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Muhammad, Sanchez fall in Red Rock Open final

She might not have been victorious in her hometown Sunday, but Asia Muhammad wasn’t that disappointed.

The 23-year-old Las Vegan was trying to win her 12th career doubles title and win for the first time at home. But she and Maria Sanchez came up a bit short against Veronica Cepede Royg and Maria Irigoyen, who won the doubles title Sunday in the Red Rock Pro Open with a 6-3, 5-7 11-9 victory.

Madison Brengle also was happy as she captured the singles crown of the $50,000 United States Tennis Association Women’s Pro Circuit event at the Red Rock Country Club with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Michelle Larcher De Brito.

Muhammad is putting the wraps on what has been the best year of her nine-year pro career. She came into the week with her highest-ever ranking in singles (No. 243) and she is hovering near the top 100 in doubles (she will move up after being ranked 116th when the tournament began). She already has three doubles victories in 2014 and three runner-up finishes.

“I always believed in myself, and I think I’ve gotten smarter as I’ve gotten older,” Muhammad said. “I know what to expect, and I’ve been able to stay healthy. My game has matured, and I just do everything better and more consistently.”

She also has shown her mental toughness, something that always seemed to be in question. Her father, Ron Holmes, is in a California federal prison serving a 37-month sentence for mortgage fraud, and Muhammad is using tennis as a way to deal with it. She has moved to Los Angeles and trains at the USTA’s center in Carson, Calif.

“I’ve had so much crap in my life off the court,” said the older sister of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Shabazz Muhammad and San Jose State sophomore guard Rashad Muhammad. “I use tennis as my escape.”

Muhammad and Sanchez struggled early to figure out the playing style of Cepede Royg and Irigoyen. But they rallied to take the second set and were up 3-0 in the 10-point deciding tiebreaker when, suddenly, they couldn’t do anything right. Cepede Royg, who is from Paraguay, and Irigoyen, a left-hander from Argentina, won the next six points before Muhammad and Sanchez, a former star at Southern California, regained their touch and tied things at 9. But they couldn’t finish it out as the South Americans won the next two points and shared first prize of $2,786 (Muhammad and Sanchez split $1,393).

“We let them dictate the tempo, and you can’t do that,” said Muhammad. “But once we started attacking them, it got us back into the match.”

Brengle, a 24-year-old from Dover, Del., controlled play from the outset against Larcher De Brito of Portugal. She got up an early break in the first set and merely kept the ball in play, letting Larcher De Brito self-destruct in an avalanche of unforced errors.

“I’ve played a whole let better this year and made a couple of changes in my game,” said Brengle, who won her seventh singles title of her pro career, picking up $7,600 Sunday (Larcher De Brito won $4,053). “I’ve gotten wiser as I’ve grown older, and I was very steady with my play all week.”

Brengle, who came to Las Vegas ranked No. 116 in the world in singles, never has cracked the top 100. Her win Sunday will put her right near the magic number, and she said it can be the catalyst she needs for a big 2015.

“If you get into the top 100, you get an automatic draw into the (Grand) Slams, and that’s every player’s goal,” she said.

Brengle and Larcher De Brito were meeting for the eighth time, and Brengle said her familiarity with her opponent helped tremendously.

“I know Michelle’s going to make you run, and she’s going to fight for every ball,” said Brengle, who is now 3-5 against Larcher De Brito. “But I’m in good shape, and I was able to get behind the ball and make good returns against her.”

As the 2014 season winds down, both Muhammad and Brengle are looking to finish strong, boost their rankings and position themselves for a chance to play in more Women’s Tennis Association events, where the big money is.

“I think I’m going to play three more times and then get ready for January,” Muhammad said. “But it’s been a great year, and I’m very happy with the way I’ve been playing. It’s done a lot for my confidence.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.

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