LAS VEGAS (Sept. 22, 2013) – Las Vegas pro tennis veteran Asia Muhammad and Las Vegas 17-year-old wild card Gabby Smith both recorded wins on Sunday during the first day of qualifying at the Party Rock Open.
Asia Muhammad easily dispatched of No. 4-seeded Emily Harman, 6-4, 6-0, while 17-year-old Las Vegas resident Gabby Smith took advantage of her wild card and beat No. 7-seeded Ivana Lisjak of Croatia, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. Lisjak is a former top 100 player.
Smith is headed to USC next fall on a full tennis scholarship.
Adding to the local success was UNLV No. 1 singles player Aleksanda Josifoska, who advanced with a straight sets victory.
Qualifying continues on Monday with matches beginning at 10 a.m. at the Darling Tennis Center.
Main draw matches begin Tuesday at Noon, with a featured night match at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday-Friday under the lights at Darling Tennis Center.
On Saturday, the first singles semifinals will take place at 4 p.m., followed with a second semifinal at 6:30 p.m. A DJ set will begin each evening at 5 p.m. starting on Tuesday.
The Party Rock Open is Las Vegas’ only professional tennis tournament, and is named for LMFAO’s Redfoo and his Party Rock franchise’s title sponsorship. The Party Rock Open is Presented by ProtectYourBubble.com, an award-winning gadget insurance company.
The event is a USTA $50,000 Pro Circuit women’s tournament with a 32-player field in singles and 16 doubles teams.
Main-draw wild cards have been announced and are Americans Allie Will, Julie Boserup, Alexandra Stevenson and Elizabeth Lumpkin.
Qualifying first-round singles match results from Sunday:
Allie Kiick (U.S.) def. [2] Stephanie Bengson (AUS) 6-3 6-1
Jacqueline Cako (U.S.) def. Kristina Barrois (GER) [1] 7-6(6) 6-2
Jillian O'Neill (CAN) def. Anne-Liz Jeukeng (q) (U.S.) 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-2
Macall Harkins (U.S.) def. Anamika Bhargava (U.S.) 6-3 6-3
Gabby Smith (U.S.) def. Ivana Lisjak (CRO) [7] 6-4 1-6 6-2
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) def. [6] Mary Weatherholt (U.S.) 6-3 5-7 6-1
Denise Muresan (U.S.) def. Caitlin Whoriskey (U.S.) 6-2 6-1
Lauren Embree (U.S.) def. Lenka Wienerova (SVK) 6-3 5-7 6-2
Jan Abaza (U.S.) def. Nicole Melichar (U.S.) 6-4 6-2
Tori Kinard (U.S.) def. Louisa Chirico (U.S.) [5] 6-3 4-6 7-6(1)
Christina Makarova (q) (U.S.) def. Jennifer Elie (U.S.) [8] 6-3 4-6 6-4
Brianna Morgan (U.S.) def. Sonja Molnar (CAN) 6-3 6-2
Asia Muhammad (U.S.) def. [4] Emily Harman (U.S.) 6-4 6-0
Piia Suomalainen (FIN) def. Natalie Pluskota (U.S.) 4-6 6-2 6-1
Sanaz Marand (U.S.) [3] def. Jennifer Artiga Henriquez (q), (ESA) 6-0 6-1
Aleksanda Josifoska (q), (MKD) def. Jessica Lawrence (U.S)., 6-3. 6-3
Second-round qualifying singles matches on Monday
Note: All matches are free and open to the public:
Stadium Court, starting at 10 a.m.
wc: wild card
Denise Muresan, U.S., vs. Gabby Smith (wc)
Followed by Asia Muhammad vs. Piia Suomalainen (FIN)
Court 11, starting at 10 a.m.
Jacqueline Cako, U.S., vs. Jillian O’Neill, Canada,
Brianna Morgan, U.S., vs. Christina Makarova (q)
Court 10, starting at 10 a.m.
Allie Kiick (2), U.S., vs. Macall Harkins, U.S.
Followed by Jan Abaza, U.S., vs . Tori Kinard (U.S.)
Court 8, starting at 10 a.m.
Lauren Embree, U.S., vs. Ulrikke Eikeri (6), Norway
Sanaz Marand (U.S.) [3] vs. Aleksanda Josifoska (q), (MKD)\
The following is the schedule of events for this week’s event:
Sunday, Sept. 22
Qualifying singles matches: Noon to 7 p.m.
Kid’s Day: noon to 3 p.m. (both events are free and open to the public).
Monday, Sept. 23
Qualifying singles matches: Noon to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Final round of qualifying, main draw doubles and singles: Noon to 7 p.m.
Featured singles night match 6 p.m.
DJ set beginning at 5 p.m.
Tournament Pro-Am Presented by ProtectYourBubble.com at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
· Main draw singles and doubles: Noon to 7 p.m.
· Featured singles night match 6 p.m.
· DJ set beginning at 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 26 (Military Appreciation Night)
Show your military ID and get free admission
· Second round singles and doubles: Noon to 7 p.m.
· Featured singles night match 6 p.m.
· DJ set beginning at 5 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27 (Boys and Girls Club Appreciation Night)
Singles quarterfinals, doubles semifinals: Noon to 7 p.m.
Featured singles night match 6 p.m.
DJ set beginning at 5 p.m.
Semifinals Saturday, Sept. 28 (USTA NIGHT)
Wear high school logo clothing and get in for $5!
Singles semifinals 4 and 6:30 p.m.
USTA League Day
Championship Sunday, Sept. 29
· Singles final at 1 p.m., followed by doubles final
· Trophy Presentation/Closing Ceremonies
Premier sponsors include: BILT by Agassi and Reyes, Newcastle Brown Ale, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cox Communications, WG Communications Group, ESPN 1100, Lotus Broadcasting, www.10sBalls.com, USTA-Nevada, Court Think, LLC, and Agent Atleta, LLC.
The tournament’s official website is www.partyrockopen.com. Follow along on Twitter @partyrockopen and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/partyrockopen.com.
About the USTA Pro Circuit
With approximately 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. The USTA launched its Pro Circuit 34 years ago to provide players with the opportunity to gain professional ranking points, and it has since grown to become the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, offering nearly $3 million in prize money. Last year, more than 1,000 men and women from more than 70 countries competed in cities nationwide. Mardy Fish, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Querrey, Li Na and Andy Murray are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.