Muhammad feeling frustration heading into local tennis tournament

At this stage of her development, Asia Muhammad was hoping to be a top-20 player on the WTA Tour, playing Grand Slam events and setting herself up to be part of the next wave of great American female tennis players.

Instead, the 19-year-old Las Vegan is struggling to qualify for ITF events, is ranked No. 443 in the world and needed the help of tournament organizers to play in an event in her hometown.

Muhammad knows her career is rapidly approaching a crossroad despite the fact she has been a pro for less than three years. She's still relatively young, even by today's standards, but unless she shows dramatic improvement and elevates her status, she might have to make a difficult decision on whether or not pursuing a professional career is viable.

"I'm not giving up," said Muhammad, who was given a wild-card spot in the 32-player main draw for the Lexus of Las Vegas Open, a $50,000 USTA Women's Pro Circuit event that begins Tuesday and runs through Sunday at Red Rock Country Club. "The good thing is I'm 19. I still have time on my side.

"It is frustrating. But I'm trying to stay positive, stay calm and not give up."

When last seen here, Muhammad was bowing out of the quarterfinals of the inaugural Lexus of Las Vegas Open in October. An ankle injury prevented her from performing at 100 percent and she lost to eventual champion Regina Kulikova in straight sets.

She took the winter off to heal and prepare for 2010. But the inconsistencies in her game have continued to plague her, and Muhammad's best efforts came in May when she reached the quarterfinals at a tournament in Los Angeles and in July when she made it to the quarters at Lexington, Ky.

"I'm hitting it well in practice, but for whatever reason I can't perform the same way in the tournaments," Muhammad said. "I think I've been putting too much pressure on myself."

Tim Blenkiron, Muhammad's coach, said it's strictly a mental thing.

"It's all between her ears," he said. "We've talked about it and I've tried to get her to relax. I'm trying to get her into the mindset that it's about trying to get a little better each day. But she's had a lot of pressure and it may be taking its toll."

Muhammad and her family have discussed the idea of working with a sports psychologist. But for now, she's going to try to work things out on her own.

"My parents keep telling me to stay positive and hang in there," she said. "It's just so frustrating. I think I'm a top-20 player. I know I'm better than my current ranking. I want it to come sooner than later, but it's hard to stay patient."

Maybe being at home this week will get Muhammad jump-started. But the field is talented, headed by 20-year-old Romanian Sorana Cirstea, who a year ago was ranked No. 23 in the world and is the top seed at Red Rock.

"In tennis, every week can be the week where it all clicks," Muhammad said. "I'm excited to be home and I've been training very hard. You're not going to get better feeling sorry for yourself sitting at home on your butt."

■ NOTES -- Kulikova will not be back to defend her title as back problems forced her to withdraw. ... The winner on Sunday will receive a check for $7,315 and earn 70 rankings points. The runner-up gets $3,990 and 50 rankings points ... On Sunday, former UNLV standout Kristina Nedeltcheva was eliminated from qualifying. Bishop Gorman High School senior Sarah Toti and 14-year-old Coronado High freshman Gabrielle Smith advanced to the second round of qualifying today.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.