 and Sunday she plays for the title again – this time against 18-year-old Nara.

And, Dubois has a recent score to settle with the 5-foot Japanese, who beat her 5 & 4 in the final round of Wimbledon’s qualies last month. That and Nara’s run to the finals in the $50K Grapevine (Dallas) event last week have her at a career high 112 in the world. Dubois, who was a career high 95 in May ’08, is No. 125 now.

Nara took the harder route in the other semi, going three sets for the second day in row – 6-2, 6-7 (11), 6-4. But, eighth-seeded Rebecca Marino made the shot-of-the-tourney to save a fourth match point in the second set. The 19-year-old Canadian stretched all 6-foot-2 of herself almost horizontal on certain forehand winner and tomahawked the ball back to trickle over the net to tie the breaker at 11 all. Two points later Marino had forced a rubber set.

Afterward, coach Taka Terachi wasn’t too happy with his girl for letting five match point get away from her – albeit one was on a huge Marino serve at 5-6 in the second, before four more in the tiebreaker. “(At that point), I am thinking defensively…and my coach wants offensively,” Nara said. She did come out on the attack early in the third set, breaking serve twice for a 3-0 lead. She was broken once, but managed to serve out the match.

Sunday’s men’s final is Big Lefty (6-foot-6 Aussie Carsten Ball, the top seed) versus the Little Lefty (5-foot-9 Jesse Levine, the No. 5 seed). As in the women’s, the higher seed – now at No. 122 in the world – has never cracked the Top 100; 115 is Ball’s previous high. Levine, who dropped to 157 in the past two weeks, has hit No. 94 each of the past two years.

Ball, as he has all week, showed bounce in his step while beating a somewhat lethargic unseeded Alex Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-2 in the first men’s semi. “I had break point chances in every one of Alex’s service games the first set…and when I broke him the second time, I felt I had him,” Ball said.

“One good tourney and I’m in the Top 100,” said Ball, who reached the Dallas Challenger finals earlier this year. “Some luck and staying healthy is the key.”

Levine, who had tough three-setter in the first round against Jamie Baker, has put himself in numerous precarious positions. But, the former Florida Gator has kicked it into a higher gear each time he needs it – whether it be a devastating inside-out forehand or serve, or the timely slice serve wide on the ad court.

“It’s true, I was down love-30, 15-40 a number of times, but I’d step it up a notch,” Levine said of the second men’s semi. But, he had three match points at 5-6, and Alex Bogomolov, Jr., served his way into a tiebreaker. Levine then jumped to a 6-2 lead in the breaker and held on 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Although Levine never played in Lexington in his one college season, he is likely to have fans who normally root for the Kentucky Wildcats in his corner. Levine’s coach at Florida (who backed his decision to go pro after his undefeated freshman year in ’07) was Andy Jackson, captain of one of UK Coach Dennis Emery’s teams in the mid-80s. And, his prep school roommate and best friend is UK doubles All-American and No. 3 singles player Brad Cox.

In the men’s doubles final, unseeded South Africans Raven Klaasen and Izak Van Der Merwe upset former Tennessee teammates Kande Hensel and Adam Hubble, the second seeds from Australia, 5-7, 6-4, (10-6).

In the women’s final, former Cal-Berkeley teammates Bojana Bobusic of Australia and American Christina Fusano, the No. 4 seeds, drubbed Americans Jacqueline Cako and Story Tweedie-Yates 6-4, 6-2.

TOP SEEDS LOOK STRONG FOR SEMIS DESPITE PREVIOUS LONG WEEK; ’07 CHAMP STEPHANIE DUBOIS FACES OSTERLOH, FORMER 41 IN WORLD

By Jim Durham

Lexington Challenger Media Director

That both men’s and women’s No. 1 seeds are still alive for Semifinals Saturday at the $100,000 USTA Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships is unusual. But, the fact that Carsten Ball of Australia and Kurumi Nara were also involved in finals last Sunday in California and Dallas, respectively, is almost unheard of.

Never mind that the top three women’s seeds – Nara, Stephanie Dubois of Canada, and American Lilia Osterloh – are in this Lexington Challenger final four. Unprecedented!

Top-seeded Ball seemed plenty fresh Friday in beating Peter Polansky of Canada 6-3, 6-3, showing none of the exhaustion he must feel from taking the doubles runners-up trophy at the Aptos Challenger with Chris Guccione and traveling here Monday. He did the same exact thing last year, but was pounded in the first round by former University of Kentucky star Bruno Agostinelli. To compound the wear this time, he and Guccione won the Newport, RI, two weeks ago.

Ball pleaded not to label him a doubles specialist quite yet. “But, there’s not much room in the (singles) Top 100,” he said. “So, (to get there) I’ve got to stay healthy and play as many matches as I can.”

To keep playing at UK’s Boone Tennis Center that means at 4 p.m. he must defeat Alex Kuznetsov, an American he sidelined in three tough sets at Aptos last week. And Kuznetsov, the runner-up here last year, looked ANYTHING but unseeded in taking out fourth-seeded Kevin Kim 6-2, 6-3. “I’m just focusing on improving now, NOT winning or losing,” said Kuznetsov, who hopes having coach Martin Van Daalen from Saddlebrook (FL) here will prove the difference.

Also at 4 p.m. on the adjacent stadium court, 33-year-old Osterloh – ranked No. 41 in ’01 – will face Dubois, the ’07 Lexington champ who’s ranked as high as 95 in the world. Both advanced by identical 6-1, 6-3 scores over Asia Muhammad and Ukrainian Tetiana Luzhanska, respectively.

Following at 6 p.m., is a battle of seeds and fractions. Top-seeded Nara is a fraction over 5-feet while eighth-seeded Rebecca Marino of Vancouver, Canada is a fraction under 6-foot-2. But, the diminutive Japanese 18-year-old packs a lot of power because she – perhaps more than any woman in this draw – steps assertively into nearly every ball.

“I don’t have power so I have to move more,” said the Osaka native, whose coach (Taka Terachi) played Lexington three times during a 10-year pro career.  Once No. 180 in the world, he has been working with Nara this year after six months with the recently retired Ai Sugiyama.

Terachi has his charge thinking positively – perhaps qualifying for the U.S. Open in a few weeks, but certainly taking down some tall timber at the Challenger level. This week is Nara’s first time seeded No. 1 at the $50K level. But, just last week she reached the $50K Challenger in Dallas (Grapevine, TX), losing to American Jamie Hampton.

Marino, who expects to be in the U.S. Open qualies too, routinely ended the Comeback/Star Turn of Alexandra Stevenson 6-4, 6-2. “I lost to her in three sets in November and I knew what to expect,” she said. “And, I wanted revenge.”

Marino, who actually signed to play at Georgia Tech, deferred a year, then signed again, was wistful about passing up the college experience – especially at that powerhouse program. But, she feels like she has the game to at least break the Top 100 if she’ll just take advantage of her height and reach advantage. “I have an aggressive game anyway, but I need to impose myself.”

In an all-American 6 p.m. men’s semi, fifth-seeded Jesse Levine will face unseeded Alex Bogomolov, Jr., who upset sixth-seeded Paul Capdeville of Chile 7-5, 6-2. Levine vaulted over Ukrainian Sergei Bubka 6-4, 6-0.

Both doubles finals will be played NOT before 8 p.m. and without the top-seeded duos in each, as both fell Friday night. Australians Kaden Hensel and Adam Hubble, the No. 2 seeds, face unseeded South Africans Raven Klaasen and Izak Van Der Merwe; and Australian Bojana Bobusic and American Christina Fusano face Americans Jacqueline Cako and Story Tweedie-Yates.