LV teen advances in USTA tourney
Down a service break in the first set and on the verge of being broken a second time, Las Vegan Asia Muhammad rallied to hold serve and went on to defeat Lauren Albanese 7-6 (4), 6-0 Thursday in the Lexus of Las Vegas Open at Red Rock Country Club.
Muhammad, an 18-year-old wild-card entrant, will face third-seeded Regina Kulikova at 4 p.m. today in the quarterfinals of the USTA Pro Circuit event. Kulikova advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 win over fellow Russian Anastasia Pivovarova.
"I knew I had to fight if I was going to survive," Muhammad said. "I was trying to stay relaxed and stick with the game plan."
Muhammad's first serve was erratic. But when she got it in, she controlled the point.
Defense keyed her victory. She managed to run down some wicked forehands and seemed to frustrate Albanese, a 20-year-old from Coral Gables, Fla.
Albanese called for the trainer after losing the first set, and it appeared she was having issues with the heat.
Muhammad now will face her most formidable opponent thus far. "I'm expecting a tough match, but I'm going to keep fighting for every point," Muhammad said.
Aniko Kapros upset top-seeded Varvara Lepchenko, 6-4, 6-3. Kapros will face sixth-seeded Madison Brengle when quarterfinal play begins at 11 a.m. today.
In the other quarterfinal matchups, Lindsay Lee-Waters will meet wild-card qualifier Mirjana Lucic, who outlasted Meng Yuan 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, and second-seeded Shenay Perry will face fellow American and No. 8 seed Lilla Osterloh.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.
